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With Gladness and Singleness of Heart
The Stewardship In-Gathering on November 19th was a moving experience for me. As the new Director of Incorporation and Development, I want to thank all those who participated in any way, from the stewardship committee, headed by David Smith, to David Norgard and his guidance, to everyone, and especially you.
Mind you, the stewardship campaign is not over yet. Many of you still have cards to fill out and send in. We’ll have a good idea about what next year will look like for us by the Annual Meeting in January. It is exciting to see the community we call the Cathedral Congregation come together as we do. By volunteering our time, talent and resources, we do our part to change the world through Christ and make it a better place for all.
At the request of several of you, we’ve included the texts from our three stewardship witnesses in this issue, each offering a compelling and very different testimony about how and why they choose to live generously. As a relatively new Christian, I can credit much of my spiritual formation about stewardship to what I have learned from these witnesses over the years. Thanks in part to their examples, I now see stewardship as a part of my spiritual journey; just as much as prayer, worship and service – as something that moves me closer to God.
But it wasn’t always that way. My early impressions of stewardship focused on the offering plate, which I always assumed was passed around to keep the church’s lights on and provide a modest salary for the clergy and staff. But in time I finally got it. Stewardship is not about God’s need for money, but about my need to give back.
Of course, money does keep the lights on, pay saleries and fund the considerable array of ministries which comprise the Cathedral’s daily life – all of which are necessary and of critical importance. But, recently, I’ve added another element. In addition to sustaining our ministries and mission, I now see stewardship as an opportunity to give thanks for all that I have been given – and in so doing, deepen my relationship with God.
And so it was fitting that our In-Gathering was the Sunday before Thanksgiving as it brought our theme home, "With Gladness and Singleness of Heart". Thanksgiving reminds us that all we have received has been given to us by God – given out of love. And how we respond is an opportunity to experience the great paradox of love; that our deepest joy, is finally, not in grasping but in giving.
May your days ahead be filled with gladness and singleness of heart.
Chris Harris
Director of Incorporation & Development
(If you have any experiences or reflections on stewardship, I’d love to hear them. Please stop by my office or email me at harrisc@stpaulcathedral.org).
