Happy Fall!
Isn’t it so magical how God works in our lives? I didn’t know it then but there was a purpose to why I was asked to go to a diocesan conference on Stewardship, Evangelism and Congregational Development called The Converted life. It was held in Boston in 2004. Thankfully, by going it has made a difference in my life to this day.
It was at the end of the day and I was sitting in an assembly hall waiting to hear the guest speaker, Bruce Rockwell gives his presentation. He first spoke about pledging and what it meant to pledge as Christians and Episcopalians. He continued and said that our pledge commitment should reflect our love for the Lord. This concept astounded me! Our pledge should reflect our love to God??? Let’s just say, those words roused me to sit up straight in my chair and listen. He continued to talk about how it should be a thoughtful process, not one that is taken lightly.
As I continued to listen to Mr. Rockwell, he made me realize that pledging was essential and vital for the church. He said that the church’s budget was primarily based on parishioners’ pledges; that the church could not plan ahead for the year without having this pledge commitment. A light bulb went on in my head.
Is this true? I knew my weekly plate offering was important but could my pledging make more of a difference? I felt this urgency to run back to St. Stephen’s and yell this from the tower. I was so inspired that I went back to St. Stephen’s and asked if the Stewardship Ministry Team needed volunteers. They welcomed me with open arms and I became part of the team for that year’s pledge drive. I had a sense that there were people just like me who needed to hear my Epiphany. I was asked to be one of the speakers during the pledge drive that year and I was so joyful to do so.
Come with me and take that next step in re-committing yourself to Jesus, St. Stephen’s and our community in a way that will fulfill you more than you can imagine. Someone wise once told me that you make a living from what you get, however, you make a life from what you give!
God bless and thank you for all you do for this church,
Victoria Harriss-Provost
Your Senior Warden
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