Stewardship

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St. Matthew’s Every Member Canvass for 2009

October 18-November 15, 2010

2010 EVERY MEMBER CANVASS UPDATE

Like good stewards of the grace of God, serve on another . . .

The apostle Peter, in 1st Peter 4: 8-10, was writing to the Christians in Asia Minor during the 1st century in a time of great suffering and hardship. In this short series of verses, he directed the Christians to do three things. First, he told them and he tells us to maintain constant love for another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Second, he tells us to be hospitable to one another and to do it without complaining and grumbling. Third, and most importantly, he tells us that we are stewards of the grace of God; that as Christians we hold’s God’s grace in our hands and because of that grace, we are to serve one another with whatever gift each of us has received.

Some weeks ago, Lucinda asked me if I would chair the Every Member Canvass again for St. Matthew’s this fall. In a moment of weakness, I agreed.

She suggested the letter from Peter as the theme of this year’s every member canvass. In many ways, for me, these are difficult words to hear and more difficult words to live by. We are to love one another. We are to be gracious and hospitable to each other and not complain. Finally, because of God’s grace — God’s unmerited favor to us; we are stewards of that grace and are told we must serve one another with the gifts we have each received.

I know for many of us, particularly in these times, the idea of giving our gifts is a difficult notion. And yet, that is what Peter and Christ have called us to do.

On the wall of the Narthex you will find hanging a banner with a new logo for the Every Member Canvass this fall. I would invite you to look at it on your way out of church, if you have not. Lucinda asked if we could come up with a graphic representation of the canvass, much like the mustard tree Lauren Becker created for us last year. I told her that I worked with this wonderful graphic artist named Sara and I would ask her to give it some thought.

Sara came over to the parish one day by herself, walked the grounds of the church, and sat in the sanctuary. She took pictures, thought about what she had seen, and after some weeks, she created this symbol. When I saw it, I instantly knew what it was. In Sara’s words, it is an illustration of the circular altar, which is the centerpiece of this church. It is this altar at which we pray and kneel or stand as we take communion together every Sunday. At the center of the altar is the Celtic cross, which sits atop this church. In Sara’s words, the three legs of the altar are faith, hope, and love, with the cross at its center.

Lucinda and I and the Stewardship Committee agree that this symbol exemplifies what is at the heart of this parish. As we hear regularly, this altar is God’s altar, where everyone is welcome. We come to receive the gift of the Eucharist every Sunday in the circle with the cross at the center.

Last year, we began the Every Member Canvass within weeks of the bankruptcy of some of the biggest firms in the United States and in the beginning of what has surely been the worst and deepest
economic setback this country has seen since the Great Depression. In the midst of that fear and earth-rattling anxiety, something quiet and miraculous occurred. The members of this parish did not run from this rail; they continued to come, take the Eucharist, pray and sing, even when jobs and businesses were lost, savings depleted, and fears increased. Last year, the mustard seeds sowed on incredibly hard ground yielded a record high Every Member Canvass pledge drive—both in terms of dollars pledged and numbers of pledges.

 Now we begin the same leap of faith again. Our Every Member Canvass for 2010 began on October 18, and continues through Sunday November 15.

 We need every member to pledge this year! To be candid, our goal is two-fold. We need every member to pledge something and, second, for those who can, we need you to increase the dollar amount pledged.

 As we have discussed in the past, our pledges and plate offerings only pay for about 90% of our operating budget. We need to raise sufficient funds to cover 100% of the operating budget in order to preserve the endowment, particularly in this time when endowment values have dropped everywhere.

 We need your help. You should have received a letter from a member of the Vestry or Stewardship Committee, with your pledge card enclosed in a sealed envelope. The letter also contains a charitable contributions worksheet and a direct deposit authorization form, if you wish to use it. When you make your pledge, please send it to the church, drop it off at the church, or drop it in the offering plate.

 Lucinda always says that the Canvass is a conversation, so if you would like to talk to your solicitor or anyone on the church staff in this process, please just let us know and we will have someone call on you.

 So, please, take the letter and pledge card in the spirit in which it is sent, pray about it, and respond.

 We do have blank pledge cards on the Information Desk in the Narthex as well, and you can pick one up, fill it out and return it. If you did not receive a letter, please pick up a pledge card here, OR call the parish office and ask for someone from the stewardship committee to call you – we will be happy to do so!

As you send in your pledge cards, we will put your name on a pair of hands on the banner in the Narthex as a symbol of your commitment to this altar, and a symbol of your commitment to the work of this parish.

Every Sunday when I sit here and look up at the suspended cross, I am reminded of a time on an Easter Sunday many years ago when I sat and listened to that great Episcopal preacher, John Claypool. I was at a particularly difficult place in my life and I remember John saying that God’s grace meant that we can come to this altar at the center of the church and leave, as he described it, whatever bag of rocks was on our back, at the foot of this cross. I have never forgotten that sermon. It is that ability to leave those rocks here at this altar that is God’s grace. What Peter reminds us is that the act of leaving those rocks behind makes us, in turn, stewards of that grace, and requires us to serve each other with whatever gifts we have been given.

Please pray for this Canvass and respond to this call.

– Pat Mulloy, Stewardship Chair

St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
330 North Hubbards Lane
Louisville, Kentucky 40207
502.895.3485 (voice)
502.895.3486 (fax)
webmaster@stmatt-ky.org