St James: Enter into Spirited Giving

For more than forty years
St. James' has met the test
By serving as our anchor
Amid good times and distress.

As we go forth with strength and courage
To renew our faith in God
May we never forget the path
On which dear Jesus trod.

Now we come together
To pledge our time and treasure,
Rejoicing in the spirit of giving
Beyond all human measure.

For in giving, we serve the Lord
With gladness and singleness of heart
Always with the knowledge
We are never far apart.

As we continue on this journey
With God's light shining through
May He fill our life with GRACE
As only He can do!

Welcome! In the words of a familiar hymn, "we gather together to ask the Lord's blessing" on the St. James' 2009 annual giving campaign. I invite each member, each friend and visitor, along with our special guest, The Reverend Loren Mead, to celebrate this day with joyful anticipation as the campaign begins and we give thanks for another year of giving.

In today's world of change and challenge, you may have questions about how you can joyfully anticipate a parish giving campaign. Have you come to the right place! Beginning this morning and continuing through December 7, St. James' is offering a unique and very timely Sunday morning series of expert-led discussions on Faith and Finance (see the separate flyer for details). Please plan to come to the Parish Hall each Sunday at 9:15 am and bring your questions about giving and living through these challenging times.

Even the theme for the 2009 annual giving campaign - Enter into Spirited Giving and Rejoice in St. James' Ministry and Mission-holds a question for some of us.

We have faith that by God's grace and the committed work of His people, the ministry and mission of the church will continue to grow. As Christians, we consider it a privilege as well as an expression of our faith and commitment to devote a proportion of our financial resources to that work.

But what on earth is spirited giving? And how do we, as individuals and as a parish, enter into it?

If we do a computer search for "spirited giving" we're likely to get information about marketing from the wine industry. Needless to say, we won't find the real meaning there. We'll find it in our own hearts, and at the heart of the St. James' community, as we acknowledge and wisely use the gifts God has entrusted to us. We'll enter into it by worshipping and praying together, by sharing the wine and breaking the bread, by ministering to the suffering and reaching out to the stranger. And God's loving spirit, alive and living in us, will guide us to be faithful, thoughtful and spirited givers in His name.

We've been given an extraordinary opportunity in these extraordinary times: let's enter our new year of giving just as we enter our new church doors, surrounded by light, inspiration, and illumination of the Spirit. And the generous love of God will surround us, and strengthen us to give and serve in His name. Without question.

I have always remembered Bob Dylan's song lyrics: "You gotta serve somebody." As my own answer to that comes to mind it is plain and simple: Jesus is the Lord and King of my life. Or, in Prayer Book words, "With all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you." What plays out from there is also plain and simple: Stewardship is all that we do, after we have said, "I believe."

I took that leap of faith a long time ago, and I've tried to express that commitment in many different ways down through the decades. But it was only about 25 years ago that this commitment was transferred to authentic proportional financial giving, with the biblical tithe as the standard.

Our family had grown its level of giving through the years, but it was only when we took a hard look together at our income tax forms that we knew what we had to do to make a leap of faith reflected in our check book. I still do that income tax "fact check" as I continue in retirement to give back and give away a tenth of my income.

So whether my income goes up or down I always have that spiritually supported yardstick to guide my giving. I invite you and your family to share that same blessing. Don't put it off!

St. James’ Vestry Stewardship Statement

We believe that God is the source of all that we have and that we are accountable to God for what we do with His great gifts. We therefore commit ourselves as clergy and members of the vestry to:

BE faithful in worship, study, and prayer, alone and in fellowship with others;

USE our time, talent and financial resources generously, lovingly, and joyfully for the glory of God and His work in the church and in the world;

COMMIT to instilling our faith values, including stewardship,
in the children and young people of the parish,

STRIVE toward proportional giving, keeping in mind the biblical tithe as the standard for giving;

ORDER our lives to reflect our faith and these commitments.

We, the clergy and vestry, invite our fellow parishioners to join us in this witnessing of faith.

The Reverend Cindy Baskin, Rector
The Reverend Elton Smith, Assistant Rector
Bill Wallace, Senior Warden
Mary Miers, Junior Warden
John Eisold
Dorothy Filbert
Marshall Finch

Holly Irving

Donna Judkins
Martha Lawrenz
Jack Linehan
Tracy Lively
Jerry Morrison
Susan Offutt

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