Dear Friends,
As children, we relied on our parents for our wellbeing. As we grew, we learned to care for ourselves and others. We experience the joy that comes with giving our time, energy, and resources to support our families, the people we love and places that are home to us. St. Andrew’s is one of those places.
As we look around our beautiful church, we see the results of generations of others who have made St. Andrew’s their home. We see their extraordinary gifts: beautiful stained-glass windows, the cross above the altar, the chalices, patens, and the rose window commemorating our 100th anniversary that brings in the morning light. These were given as acts of generosity to honor loved ones, in joy, or for the love of the church and what it brings to our lives.
There are other gifts too, things that we don’t always think about; the lights over our heads, the air conditioning that keeps us cool during those many hot months, the bulletins we use during services. These are made possible by the weekly gifts and annual tithing that we receive from you.
We are the Stewards of these gifts. Each of us who worship at St. Andrew’s and call it “Our Church” are standing on the shoulders of those who cared for it in the past. We are celebrating the presence of God in our lives every time we are here. It is a place of healing, safety, and belonging. It is also a place where we engage in the arts, meet the needs of our community, and work for justice and peace.
We will be asking for your pledge in January. We invite you to think of all the ways this part of the Body of Christ has taken care of you, in joy and mourning, celebration and caring. We ask you to think of all the ways you can help us to continue to care for St. Andrew’s and allow us to be a beacon of hope and a table of love for all who find it. Your pledge, your “stewardship”, will ensure that we will move into the future and continue our mission of spreading the work of God to all who seek it.