Making Faithful Plans
FROM THE RECTOR
A few years ago, in the middle of pandemic lockdown, the vestry of St. Paul’s voted to buy some property adjacent to the church. At the time, that property and the two office buildings on it were owned and occupied by the Bassett law firm, which had plans to downsize and relocate. Real estate adjacent to the church does not become available very often, and the vestry took advantage of the opportunity and purchased it.
When we bought the property, we were not sure what we would do with it. As part of the purchase agreement, the law firm leased back from us one of the buildings for a year. We quickly found a tenant for the other building, who, after that first year, agreed to expand their lease to include the second building. Although we did not have long-term plans for the property, in the short term, things were stable.
Back then, Covid made it difficult to get together as a congregation and talk about how we might use the property to expand our ministries. The vestry knew that there were many ways it could help us grow, but the time to dream intentionally about that was delayed. Also, because interest rates were low and because we had lease income that exceeded interest payments on the loan, there was little financial pressure to decide what to do next. Now, however, interest rates have climbed, and the vestry is ready to raise the money necessary to pay off the loan, but, before we do that, we need to hear from you.
The gospel is full of stories about stewardship—the spiritual imperative of devoting our time, talent, and treasure to God’s work in the world. One of them, found in Matthew, seems fitting for this work of discernment. In the parable of the talents, which we will hear in church in a few weeks, three servants are given large sums of money by their master, who then goes away to a distant country. When he returns, two of the three servants have invested their master’s money wisely, and they are rewarded accordingly. The third, however, was afraid of what would happen if he lost the money, so he dug a hole and buried it in the ground. As you likely remember, the master, in his anger, took the money away from the fearful servant and cast him out.
What will we do with the incredible asset that is now at our disposal? How will we use it for God’s glory? Strategically, it provides our church with a wonderful opportunity for the future, but financially it represents a considerable obligation. We may be tempted to bury it in the ground because the task ahead of us seems too difficult or risky, but surely this is a moment for faithful stewardship. Figuring out how to be faithful with the resources entrusted to us is a task that all of us share.
Several months ago, the vestry appointed a group of talented, dedicated dreamers to help our parish discern what to do with the property we now have. They were charged with not only exploring the different possibilities but also communicating those to the parish and gathering input from the congregation. This Sunday at 10:00 a.m., the discernment group, supported by the vestry, will lead a presentation in the parish hall. They will outline the possibilities they have discerned so far and invite table conversations about what we might do next. At the end of the discussion, tables will have a chance to report to the group.
I hope you will be present this Sunday. If you cannot be there, a livestream of the presentation will be offered, and it will be archived on our YouTube channel. Also, before you come, I hope you will complete the survey found here . The discernment group would like to include your responses in their presentation, but, to do so, you must complete the survey by tomorrow.
I am grateful to the vestry for their vision and leadership and to the discernment committee for their diligence in helping us know how God is calling us to use this resource for the good of our church and God’s reign in the world. I am also grateful to the people of St. Paul’s, who are committed to being faithful stewards of what we have been given. I do not yet know how we will use this property, but, because of your faithfulness, I am confident that we will use it in a way that gives glory to God.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan D. Garner