Participation Trophy
FROM THE RECTOR
Earlier this fall, one of my children received a second-place trophy after his baseball team lost in the championship game of a local tournament. A few years ago, when his team struggled to win most of their games, even making it to the finals would have felt like an accomplishment. This time, though, because their team has worked hard to get better, a trophy that displayed the words “Runner Up” was received as a hollow gesture. “I wish they had just put ‘Participant’ on it,” he remarked.
In competitive pursuits for which the top prize is the only goal, a participation trophy represents a failure, but, in most of life’s activities, taking part is what really matters. Do you remember the series of public service announcements that came on the radio a few years back about being a foster parent and how one does not need to be perfect to be a perfect mom or dad? I try to channel that sentiment when I struggle at parenting my own children. Thankfully, that grace follows me almost everywhere I go.
In so many aspects of our lives—friendship, marriage, volunteering, spiritual growth—showing up and doing our best is the only true measure of success. The same is true for stewardship. When it comes to financial giving, what matters most—both for you and your church—is not how much you give but that you give at all and that your gift is a way to give yourself to God.
So far this fall 262 households have turned in an estimate of giving card. That represents 262 individuals and families who have made a priority of sharing their treasure with God through our parish. Among them are 36 households that did not turn in a card last year. Many of those are new to St. Paul’s. Some of them are hearing the invitation to give in a new way. Regardless, that represents success because everyone who turns in a card is showing up and giving a little bit more of themselves to God.
There are still 118 households that turned in a card last year that have not yet done so. A few of them have moved away or died, but most of them simply have not gotten around to it yet. That hesitation might be fueled in part by economic uncertainty and inflationary pressure, which make it harder for many of us to put a financial commitment down on paper. If you are feeling that uncertainty, I want to encourage you with the good news of God’s grace. What matters is not how large your gift is but that you are willing to make a commitment to God at all. And, if your financial circumstances change during the year, you can always change or cancel your commitment.
You may notice that the vestry and I do not name a financial goal for our annual giving campaign. That is because we do not have one. There is no dollar amount that the vestry hopes to receive in order to fund the budget for next year. Our goal is faithful stewardship—the spiritual practice of giving ourselves to God in a way that deepens our faith as individuals and as a congregation. To that end, our only true goal is participation. We want everyone who calls St. Paul’s home to be a part of our stewardship efforts because that is how we grow closer to God and God’s reign in our lives and in this community.
If you have not turned in an estimate of giving, you can do so confidentially using this link: http://www.tinyurl.com/stpaulsfay-2024giving. You can also mail or bring your card to the church office or place it in the alms basin on Sunday or Wednesday. Remember that the goal of stewardship is spiritual growth through faithful participation. When we give ourselves to God in a meaningful way, we invite the Holy Spirit to work in us and strengthen our faith. Although, like a baseball team, we can all benefit from more practice, what really matters is taking part.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan D. Garner