Stewardship Talk: Mac Mayfield

From The Rector

How does St. Paul's keep doing God's work in our parish and in our community during a pandemic? When we are forced to stay apart physically, how are we coming together in other ways to meet the needs of those around us? In this week's stewardship video, Mac Mayfield tells part of that story.

The pandemic has exposed many of the structural challenges we face as a society. Many who had been living on the edge of poverty now find themselves unable to make ends meet. Issues that threaten to divide us, which had been lying under the surface, have come flooding to the center of our lives. Those small seeds of anxiety, which we had carried dormant within us, have flourished as a very real physical, relational, and economic threat has come near. Now more than ever, we need to be reminded of God's triumphant love. Right now, we need a church that proclaims that love to the world.

Our church is doing the work of caring for those in need. Our church is standing beside those who are vulnerable. Our church is proclaiming the love of Christ not only from the pulpit but in the world around us. You may not be able to show up and help out, but you give yourself into that work when you share your gifts and shine your light.

As you prepare to make your financial commitment for 2021, please consider what portion of your income you will dedicate to God's work at St. Paul's. This is not a question of "how much" but of "what part." Many of us have lost income, and the amount of our contribution will naturally decrease. Some of us have not been affected financially by the pandemic, and we likely hear the call to increase the portion we will share with the church in order to meet the growing needs in the world. By devoting a percentage of our income to God's work, we begin to share not an amount of our money but a piece of our heart. As that piece grows, we discover what it means to belong wholly to God.

Yours Faithfully,

Evan