God, you open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
~ Psalm 145:16

One of the questions we received during the SJXplained open phone line period was from Andy Smith. Andy asked:

"My question is: Who came up with the names for Saint John's committees and work teams? What's up with all of those adjectives like 'intentional' and 'risk-taking'? Thank you."

Read on for Pastor Hilary's answer to Andy's question.

Fruitful Practices

At Saint John’s Camp earlier this month, my husband spent several hours working on a large Thomas Kincaid puzzle with a couple of friends. It sounds like it was a doozy. So many small brushstrokes of similar colors! They left the weekend without finishing it—but they did complete the edges. A puzzle’s outline is an accomplishment in itself.

Our church has several committees that form the outline of Saint John’s—Church Council, Finance, Trustees, Staff-Parish Relations, Nominations, and Endowment. These groups help keep our church defined, functioning, organized, and transparent. Program committees such as Passionate Worship, Risk-Taking Mission and Service, Radical Hospitality, and Intentional Faith Development fill in the puzzle by helping us live out our mission.

The powerful adjectives describing each committee are intense, aren’t they? Passionate. Risk-Taking. Radical. 

Those adjectives are meant to inspire us. They were encouraged during David Gilliam’s time as pastor and come from Bishop Robert Schnase’s book The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. You can find a copy in our church library.

Schnase’s book also speaks of extravagant generosity. This month, we have been talking about financial giving and on Sunday, January 25, we will consecrate our estimates of giving. An estimate of giving card gives you an opportunity to share what you plan to give to Saint John’s in the coming year. To those of you who have already submitted your commitment online, thank you! With all our gifts together, our church can piece together amazing things for our community.

• If this is your first time pledging, thank you. This step of faith is an important one, and we hold that sacred trust seriously.
• If you are considering an increase this year, thank you. Each time I have received a salary increase, I have paused to pray about increasing my own giving. Several passages in Scripture suggest giving a tithe or 10%. I invite you to work toward that percentage, perhaps 1% at a time. Trusting God with a tithe to the church has been a deeply formational process for me.
• If you are unsure what you can give this year, we understand! Filling out a pledge card and indicating that you will give as you are able helps us plan and budget. Thank you for taking the time to intentionally discern your gifts to Saint John’s.

In our Gospel witness, Jesus speaks about money and possessions in nearly half of his parables; Scripture references them hundreds of times. I don’t plan on mentioning money that much this Sunday. What I do plan to do is encourage us to look at giving both prayerfully and practically.

There is a practical aspect to giving. Our buildings and programs encourage many, and I am grateful to play a part in their continued witness. There is also a deep spiritual aspect: reflecting on our relationship with money and possessions and offering a portion back to God in gratitude.

An estimate of giving is a step of faith. I ask you to prayerfully consider your response. Thank you for taking the time to do so because you are an essential piece of the Saint John’s puzzle.

A Prayer for Giving

Gracious God, thank you for the many ways you have opened your hand and provided for our lives. We are grateful for daily bread, for meaningful work, for relationships that sustain us, and for the gift of this church and the community it serves. Thank you for the ways this congregation has supported me in times of joy and in times of need.

Guide me as I discern what I can give back to you through the church. May my offerings be acts of worship, expressions of faith, and signs of hope for our community. Use what we all give together to further your work of healing, justice, and grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.