Please, stop calling it stewardship season! This is a misnomer. The Christian value of stewardship is a year-round endeavor of constantly keeping track of our resources and the gifts we have to share, and then applying a loving heart and a prudent mind to the task of investing those gifts and resources for the good of the community and building up God’s vision for the world.

What has traditionally been called “Stewardship Season” is in fact the annual pledge campaign. As with other kinds of fundraising campaigns you will start receiving lots of information about how important it is to give of your treasure, your skills, and your volunteer time so that this place can continue to function day-to-day. Unlike secular fundraisers, however, we talk about how giving from our resources benefits our own hearts and builds up our faith. The spiritual discipline of pledging imprints upon us two deep truths: that we rely on God for everything, and that we can rely on God for everything.

After a long season of transition, some of us may feel weary, but there is fresh energy that comes when you make a commitment to invest yourself and your resources in what matters most. That is the movement of the Holy Spirit reviving our souls. When we offer ourselves fully to God, we can trust in the Spirit to restore what has been depleted to the point where our cups overflow. So this year we gave our pledge campaign the theme Renewing our Strength. Our financial gifts, and gifts of knowledge, skill, and time will allow us to grow and to strengthen our ministries in ways we can only imagine right now.

Trinity is poised for growth. Our neighborhood is growing, we are trying new things, and we have the faith of generations lifting us up. Place your hope in God this fall and offer up your pledge to trust that the Holy Spirit will renew the strength of Trinity Church and all the souls within her.

In peace,