Stewardship and Pledging: Our Stories
I loved Bishop Lee's sermon on the first Sunday he was at Grace Cathedral. In it, he talked about the sense of place and the sense of rootedness he had experienced in Virginia and that he knew many at Grace experienced.
Since I hold an interim position here at Grace, I know the importance of place and feeling rooted. I know that right now, with my wife Judy still in Pasadena, I miss that feeling. Like that old song, "Torn between two lovers," I feel torn between two cities. (I will admit my sports loyalties remain with the LA teams, but that's for another article!)
That sense of multi-place is true in our stewardship, as well. We've made a pledge to Grace Cathedral for 2010, because we believe in the mission and ministry of this wonderful congregation. And I don't think I can ask others to support our work, if I'm not a pledging member. But we continue to pledge to our church in Pasadena and Judy pledges to the church where she works in South Pasadena. Additionally, we give to a variety of peace and justice ministries around the country.
During this period of change and upheaval, we can't be as generous as we would like to be. But we still feel grateful for all the opportunities and blessing that have been given to us. So in thanksgiving, and in recognition of the call on us to be generous, we give a proportion of our resources in support of God's work in the world -- through St. James', South Pasadena; All Saints, Pasadena; and Grace Cathedral.
Rick Felton,
Interim Director of Development
Restorations to her Richmond district home brought Virginia to an apartment on California Street. Already subscribed to Grace Cathedral's weekly podcasts, she enjoyed connecting the names, faces and voices of the clergy when she crossed the street to go to services. Virginia then learned that she was not the first in her family to make her way here: her grandparents were congregants in the 1960s and her uncle attended the Cathedral School for Boys and acolyted at the famed visit of Princess Margaret many decades ago. Virginia was baptized at St. Peter's Church in the Outer Richmond, and decided to be confirmed at Grace Cathedral at Easter 2007.
For Virginia, there was never any question about whether to give to Grace Cathedral. Her discerning heart and generous spirit blossomed at an early age while attending a high school where community service was an integral part of the curriculum. Virginia took to this obligation joyfully, conscious of the privilege known to those with reliable housing and food and the option of leisure. Virginia gives from this sense of abundance. She says of the cathedral, "the more you're there, the more you get." She believes that giving now enables people whom she's never met and who may not even be born yet to take pivotal steps on their journey within these walls. This sometimes-anonymous connection supports the spiritual well-being of fellow pilgrims and total strangers. Virginia also recognizes that her own faith journey has been nurtured by people who were generous in the past.
Pledging, then, is part of "keeping at it," a joyful discipline that informs Virginia's faith. This faith in turn helps her navigate internal terrain that fears, or finds it difficult, to give. Although her business has suffered in the economic downturn, Virginia decided not to decrease her pledge. In the end, she says, "It's really dangerous when you think giving is about you." Virginia notes that, in addition to giving money, it is important to share professional skills with organizations that could not otherwise afford them. As a web designer and developer, Virginia has done pro-bono work with Veriditas, a labyrinth education and retreat organization, and GirlVentures, a Mission District-based outreach to young girls.
Virginia's counsel to anyone who is on the fence about pledging is to start somewhere - even $10 per month. "If it scares you, it usually means 'do it'."
Grace Cathedral has been part of Art's life ever since his family moved to San Francisco from Hong Kong in the early 60's. His father had been a trustee of St. John's Cathedral in Hong Kong, and was considering moving the family to England. But Art's maternal uncle, a priest who served at Our Saviour in Oakland and True Sunshine in San Francisco, suggested America. And so the family came, and began worshipping at Grace Cathedral.
Grace even played a role in Art's choice of careers. During high school, he auditioned for and then performed in the violin section of the All City Orchestra. A performance at Grace Cathedral was being broadcast by a local radio station, and when Art saw the media vehicle he was hooked. Now Art runs his own business consulting with churches for their acoustical, video, and lighting needs. Grace Cathedral has been a client, a recipient of his donated expertise in the form of a new sound system, and is now his spiritual home. "Grace Cathedral is my basis and the foundation of my faith, and what my heart really loves. It really is solid ground."
Art wishes people "knew more about what you can get from Grace -- it's a contemplative place where you can be at one with God." Art also values Grace Cathedral's history and its links to the past, particularly the link to traditional Anglican music. He believes that "people desperately want links to the past, even if they don't know it. They're lonely, and crave stability -- hearing hymns you've known since you were young. Grace is love, unconditional love. It doesn't demand much in return -- you don't have to be saved, or fit in. The music is glorious, the space is glorious, and the staff is welcoming."
Art returns that love by being involved in Grace Cathedral in many ways, including serving on the Board of Trustees. He also supports the cathedral with his financial pledge which he plans to increase this year. Art is concerned about the chronic shortage of funds for upkeep and maintenance. He also supports Grace's many ministries of outreach, including The Community Preschool and programs for seniors. "People give when they see things being done," he reflects. "What are we, as a church, doing for the world?"
Our daughter's name is Stewart.
She's now a 39-year-old mother of two active little boys. In late August and early September, we spent a week with Stewart, her husband Joel (a native Californian), and their boys in a beach house on the Atlantic coast. It was a joyful, fun-filled time for which I am grateful.
When Stewart was eight, she sang in the Junior Choir of the parish where I was rector, and her place in the choir stalls was next to the rector's chair. So when I finished the sermon and returned to my chair, she often whispered her critique of the sermon. ("Daddy, that was long" was one that stung).
But she particularly liked my sermons on stewardship. She thought I was talking about her. And, in a sense, I was. I emphasized then, and I believe now, that stewardship is about gratitude. The disciplined giving of a portion of one's income to God's work is a sign that all of our life is a gift from God, and our gifts to God's Church and God's work are grateful signs that we acknowledge the gift and the Giver. The ancient and healthy guide to grateful giving is ten percent of one's income, the tithe. That's a guide, not a rule. Some give five percent to educational and community action agencies and five percent to the Church. The sacramental importance is that one gives away a disciplined proportion.
In times of economic stress for many, the need for such disciplined giving in gratitude increases. On the first Sunday with you as your interim dean, I'm grateful to be with a community of faith that is clearly a church for others. May our stewardship reflect our gratitude.
The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee
Interim Dean
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