At its recent meeting, the Stewardship Committee approved the Preliminary Budget for 2022. The Deacons will review the Preliminary Budget this month and then distribute it to the congregation. This is the first step in the budget process each year.
On Sunday, October 10, we will have Pledge Sunday, where we have the opportunity to share our commitment for giving in 2022. This information, along with reviewing the giving from 2021, helps the Stewardship Committee create a Proposed Budget for 2022. We vote on the Proposed Budget at our Special-Called Business Meeting in December.
I used to think the budget process was solely practical and necessary. It was like math in elementary school, memorizing our multiplication tables. We spent time each day reviewing our flash cards, motivated only by duty and our parents. But like the possibilities of math, including grand engineering feats or rockets to the moon, the budget process allows us to create!
Stewardship is an opportunity to remember and to imagine. We remember the grace of God, both seen and unseen, throughout our lives. During a time when anxiety has been high and grief has been deep, the practice of remembering and giving thanks is quite powerful.
After we remember, we can imagine! We can imagine the possibility of our gifts creating something good, as they participate in God’s grace throughout this world. They create a place at the corner of College and Glenn, which can serve an outpost for hope, mercy, and kindness.
In reflecting on the practice of stewardship, we see evidence of what binds us together. We are connected by ministry and community, joining together in ways that are tangible and spiritual. We are thankful for our shared commitment, as we participate in God’s love, imagining more of God’s goodness throughout this world!
-Tripp