As we near the end of our capital campaign, we are getting close to our goal. We’re raising money for a new kitchen and lift, and if we meet our goal, a generous challenge gift has been offered that will enable us to remodel our parish hall as well. We have received 74 pledges totaling $649,668, so we’re a little more than $31,000 away from our goal. Thank you to all who have pledged your time, your talents, and your financial resources.
I am so grateful for this community and for all that you have taught me about generosity. I grew up with models of generosity that were rather complicated. Both of my parents were–and still are–generous people, and both of them give their time and resources faithfully to their church and to those in need. But they live in different paradigms. One lives in a paradigm of scarcity; one lives in a paradigm of abundance. Both were raised by parents who came of age during the Great Depression. My mom’s family did OK but they saw many families collapse around them. My dad’s family lost everything.
I wonder if you can guess which one of them lives in an abundance paradigm. Maybe not the one you think. It’s my dad – the one who grew up with family stories of losing the farm. He tells about visiting his grandparents in a rundown cabin with no electricity and no running water, and all he remembers is joy. His grandfather suffered a breakdown when they lost everything, and he never really recovered, but what my dad remembers is that his grandpa taught him to fish and they feasted on those fish like kings. My dad is frugal but he lives – and gives – without worry.
My mom is just as generous, but it costs her a little more. Her generosity is underpinned by anxiety. It takes some work for her to trust that God will take care of her. But she does trust, in the end, and to me her trust is a powerful witness to the fact that God loves and accepts us as we are, and is at work in us even in the midst of our doubts.
I seem to have inherited both paradigms from my parents. Giving is both a source of joy and anxiety for me. My husband, who is the most generous person I know, is used to coaching me through my annual pledge drive freak-out. It’s the time of year when I become keenly aware of everything that could possibly go wrong. This year, because of the capital campaign, he got to do it twice!
Our pledge negotiations go something like this: “Of course I want to give generously. But… my car is 16 years old and it’s circling the drain! What if it dies?” and “Our roof is so old… what if it starts to leak?” Envy creeps in. “You know, it’s been a decade since we went on a vacation that didn’t involve a tent,” and “Most parts of OUR kitchen are four decades older than the St. Matthew’s kitchen. Maybe we should think about remodeling ours…”
Paul waits patiently while I run through my list. He knows I’ll eventually circle back to the joy part. And he’s right. He doesn’t even have to remind me of all the blessings that surround us, all of them freely given by God. We have not one but two vehicles.* We have a house that’s not only warm and dry but would seem like a mansion to most people on the planet. We have seen amazing things from that tent, and many of our most meaningful conversations have happened over meals cooked in the St. Matthew’s kitchen. I remember that others invested in St. Matthew’s so my children could grow here, and I want to invest now, so ALL of our children – from Alice, Aine, and Amelie through Zhandi and Zechariah and all who come after them – will grow up in spaces where we practice God’s expansive hospitality.
So, a few weeks ago when we turned in our pledge, I watched Paul put the pledge card into the offering plate. Then I leaned over to him and whispered, “See, I didn’t even try to snatch it out!” He leaned over to me and whispered, “I didn’t tell you I doubled it.”
I thought I was going to have to tackle an usher! I think he was kidding…
April 22 will be our Celebration Sunday. We’ll celebrate the results of our capital campaign and the generosity of this community in all its forms. If you haven’t turned in a pledge card yet, I encourage you to turn it in as soon as you can. In addition to pledges of money, your pledges of time and talent will help us in planning fundraisers, and we want to make sure that every gift is counted and celebrated.
*P.S. Since I wrote this last week, my car did shuffle off this mortal (engine) coil, and within a day we found a great bargain on a far superior replacement. The price of the car? Exactly one dollar less than our capital campaign pledge. Somebody has a sense of humor.
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