Rooted in Love
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Dear Friends,
Our church’s stewardship giving theme this year is “Rooted in Love.” Rev John tells me that it’s inspired by Psalm 1:3a, “They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season.”
So let me ask you: What are you rooted in? Many days I feel like I’m rooted in stress and chaos. With three kids, two dogs, and two working parents, most days we are all over the place. No amount of time spent on to-do lists, kitchen white boards, and Google calendaring can quite bring the peace of mind I crave.
And then comes Sunday morning. Sunday mornings are different in our house. Of course, there are the stresses of leaving the house: someone can’t find a belt (Liam), figure out what to wear (Lucie), or is unhappy about not being able to watch the 9:30am football game because the NFL’s in London (Miles). But they’re short-lived. Eventually we’re out the door and off to church. And once we’re there, things slow down. My breathing definitely slows down. Maybe it’s just that I’m sitting – how often do I sit down at home? And I’m with my kids, who sometimes lean in for an arm around their shoulders; with my mom, who, though we live close, I don’t get enough time with; and with my husband, and for once we’re not busy working out logistics for the day or the week, we’re in the moment, together.
Inevitably I’m moved by the beautiful music of our choir and the words shared by Rev. John or Rev. Maddie, words that change how I think about something. For example, last Sunday Rev John was talking about really listening to those who are our opponents and shared Valerie Kaur’s perspective from See No Stranger: “I do not owe my opponents my affection, warmth, or regard. But I do owe myself a chance to live in this world without the burden of hate.” YES! That makes so much sense to me. Other times, I’m pushed to think about an issue or group of people I don’t think about a lot. And then if I’m honest, I think ACK! I’ve been living in my suburban bubble of privilege, and I need to think about someone other than myself. But I love that I am pushed, because I need to be pushed.
Being part of our church helps me feel I am rooted in love. I’m rooted in the real, the good, and the important. The rest of the week may be mayhem, but Sunday mornings are for love and humanity. Being in church connects me with people in our community, some of whom are dear friends outside of church and others I would have never met except for our shared church experience, often because we’re at a different age and stage of life. (These intergenerational connections are one of the things I love most about church.)
And what do we do when we love something? We take care of it. Here’s the corny part: Our church has roots, too – roots that need our love, care, and investment. So as we kick off this stewardship giving campaign, I invite you to think about your church story and why you show up, whether it be over Zoom or in the sanctuary, on Sundays for worship or Tuesdays for community dinners, or Thursdays for choir practice. Then I ask you to make a generous pledge that works for you and your life. Making a pledge is important, because even though it’s not binding, it gives our Finance Team a sense of how we can responsibly plan our programs and investments for the year ahead.
Our Stewardship goal this year is $430,000. With the number of pledges received last year, the average pledge needs to be around $3,750 to reach that, but you will need to determine for yourself what’s possible and what’s appropriate and what feels right. For some, depending on your financial constraints, that will be less, but for others, it may be much more. We ask you to consider prayerfully what you can do to help our church continue to grow and flourish.
Thank you for being part of this church community. I feel so blessed to be rooted with you.
Heather Salerno
Stewardship Chair, 2021-2022
The Stewardship Committee comprises Heather Salerno, Amy Hurley, Scott Stewart and Rev. John Gage
Our church’s stewardship giving theme this year is “Rooted in Love.” Rev John tells me that it’s inspired by Psalm 1:3a, “They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season.”
So let me ask you: What are you rooted in? Many days I feel like I’m rooted in stress and chaos. With three kids, two dogs, and two working parents, most days we are all over the place. No amount of time spent on to-do lists, kitchen white boards, and Google calendaring can quite bring the peace of mind I crave.
And then comes Sunday morning. Sunday mornings are different in our house. Of course, there are the stresses of leaving the house: someone can’t find a belt (Liam), figure out what to wear (Lucie), or is unhappy about not being able to watch the 9:30am football game because the NFL’s in London (Miles). But they’re short-lived. Eventually we’re out the door and off to church. And once we’re there, things slow down. My breathing definitely slows down. Maybe it’s just that I’m sitting – how often do I sit down at home? And I’m with my kids, who sometimes lean in for an arm around their shoulders; with my mom, who, though we live close, I don’t get enough time with; and with my husband, and for once we’re not busy working out logistics for the day or the week, we’re in the moment, together.
Inevitably I’m moved by the beautiful music of our choir and the words shared by Rev. John or Rev. Maddie, words that change how I think about something. For example, last Sunday Rev John was talking about really listening to those who are our opponents and shared Valerie Kaur’s perspective from See No Stranger: “I do not owe my opponents my affection, warmth, or regard. But I do owe myself a chance to live in this world without the burden of hate.” YES! That makes so much sense to me. Other times, I’m pushed to think about an issue or group of people I don’t think about a lot. And then if I’m honest, I think ACK! I’ve been living in my suburban bubble of privilege, and I need to think about someone other than myself. But I love that I am pushed, because I need to be pushed.
Being part of our church helps me feel I am rooted in love. I’m rooted in the real, the good, and the important. The rest of the week may be mayhem, but Sunday mornings are for love and humanity. Being in church connects me with people in our community, some of whom are dear friends outside of church and others I would have never met except for our shared church experience, often because we’re at a different age and stage of life. (These intergenerational connections are one of the things I love most about church.)
And what do we do when we love something? We take care of it. Here’s the corny part: Our church has roots, too – roots that need our love, care, and investment. So as we kick off this stewardship giving campaign, I invite you to think about your church story and why you show up, whether it be over Zoom or in the sanctuary, on Sundays for worship or Tuesdays for community dinners, or Thursdays for choir practice. Then I ask you to make a generous pledge that works for you and your life. Making a pledge is important, because even though it’s not binding, it gives our Finance Team a sense of how we can responsibly plan our programs and investments for the year ahead.
Our Stewardship goal this year is $430,000. With the number of pledges received last year, the average pledge needs to be around $3,750 to reach that, but you will need to determine for yourself what’s possible and what’s appropriate and what feels right. For some, depending on your financial constraints, that will be less, but for others, it may be much more. We ask you to consider prayerfully what you can do to help our church continue to grow and flourish.
Thank you for being part of this church community. I feel so blessed to be rooted with you.
Heather Salerno
Stewardship Chair, 2021-2022
The Stewardship Committee comprises Heather Salerno, Amy Hurley, Scott Stewart and Rev. John Gage
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