In The Book of Common Prayer we have a prayer that acknowledges the fundamental truth of stewardship. In that prayer we pray, “Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor you with our substance and, remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your bounty.” Stewardship is recognizing that all that we have is from God whether it’s our bodies, our money, our relationships, physical assets, and the earth itself. All of it belongs to God, and we are accountable to God for how we use the things that God has entrusted to us. 

 

One of the things that has been entrusted to us is this community of disciples called Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. On Sunday, August 25th we held our Rally Day celebration and showcased all 67 ministries that this church has to offer, everything from acolytes, Brazos Church Pantry volunteers, Godly Play, Daughters of the King, to the Altar Guild, the choir, and many more.  

 

For all these ministries and activities, and all the other things we do as a church requires money, money to have a full-time clergy person, a great staff who is committed to this church and our ministry. It requires money to maintain our buildings, including maintenance costs, utilities, and insurance. For Saint Andrew’s to operate as it is now requires $606,000 a year, and we are almost entirely self-funded. Outside of some contributions from a few foundations, we, as the members, fund the ministry of Saint Andrew’s, our church home. 

 

During our A Place to Call Home pledge campaign, I ask each of our households to make a financial pledge to support Saint Andrew’s in 2025. A pledge is a financial commitment based on what you will give to Saint Andrew’s operating budget in the coming year in thanksgiving for what God has given you.

 

Making a pledge and financially supporting the church is not simply a way to fund the church; it is fundamentally a spiritual practice. It is a spiritual practice to give our money away because how we spend our money is a representation of who we are and what we care about. Money is a symbol of our lives in that it is a symbol of our values and priorities. 

 

This is a generous congregation doing God’s work. I invite you into the spiritual practice of supporting Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Please prayerfully think about what Saint Andrew’s means to you and how you can best financially support it, and in gratitude, make a faithful pledge to our future.

 

 

Daryl T. Hay+

Rector

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