Newsletter Items

A NEW REVELATION IN STEWARDSHIP

Recently a group of 19 representatives from our PLUM congregations attended the second in a series of "Stewardship for Stewards" seminars hosted by our Western PA Synod and Pastor Blair Morgan our deployed Staff Person for the ELCA. Having heard from many of those in attendance, it became clear that a more Biblical approach of looking at stewardship is evolving. We all know that everything was created by and ultimately belongs to God. Even our children are just on loan to us. (Remember the story of Abraham and Isaac?) But for far too long we have allowed our world view to infiltrate our faith walk into believing that what God has given us to use, whether it is our time, our talents, and/or our finances, are "ours to keep". Our world wants us to believe or at least act like God transfers ownership with his blessings, similar to the way one gets a title from the state when we purchase a car. What is curious and although we might want to believe this to be biblical, there are no models in scripture to support that worldly attitude. Matter of fact, the exact opposite is at the heart of most of Jesus teachings. The rich fool, or the man building bigger barns, Luke 12:13-21; Zacchaeus the tax collector in the tree, Luke 19:1-10; the widow's mite, Mark 12:41-44; etc.

So, what changes when we acknowledge the fact that everything we have is really God's and it is our gift to be allowed to use it? In all reality, we can become more generous willing to share which makes us more content with life in general. After all it's our human nature that makes it easier to share someone else's stuff than to share our own. Question: "Are you more or less likely to give someone your bottle of water that you just got out of the family cooler at the picnic or the one you just bought at the local dairy mart?" Both have endless supplies but isn't the real issue ownership, "Whose is it anyhow?"

Over the next several months we will be exploring stewardship with some new twists. We are doing this not as a way to manipulate you into giving more out of duty or guilt. Rather, as we know from our personal lives and stories, as an avenue to better understand the many blessings of grace giving. It is in the recognition of these blessings that we have been given that allow us the freedom and joy to give of our time, our talents and our resources. And, it is this joy that we want you to know. Therefore, join us as together we continue discussing and learning what it is to celebrate the true blessings of life as God's chosen people.