Stewardship

As the challenging season of Lent continues to lead us to the cross, I find it hard not to get caught up in the story of Jesus and his times of trial. I am overcome with the love he displays and shares; a love that leads him to death. But I am also overcome by how that love leads him then to a new life that is beyond what I can imagine; a life resurrected. That resurrected life gives me hope for my tomorrow and that of our community. Thank you for being an important part of a community that lives in that hope all week long!

Hope Is Alive at Holy Covenant!
Over the past four months, we worshiped every Sunday; come snow, ice, the Superbowl, or the Academy Awards, we still gathered to praise God for the wondrous gift of our life together and be challenged to live into our mission. We welcomed the Beatles into our sanctuary in a worshipful manner that had leaders in churches 100 times our size saying they couldn’t have done as well. Almost 300 people worshiped with us for their first time. We shared nearly 75 loaves of communion bread, most of which were baked in our community’s kitchens. We added a Wednesday night worship service.

More than 100 small group, education, and fellowship meetings happened in that time with well over 900 in total attendance. We welcomed two new staff members who have committed themselves to the community from day one. From early morning coffee to the twilight pub gatherings, our congregation made a public witness to our mission all day and then some.

We shared our building with the community to help with addiction recovery. It has also been an inspiring space for rehearsals and performances of critically acclaimed theatre. Through our mission team and our partners at Dignity Diner and Humboldt Park Social Services, we prepared and served more than 1,200 meals. Through your donations, we purchased tables that will allow us to share hospitality with more Dignity Diner guests. We wrote a stack of letters to General Conference delegates. We collected books by the boxful for our city’s underserved youth. We gave nearly $9,000 to local and international mission projects.

This is who we are. Together, we share stories. Together, we share life. Together, we live in grace. And we experience the joy of resurrection again and again. And this is all because of the generous grace God placed in your heart to be a steward of our mission, vision and ministry. Thank you for helping to make all this possible.

Looking Forward
We entered 2012 cautiously optimistic about what the year could hold. We crafted a budget that was both faithful and frugal, allowing us to operate a whole congregation at costs lower than many Lincoln Park household incomes. While our income is less than expected at this point in time, I and your volunteer leadership believe we can overcome this shortfall. Whether you are a part of a long-time pledging household, new or renewed in your pledging, or a sporadic giver, your contributions are the lifeblood of our shared ministries and faithful witness to Chicago and beyond. And, If you are not currently giving in a planned way, we want to take this opportunity to encourage you to do so. There is still time to have a big impact on 2012. With just eight new pledges of $100 per month or more our deficit will be covered!

Beyond the Pledge
We are not opposed to one-time gifts. In fact, there are many times throughout the year when ideas and programs develop that are not included in our budget. I encourage your leadership and staff to dream dreams and see visions, but we don’t always have a way to pay for the gifts of their imaginations. If you’d like to get behind one of these start-ups, contact us for a list of the opportunities that are waiting for a partner like you to make happen.

One pressing issue we face right now is funding a sum of $29,000 that your leadership built into the budget to prevent reductions in the kind and frequency of ministry you enjoy. By and large, this amount funds the salaries of your staff and the amazing work they do in music leadership, small group organization and administration. Regardless of your current giving status, I would ask that you please consider making a one-time contribution of $200 or more to this special effort. Emily and I will be doing so in addition to our tithe. If every Holy Covenant household does so, we will raise DOUBLE that amount. Think about all the ministry we could do with an additional $29,000!

Below you will find a form by which you can designate a special one-time gift, make a pledge toward the 2012 general budget, or increase your current pledge. Simply print it out and bring it into church or drop it in the mail. You may also set up electronic giving and share your gifts online.

I hope you will prayerfully consider how you are being called to serve and act as a steward of God’s gifts this spring, and I look forward to continuing the blessed work of sharing in your faith journey. What a joy it is to live in a community that has been given so much, and to participate in a congregation that has so much to give! I thank God and you for both.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matthew

YES! I want to share what God has given me to further the mission of HCUMC!

Enclosed you will find my gift of:
[ ] $500
[ ] $300
[ ] $200
[ ] Other $_______

I would like to increase my pledge by
[ ] $100/week
[ ] $50/week
[ ] $25/week
[ ] Other $______

I am not currently pledging but would like to begin! Please accept this first installment of my pledge for:
[ ] $200/week
[ ] $150/week
[ ] $100/week
[ ] Other $____

My name is Liz Dierbeck, and I give because I’m a member of the Holy Covenant music ministry.

I don’t really remember my first Sunday here, but I do remember feeling instantly at ease in this place, and impressed that a near-majority of each worship service was sung. That was the part I missed the most, when I didn’t belong to any church. Offering up harmonies from within the congregation is very Methodist, to be sure … but for those of you who haven’t tried it, I am here to tell you that being up in front as a member of the choir is pretty incredible. You can feel the Holy Spirit at work up there. Last week’s U2 Eucharist is a prime example: the veil was pretty darn thin.

Not only do we have incredible talent within our own church family, we have an amazing leader in Andrew Collins. You just never know what Andrew will come up with next! He pulls out familiar favorites just as often as he tries out contemporary songs, puts new twists on traditional hymns, and writes Scripture-inspired lyrics set to tunes you hear on the radio. He arranges, records, rehearses and performs — even the soprano line.

If I can’t predict what I’ll be singing the following Sunday, what I *can* count on, is that it will be fun to sing, and perfectly in line with that day’s spirit and message. In order to bring that kind of life to 3 services 52 weeks a year (plus some), we need people like Andrew, Rebecca, and Cassie inspiring and engaging us at every turn. To be able to provide this vital aspect of worship, Holy Covenant needs me to give — not just my time and my talent, but also my means — on a regular basis. I don’t really miss the money anymore, when it is withdrawn from my checking account each month. But I sure would miss singing like John Wesley taught us: “lustily, and with good courage.”

Why I Give

When asked to comment on why I give financially to Holy Covenant, I thought first of considerations that are not the reasons I support Holy Covenant:
- A surplus of money. With two sons in college and, at the moment, two mortgages, there seem to be plenty of destinations for my dollars.
- For the income tax deduction. While I’m grateful for the deduction for charitable contributions, the taxes saved are a minor portion of the total dollars involved, not alone adequate reason for contributing.
- To prevent feeling guilty. Since guilty feelings about other things I don’t do consistently (like daily meditation, regular exercise, taking time to express caring and affirmation) have not driven me to correct to those omissions, I doubt guilt avoidance would be sufficient motivation for giving either.
- Because Holy Covenant needs the money. In fact, it does. No matter how frugally it operates any vital, active congregation or other organization needs funds to function. But myriad organizations are engaged in worthy, needed efforts that also require operating funds, and I don’t give to all of them.

So why give to Holy Covenant?

In my few years as part of this congregation, I have listened as people share their stories in small groups, during Sunday services, and in informal conversations. Frequently they say things like, “This church changed my life.” Or, “This church saved my life.” “I have been accepted here for who I am and as I am.” “Holy Covenant has been my way back to God.” I can’t help but want to support such experiences, for others and for myself.

After the fact, I do not always feel gratified by some of the ways I spend money. When the market crashed two years ago, and we watched our 401(k)s drop to 201(k)s, I questioned having pumped money into my retirement account. Some concerts, dining experiences, gadgets acquired or other purchases – even some donations – have been disappointments in retrospect. But I have never had one moment’s remorse about what I have given to Holy Covenant. In fact, I am increasingly convinced that the best hope for the world – for meeting human needs, saving the planet, achieving justice, as well as finding personal meaning and joy – is through God’s presence touching lives like ours through faith communities like Holy Covenant.

Your and my financial gifts not only enable ministry among our fellow church-goers, but impact lives throughout the community. They combine with the gifts of others to bring help and hope throughout the world. Perhaps most importantly, giving transforms us individually. Winston Churchill reportedly said: “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” During this time of focus on Stewardship, we are invited not just to give but to live, and in our living, to bring life to others as well.

Let me start with a few confessions.

Every month, I give money to a gym that I hardly ever use.

Every month, I pay for my Netflix membership–even though the same DVD’s have been sitting in their envelopes for weeks and weeks and weeks.

Every week, I say that I am going to pack my lunch for work and stop going to out to eat so much–and then it slips my mind and I am back again grabbing a pizza puff from across the street.

I own two coffee makers but I still stop at Starbucks almost every morning.

A few days ago, I went at the new Apple store and came this close to buying a new shiny pretty gadget to replace the old shiny pretty gadget that I bought a couple of years ago.

I say all of this not to say that I have money that I can just throw around. That’s not true at all. I have more resources than a lot of people and less resources than a lot of people.  I say all this to show you just how off my priorities can be when it comes to the way I spend my money. I spend money on things I don’t need or don’t use. I spend money on things that I don’t want.

One of the reasons that I give to Holy Covenant is because I recognize how off kilter these priorities are. Giving is a spiritual discipline and like all of the disciplines, I believe that giving helps me to have better priorities.  Just as fasting shows us that God is the God of the food we eat and sabbath-keeping shows us that God is the God of the the days of the week and the way we spend our time, giving is teaching me that I should let God guide the way that I spend money.

We live in a world saturated in consumerism and a culture that says over and over again that the rich are better people and that the poor deserve their fate and that the beautiful brown coat that I’ve been wanting from Banana Republic really and truly would make me a better, happier person.

Giving is hard and I fail at it a lot of the time.

Slowly, but surely though, God is using my commitment to the pledge I made last year to teach me to let go of the brown coat and the shiny pretty new gadget.  Every month, when I sit down to pay my bills, God uses the practice of giving to Holy Covenant to make me slow down as I rush through the online bill pay site, and remember that God is the God over my wallet and my bank account.

In January of 2009, I attended my first service at Holy Covenant. I walked in a bit terrified, having been without a church community for over 10 years. That day, the sermon centered around how “the church” has been un-Christian when it came to issues of sexuality. I’ve never sat inside the walls of a church where this topic has been talked about with such respect and sensitivity. That day forever changed me. For the first time in my life, I realized that I could feel at home in a place of worship and continue to grow deeper in my faith without having to constantly defend who I was as a person.

Holy Covenant has provided me countless opportunities to grow spiritually, and to feel empowered to create change in the world. Through its work as a reconciling congregation, Holy Covenant provides a community of faith for people of all sexualities and gender-identities. Holy Covenant firmly asserts that all children of God are of sacred worth and cannot be separated from the love of Christ because of anything. Through Dignity Diner, Holy Covenant provides meals to Chicago’s homeless and hungry every Tuesday night. Through its small groups, members of our community constantly challenge one another to dig deeper in faith, and never stop studying the life and teachings of Christ. Three dynamic services fill up our worship on Sundays. Through the music, various sermon series and special services, Holy Covenant provides a worship experience that is truly engaging, relevant and uplifting.

Providing such amazing ministries does not come without a price tag. As most churches do, Holy Covenant relies on the generosity of folks who call this church home. Each month for the last year, I have committed myself to giving a minimum amount, with the hope that I’ll give a little more each week. Some weeks are harder than others, but I truly believe that giving back to a place that has provided me with so much is one of the most important things I can do.

Holy Covenant is a place that lives out its mission to seek God, love all people, and change the world. It’s empowering to be part of such an amazing community. I give, if for no other reason than because I can’t imagine my life without this place.

I grew up in a large Methodist church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I can distinctly remember in sixth grade when, after completing Confirmation, someone from the church Stewardship Committee came over to my house to have me personally fill out my pledge card. Sitting there at my dining room table, with my braces and wearing a Stussy t-shirt, it was certainly a little intimidating to be put on the spot. Nonetheless, after Confirmation, the church treated us like real adult members, and part of that responsibility (along with being included in church conferences, etc.) was also giving to the church.

Why do I give to Holy Covenant? Firstly, I give to support works and activities here. One of my favorite C.S. Lewis writings talks about how we are saved for good works, not by good works. What this means to me is that giving financially will not earn me brownie points up in heaven. If I have the resources, it is essential that I help contribute, thereby helping the church fund to its mission activities, Reconciling Ministries membership, and the broader work of the UMC through organizations like UMCOR. One of the tenets of the Wesley Quadrilateral is experience. In addition to the works of Holy Covenant, I consider it just as important to support small groups, the Fun Squad, and other activities that enable us to gain experience and develop a sense of community with each other.

Coupled with works and activities, there is also a less tangible reason and that is to help support the core of what Holy Covenant is all about. The mission statement says a lot: SEEK GOD, LOVE ALL PEOPLE, CHANGE THE WORLD. Holy Covenant’s emphasis on loving all people stands out in the crowd where a lot of religious talk falls short these days. We of course help fulfill that mission by our works/activities, which do help change the world, one step at a time.

Sometimes I may not agree with every little decision that happens at this church, but I buy in to the core of what we are about. When I step back and think about it, then, the key decision is not so much whether I should give. Choosing to invest in Holy Covenant’s works and mission, whether it is with my prayers, presence, gifts, or service, is really the bigger picture choice.

Having elected to do that, the decision to give is really an easier one to make.

Why we give:

Because all that we have been given is a gift from God.
Because we would not be the people we are without God and our church.
Because we want to Change the World.
Because we are beyond blessed, making more money than 99.09% of the world (http://www.globalrichlist.com/)
Because giving makes us whole.

Why do I give to Holy Covenant? Because, for me and so many others, it’s a safe space to seek God. In my case, it’s the place I came to start over on my spiritual journey. It’s the place I came as a born-again born-again.

When I was in college, I became caught up in fundamentalist Christianity (after being raised a traditional Episcopalian). I spent my 20’s trying to be a kick-ass fundamentalist Christian. I never managed, however, to quell my doubts – not about God but about fundamentalist views on God. I had many gay friends – would God really agree with the fundamentalist view on gay people? Or the belief that followers of every other religion were going to hell?

I also became impatient with the “just pray about it” philosophy of dealing with… well, everything. Marriage falling apart? Spend more time on your knees. Depressed? Get up 15 minutes earlier to pray. Were these real people realistically tackling real issues?

One day, I sat in church listening to a sermon about how feeling anxiety simply meant we weren’t praying enough. Then I had a moment of clarity. I was anxious because there were things in my life to be anxious about. The pastor was not only invalidating my emotions but making me feel inadequate as a Christian for even feeling those emotions. Suddenly I realized this wasn’t of God – not the God I believed in anyway. In the middle of the sermon, I walked out, and didn’t return to church for 8 years.

I needed those 8 years to deprogram and gain enough distance to have an independent relationship with God. Then, in the 8th year, God intervened. It happened when I was on vacation in Tucson and visited the Southwest’s oldest Catholic mission church. Shortly after touring the church, while shopping in the adjacent gift shop, a Spanish-language mass began. I found myself frozen in place, with the guitar music and beautiful voices washing over me. And then I physically felt the hand of God reaching down, cracking open my sternum, and freeing my heart from the ice encasing it. The music continued to flow over me and I knew I was healed.

The next Sunday was Easter. I had returned to Chicago, and set out to find a new church. My only criteria? It had to be gay-friendly. I figured that would be a harbinger of overall inclusiveness and acceptance. The closest church to my home was Holy Covenant. I walked in that Easter morning and never looked back.

This is a long way of answering why I give. I give because every new person who walks through our doors for the first time has their own story. Something compelled them to come here, and we – those of us who are already here – serve as God’s hands here on earth, empowered to show God’s love and acceptance to every one of them.

And this, simply put, requires a commitment from those of us who are already here. There is music to make and God’s Word to be told. There are candles to light and bulletins to print and utility bills to be paid and more. And those reading this today – those who already walked through Holy Covenant’s doors– have the joy and responsibility to make this happen. We do so by giving, so that others can find their way here. So that others can find their way home.

Being asked to share why Mark and I give, why we’re signing another pledge card this year in the middle of such difficult times, gave us pause. How could we best communicate the importance we feel for giving to Holy Covenant?

There’s a story about a little boy who was crying in bed during a major thunder storm. His mother came into his room and began to comfort him. In doing so, she reminded him that “Jesus was ALWAYS with him so he didn’t need to be afraid.” The little boy looked up at his Mother and said, “Yes Mommy, I know that Jesus is here, but this time I’d like to feel Jesus with skin on.”

We all need that human touch. We need the warmth of someone’s arms assuring us that things will be alright, telling us that, in time, things will be better than they are today. We need to be able to share that touch with others who are in need, as well. For Mark and me, that’s most often realized when we’re privileged to share smiles, shake hands, or embrace members of our church family when we share our joy in that time set aside in each Sunday’s worship to “pass the peace”.

Since coming to Holy Covenant, God has helped Mark and me reach out to others in need. God has also brought us to a community where we know we belong and where we stand shoulder to shoulder with our church family in the many ministries of this community.

That standing ‘shoulder to shoulder’ includes GIVING… Whether that giving is in the form of the biblically prescribed tithe or giving whatever extra we can, it’s something we’ve chosen to do together, as a TEAM, and it comes first before anything else. We’ve learned, in some cases the hard way, that it’s just too easy to let other things eat up the money, erode the cash flow, and short change our abilities to give.

We could stand here and quote the Old Testament scripture in Malachi where God declares:

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test…see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”

We could once again look at scriptures in the New Testament where the Apostle Paul boldly addresses the church at Corinth stating,

“…the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

But neither of those scriptures really define why Mark and I give. We give because we love you, Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, and we’re committed to our church community’s rally cry to Seek God, Love All People, Change the World.

Jesus is not here in the flesh. Instead he needs each of you, along with Mark and me, to be His hands and feet extended to others. Together, as we present our tithes, love gifts, and offerings, we make it possible for each other and the world around us to “feel Jesus with skin on.”

When people ask me what I do, I’m supposed to give them our company tag line with a wink and a smile. Don’t get me wrong – I do believe that at heart, my colleagues and I all believe in what we’re doing: finding work for creative people. In fact, it’s the “helping people” part that gets me going every morning. We are, to put it simply, in the people business.

When I meet a new candidate, we sit down and talk about their background: where they’ve been, what they can do, what they actually like to do. A job search always involves sprucing up a resume: adding new information, describing past accomplishments, defining a skill set. I’ve been lucky enough to be in the same job for the past 5 years, and it’s been about 3 since I dusted off the ol’ resume. So I pulled it out just to see how far I’ve come. It still sounds like me, I like the layout, and the information is correct: this is what I’ve done, where, and when. But the “skills” section really got me thinking.

What are the qualities that make me a good employee? I show up. I try to be nice to people even when they’re not nice to me, or as flexible as I would like, or as accomplished as their introductory email made them out to be. I get to know what really matters to them: achievement, challenge, money, recognition. I make sure everybody has clear, correct, and timely information. And I even get to be creative: in the way I write, in negotiating, even in conversation with my coworkers.

It felt both astounding and not-at-all surprising to realize that the very same qualities that bring me success at my job are qualities that have been honed and polished in the past 3 years I’ve been with Holy Covenant: I show up. I try to be nice, to people I know well, to those I haven’t met before, even to people whose views I happen to disagree with. I facilitate communications between, for, and about people. I find new outlets for my creative talents. And I get a good, long look at What Really Matters.

This blog post, then, is my personal acknowledgment that all forms of my success originate from within Holy Covenant. Starting today, I am giving money to our church every month, and receiving in greater abundance, every single day.

I invest in Holy Covenant because Holy Covenant invests in me.