STEWARDSHIP

The Spirituality of Stewardship During and After Covid-19

“Portions are a paraphrase from a message by the The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York”

Reference Link: https://cnyepiscopal.org/2020/04/stewardship-committee-offers-
resources-for-covid-19/

Greetings Dear Saint Matthew Family,

We hope this message finds everyone safe and healthy God is the source of all life, and all creation is held in God’s grace and love. From this space of love we are invited to offer up our lives and pour out ourselves for God and others as Jesus has done. Seeing and following the Risen Christ, we come to find the peace and true joy in living beyond our small selves which so easily can become bogged down in fear, worry, and self-focus. We are Easter people called to awe and to love beyond all measure.

As Easter people all year long, our spiritual lives can deepen through stewardship of the gifts of our lives and possessions and in care for the earth. When we live in fear and a sense of scarcity, it can be so difficult to know the peace God desires for us. When we remember God’s abundance, hold our possessions lightly and see our oneness in Christ, we can discover perfect freedom.

Gratitude and generosity in spirit are practices to cultivate. Here are a few simple practices to begin to open our hearts and lives to stewardship and its spiritual gifts as we move into the fall and then into 2021.

We try in this and all times greeting the new day with the words: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow”. Starting out with this phrase puts an open and thankful perspective on the day ahead whatever it brings.

We remember the sacredness of creation and take time to consider the much cleaner air and return of animals to once abandoned places. While walking about or observing from our window, we can consider how our actions affect plants, animals and the air around us.

Very soon we will be developing a budget for the year 2021. We will need to apply these ideas in support of the upcoming budget. A usual, we will be sending out the “Estimate of Giving” cards and detailed budget information.

In conclusion, the Stewardship team is praying for all of us to pass through this pandemic safely. Your generosity has allowed St. Matthew to maintain and sustain our mission and ministry – that of loving Christ and serving our neighbors.

We give thanks to God for you,
In Christ, The Stewardship Team
Jack Horton and Dennis Lawrence