People of Grace,
Thank you for your continued support of Grace Lutheran Church during this time. Your generosity and willingness to share your time, talents and treasures means that we get to continue doing the work God has called us to in this corner of God’s world. The work of loving and serving our neighbor.
It is clear that this pandemic is placing stress on many people. With many in the US out of work, many people and organizations are thinking about money and how they spend their resources. Including the leadership of Grace Lutheran Church.
Taking seriously the economic impact of this time, Grace leaders have come together to form a Stewardship Team: Renee Waterstradt (current congregational treasurer), Brian Flatgard (congregational council member), Donna Martin (head of the internship team) and Vicar Beth Gallen (seminary intern). This group has committed to serving on the Stewardship team to shepherd faithful conversations and initiatives related to the practice of generosity at Grace.
The team met for the first time in May to discuss the vision, purpose and timeline of the group. While we discussed much, a vision emerged: to lay the foundation for a culture of generosity at Grace Lutheran Church.
“At Grace, we have an understanding of God’s abundance. We’ve got that down.” Brian Flatgard said this in the middle of our first stewardship meeting. And, he’s right. The people of Grace Lutheran Church see God as the one who provides. Instead of hoarding resources, the posture at Grace is one of graciously accepting the gifts God bestows. Gifts that often come unexpectedly…
For instance, this spring it was clear that one of the A/C units needed to be replaced before the Arizona heat arrived. While discussing how we were going to pay for a new A/C unit, Grace received a gift from a long-time member, Karen Wentworth upon her death. Before Karen passed away, she named Grace in her will, ensuring her faith community would receive a portion of her resources. The money we received from Karen came in the exact amount needed to replace the A/C unit. God provides!
Our God is a God of abundance. One of the biggest questions the team wants to tackle in the coming months is how to address stewardship and money while remaining sensitive to people’s economic realities, especially those in our community impacted financially by COVID-19.
The work of the Stewardship team has only just begun. We pray for God’s presence and guidance as we tackle hard questions about stewardship in the time of COVID-19 and faithfully open up conversations in our community about stewarding our resources as givers and living into the abundant life God is placing before us. We welcome your prayers, people of Grace.
If you have questions about the work of the Stewardship Team or would like to participate in this work, please reach out to Vicar Beth at vicar@graceinthecity.com
With joy and gratitude,
Vicar Beth