Toward God: Stewardship 2020

Dear Friends in Christ,

The whole life of a Christian is aimed toward God; it is a life that settles for nothing less than finding God in all things. Sometimes this is the high and holy stuff—beautiful prayers, a stunning anthem, incense, and candles. Certainly our life of worship is a huge part of what it is to be aimed toward God. But it isn’t just the high and holy.

One beautiful night in September we gathered under the stars to eat candy and popcorn as we watched a movie together. In our life of community, in our laughter and enjoyment of creation, we were aimed toward God. One week this fall, culminating on a rainy Saturday, parishioners gathered to organize and execute an incredible rummage sale to benefit the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti. In our work for the poorest, we were aiming our life together toward God.

Any given Sunday, you’ll find volunteers leading our children to know more deeply the story of God’s love in Sunday school. If you happen to pass the room at just the right time, you’re likely to see looks of wonder. In that teaching, that learning, that searching for God together, young lives and older lives alike are being aimed toward God. A few weeks ago, our women’s group gathered for dinner and, believe it or not, axe throwing! In the conversation, the laughter, the shared experience, they were aiming their lives toward God.

The ways that we aim in that God-ward direction at St. Peter’s are really limitless. The drive to find God in all that we are and all that we do has no end. This is a joyful truth of our life in Christ.

Part of how we seek to find God in all things is by using our financial resources well—as a community and as individuals. The way you use your money is part of finding your whole life moving toward God. Not only that, we need your generosity to sustain our life together. We need your financial participation to plan well and effectively for the coming year. So, I invite you to make a pledge to support our 2020 budget. You can do this by filling out a card and dropping it in the collection plate or by pledging online at http://bit.ly/journeytogether2020.

But I also invite you to think beyond your pledge during this stewardship season. Think about all the ways you spend your time, your money, your abilities ... your everything. How are you using it all to aim yourself in God’s direction? I pray that St. Peter’s is a part of that for you. I pray that this community of disciples learning to follow Jesus together is helping you to move closer to God—through movies and popcorn, teaching and learning, worship, and, yes, even throwing axes.

God bless,
Fr. Quinn Parman+

[Photo by Jason Abdilla on Unsplash]