“All things come of thee, O Lord. And of thine own have we given thee.” (Offertory sentence)
What belongs to us? It is a Christian conviction that we belong to God: God created us for God’s purposes of love, healing, and reconciliation. As such, all we are and all we have belongs to God. This is the hidden polemic in Jesus’ question when he takes a Roman coin and says, “Whose image is on it? Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” (Mt. 22:21) What image is imprinted on us? To whom do we belong? To whom do we render our lives?
Stewardship is about how we honor the relationship that holds our being. It is about much more than money and wealth. It is about how we move in the world. It is about how we represent this grace given to us through Christ in the other relationships in our life. Do we extend the forgiveness that God has given us? Do we seek to repair wrongs in the world, even wrongs we have committed? What joy manifests in our life that can be offered to the body of Christ?
While Stewardship is not only about money and wealth, it is nonetheless about money and wealth. That is because money holds a mystery for us. What part of us do we still withhold from God? Can we give our whole life over to the love of God–not just to let God love us, but to let ourselves love ourselves with the love of God? When we give generously of our money, we spiritually open ourselves to be vulnerable to God’s love. When we give to the church, we give ourselves over to intimacy within a community.
This year’s annual pledge campaign is Journey to Generosity. Moving toward God’s generous love for us is a journey, indeed. While we receive God’s love, we are blessed. And when we give back to God, we receive an even greater blessing. In this we learn the truth that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
Please consider making a pledge to St. Thomas’s annual budget and to its legacy as a beneficiary of your estate. This will empower our community to be a beacon of God’s love, forgiveness, and repair in the city of Sunnyvale and beyond.
PLEDGE SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 5TH
This Sunday, please prayerfully consider joining us as participants and caretakers of the faith community at St. Thomas as we offer our pledges in support of the church and its ongoing ministry and care for the parish and surrounding community. Offerings will be made during both the 8:00 and 10:30am worship services.
Pledge cards are available on the table at the back of the Narthex just inside the big red doors leading to the sanctuary, see Directions & Campus Map.
You may contact Pr. Salying (pastorsalying@stthomas-svale.us) or our treasurer, Jim Cobb, (finance@stthomas-svale.org) for more information on how to pledge.
Other ways to contribute financially:
eScrip: Sign up for the eScrip program – have contributions made to Saint Thomas whenever you shop at one of the participating merchants and restaurants, including Safeway. The good news is that it’s free to you. The participating merchants and restaurants provide the contributions. Follow the links to obtain a current list of participating restaurants and merchants eScrip Family of Merchants and eScrip Dining.
AmazonSmile is another creative way to give.
- Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice – consider “St. Thomas Episcopal Church – Sunnyvale, CA“
- AmazonSmile is the same Amazon, same products, same prices and same service.
- Support us by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com.
As with any form of giving, it is a gift without any strings attached or an expectation placed on the person or family. It is our response to God’s invitation for us to participate in a real and practical way in the work and life of Saint Thomas.
For assistance and questions Contact Us.