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From the Rector

I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all,
but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess.

Martin Luther

October 29, 2009

Dear Member of St. Andrew's Community:

I want to tell you a story about faithful giving at St Andrew's, one that continues to bless us--and not only us, but the community and the world.

Over a hundred years ago, a group of faithful Episcopalians dreamed a dream of a strong mission church at the edge of a great land grant college. Some fifty years later, with rejoicing and at great sacrifice during the Great Depression, a fine stone sanctuary building was raised, and with determined optimism, the next two generations provided attractive Sunday school and meeting spaces. Dozens of families commemorated loved ones with the finest gifts artists and crafts persons could offer. Today we commune in that splendid worship space - way beyond the generous imagining of any one in those early generations. To be sure, looking around our church today, we know something of their hearts, their faithful living and generous giving. Precious reminders of our ancestors' "time, talent, and treasure" will grace St. Andrew's forever.

Our shared story, of course, is more than a description of fine buildings and graceful grounds! Our story is a story of faithfulness. We have held fast to our hope for God's kingdom - hope that continues to animate our relationships with one another and that sustains us in our work and study as a people who know ourselves to be blessed by God. Out of that sense of blessing, we offer generous support to our local homeless community, to our diocese, and to projects around the world. Ours is a story of real folks making a difference in other peoples' lives - about good people choosing to sacrifice to help bring about "Thy kingdom come" - about people in our pews performing countless acts of kindness and mercy close by and around the world. Just as we worship surrounded by the acts of thankful hearts and generous hands, we leave our beautiful church like the joyful saints before us, taking the love of Christ into a suffering, drab world.

This year the Stewardship Committee of St. Andrew's has chosen to emphasize two themes: "First Fruits" and "The Joy of Giving." In scripture, we read how the ancient believers gave their very first and best fruits to God as a token of their gratitude for all the God had done for them. These were people who knew themselves to have been led by God over many generations, through times of happiness and hardship, to a land of great blessing and bounty. Although it surely was a sacrifice, giving the first fruits of the yearly harvest was also a joy because they were giving their best to God from what God had given them.

I am writing to ask you to prayerfully consider what you can offer St Andrew's over this next year.  What would a gift from your "first fruits" of time, talent and treasure look like this coming year? No gift that is offered with an open and grateful heart, out of the love of God, is too small. But I do hope that you will consider being generous with your pledge this year as a way of thanking God for all that God has done for you and for all of us at St. Andrew's. Every member of the vestry has committed to making a pledge this year, and hopes that you will too.

In the short time that I have been your rector, I have been so impressed by the spirit of faithfulness and compassion that joins us together in our common life and makes St. Andrew's such a special place. We are a vibrant, healthy parish where God's grace and blessing is being felt and cherished and passed on to others. We have been blessed, and we have been generous in sharing God's blessings!

In my years of ministry, I have learned more than a little about the untimely intrusions of air conditioning and leaky roofs in the lives of the faithful. Your expressions of concern and your financial support for the everyday maintenance and significant progress on projects across our plant will always be appreciated by this office!

But I am especially looking forward to hearing from you about what animates your hopes and excites your imaginings about the future mission of St. Andrew's. As I have said many times in sermons and in the too brief conversations we've shared, the dream of God is a wonderful thing we get to explore together, and now is our opportunity to do that.

Thank you for your prayers in support of our year-end pledge drive, and all you are doing now, and will be doing in 2010, to support the kind and compassionate stewardship of St. Andrew's' resources!

God's peace,

The Rev. Carol J. Jablonski

Rector

PS. On November 22, we will be observing the Feast of St Andrews with special music, a festive lunch, and the dedication of our pledges at the 10:30 service. I hope you can join us!