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THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISE OF GIVIVING True to the stewardship conviction that mature disciples make conscious, firm decisions, carried out in action, stewards turn the act of giving into a spiritual exercise by taking the time to reflect on how much and why they give. PLANNED: Stewardship of Treasure is an intentional response to God's generosity. It requires thought and time to formulate a deliberate decision that requires us to focus on our values and priorities. PROPORTIONATE: The ultimate goal for stewardship of treasure is the biblical tithe or 10% of the "first fruits." The Christian understanding of tithe is 10% of gross income. This may seem unattainable when one takes into consideration the varying factors that impact an individual's or family's circumstances; however, the commonly accepted definition of proportional giving is a gradual move toward biblical tithing. Stewards are asked to begin by calculating the current giving percentage, then to make a conscious decision to increase in small increments. SACRIFICIAL: Giving from our substance often requires a life change and a re-ordering of our priorities. It helps to remind us of our reason for giving and focuses our attention on God. IN THANKSGIVING: It's no accident that our financial contributions are part of the Offertory at Worship. Eucharist means thanksgiving - offering our financial gift is an expression of praise and thanksgiving. GIVING FREELY: A true gift is given "without strings attached" and without any expectation of something in return. Giving unconditionally is a steward's response to God's generosity. Source: "First Fruits, Stewardship of Treasure," Diocese of Metuchen FROM DEACON LESLIE MAZZACANO - I went into this detail in hopes that as a church family we can understand the importance of what we need to do to keep our family going and growing. Part of our efforts in doing that includes programs that we offer to our parishioners, in particular our youth and lay ministry programs. We are blessed this year to have a part-time Youth Leader, Ashley Trost. Ashely will be with us on Sunday mornings and will work with the Junior and Senior Youth groups on alternating Sunday afternoons or evenings. She will spend a few hours during the week planning and organizing youth activities and service projects for grades six through twelve. Our lay ministry programs are also vital to our church family and to our worship. Some of them include lay readers, chalice bearers, ushers, acolytes, and Eucharistic Ministers. All of these give us an opportunity to give of our time and talents, as well as our treasures. As with all of the programs we offer this church family, the youth program is funded through our giving. But our giving need to be enough; it needs to be off the top of that with which God has so generously blessed us. In return God blesses us with a church family that is alive and growing and that provides the needs and wants of our worship and activities together. This year I am asking that you prayerfully consider giving of your first fruits so that we can continue to provide a youth program that helps to enrich our youth and to provide them with the opportunity to give back in service projects, ie: 30-Hour Famine, Ronald McDonald House, and ditty bags for the Seamen's Institute, to name a few. We also through your pledging, provide a place for the youth to have fellowship, fun and community by participating in our various activities such as lock-ins, bowling, game night, movie night, and laser tag, etc. Without your "first fruits" we cannot sustain these programs. Luke 16: "No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Luke 21: "I tell you the truth," Jesus said, "this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has." ~Deacon Leslie Mazzacano, Director of Lay Ministeries
MUSIC AND STEWARDSHIP AT TRINITY CHURCH It would be understandable, during this period of emphasis on stewardship and the financial needs of our parish, if occasionally we were to lose sight of the underlying reasons for our giving. Not only can discussions about money distract us from our worship, but they bring up uncomfortable reminders about how much stuff a parish needs to operate and thrive. It all seems so mundane. But actually, it isn't mundane! The church is just like every other aspect of life in that the spiritual element can only be made manifest through physical means. A great example for we Christians is the Incarnation, in which God became manifest in the person of Jesus. As Christians we can't help but respond to God's gift of his Son by worshiping him and singing his praises. And one of the most profound ways we have found to worship is through music. Singing or playing instruments or listening to music in a church does two primary things - it allows us to express that which is otherwise inexpressible, and it helps to bring us closer to God, emotionally and intellectually. So music is central to our parish life. Through music we worship, we grow spiritually, we get inspired to cope during a difficult period or to face the coming week, and we experience in a unique way a special sense of community. In addition, our music helps us pass on all of these things to our children. The irony is that all of these spiritual benefits can only be realized if the music program ha sfunds (for the organist, choir directors, section leaders, accompanists, music, instrumental maintenance, vestments, administrative costs, and so on). Considering this, it isn't too much of a stretch to think of your annual pledge as part of your spiritual life. The motivation for giving is like your motivation for singing a great hymn - both come from a deep need to respond to God's love for us. We give in order to enable the church to fulfill its mission. Here are some ways you can participate in the Trinity music program, and some of the resources the program requires. Opportunities to participate Trinity Choir Canterbury Choir Carol Choir Cherub Choir, Carillon Choir Chimes Guild Children's choir helper Sunday School music leader Instrumentalist Music Librarian Lusty congregational singer Cook for lunchtime recitals
Special Musical Events Resources required for the music program Musicians - singers, ringers, accompanists, other players Helpers- rehearsal assistants, librarians Musical instruments - tuning and maintenance Music for the choirs Rehearsal facilities Educational materials and equipment Music library Administrative space and equipment Vestments
Your Support Is Appreciated Whether you support the music program by participating in the choirs, or by being a "choir family" that supports one or more choir members in their commitment, or by singing in the congregation and listening appreciatively to the efforts of others, or by being a Friend of Trinity Music, or by contributing generously with your annual pledge, (or all of the above!) your gifts are appreciated every day. It is thanks to you that Trinity's music program can make a difference in so many people's lives. ~Vernon Williams, Organist/Choirmaster
FROM THE RECTOR: Just last week as I was entering a nearby restaurant to have lunch, a man dressed in a coat and tie approached me, shook my hand, and said, "You don't know me, but my group meets at your church, and I want to thank you ever so much for letting us meet there. It means so much to us and it is a wonderful place." I knew that he was referring to an AA group, and so I thanked him and said that we have been hosting AA groups every day of the week for many years, long before I came to Trinity in 1995, and we were glad to be able to do this as part of our outreach to our community. This incident was not an unusual one. A short while ago I was approached by another stranger on Main Street, who told me that Trinity Church had "saved his life," by which he meant that by letting his AA group meet there, we had allowed him to find help for his life-threatening addiction. AA should get the credit for most of these saving moments, but people by and large do recognize the enormous contribution that Trinity Church makes by providing a safe and comfortable atmosphere in which such meetings can occur. AA meetings are just one of many outreach ministries that Trinity Church is proud to be involved in. Other activities include rummage sales, Camden feeding programs, Christian Caring Center donations, Thanksgiving and Christmas food and gift drives, Camden Forward School scholarships, in-house and Ministerium food and assistance programs, Contact housing, Habitat for Humanity building days, Seamenfs Institute collections, Contact housing, Habitat for Humanity building projects, and many others. Trinity also is a very special place for the myriad of opportunities we offer our parishioners, week after week, in the areas of music, preschool classes, church school education, adult formation programs, property care and maintenance, finance, pastoral care, counseling, youth group activities, fellowship, gardening, worship involvement (e.g. acolytes, altar guild, ushering), and more. Our buildings and grounds are exceptional by any onefs standards, and we have a professional staff that I believe is second to none in the commitment they demonstrate and the expertise they bring to the carrying out of the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this place. We at Trinity Church are indeed very blessed, and I certainly include myself in that "we," as it is my privilege to be the rector of such an exciting and dynamic parish. All of this, however, comes at a price. I wonft belabor the point or bore you with the details which you have heard many times, but suffice it to say, we need your financial support now more than ever before, to maintain the quality and variety of what we offer at Trinity endowment income to close our budget gaps forever. We made serious cutbacks several years ago in Diocesan support, Outreach funding, and Christian Education staffing, and there remains nothing else left to cut that would not be extremely detrimental and hurtful. None of our staff received any salary or benefit increase last year. We need you to increase your financial support as much as you can for next year using the enclosed Estimate of Giving card, which you may return by mail or at the Stewardship Brunch on Sunday, October 30th. After that date, you will be contacted by the Pony Express volunteers. I am especially addressing those of you who contribute less than the national average for all Episcopalians, which is $2600 per year. At Trinity Church that amounts to 229 giving units out of a total of 300, or 76%. At a minimum, if every one would increase his or her giving by $200 a year, we would realize an additional $60,000, but even that is not sufficient for the long run. This letter comes to you with my heartfelt plea for you to increase your financial support for our mission and ministry here at Trinity Church. Remember that what you give should be given out of thankfulness for all that God has given you. We return to God only a portion of that with which he has blessed us as trustees and stewards of all that we possess, including life itself. Our giving, therefore, really becomes a matter of faith and commitment. Make your gift to God and his church be what you do, after you say, I believe. Yours in Christ, The Rev. Philip W. Stowell Rector
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