My Stewardship Moment by proxy

John and I were asked to give the Stewardship talk today, but as you know, I haven't been well and I'm not able to be with you in person even though I wish I was.

We were asked why we love this church? The moment we walked in the doors for the first time we both knew that this was the place we were meant to be. It's not just a place to spend Sunday mornings sitting in a pew. It's a place to be loved, to be encouraged, to be accepted, to be welcomed, and to be taught.

If you look at the calendar for this month you'll see plenty of activity that shows who we are and what we do - weddings, funerals, our first Summer Concert for the year, weekly AA and NA meetings to help people recovering from addiction, the Ruth's Ministry meals program for the homeless... how many people will walk through our doors this month needing to be loved? It's far too big a job for one person. No one can possibly do it, or even a major part of it, by themselves. Not Pastor Becky, not Thom, not Mark or Barbara, or me or anyone else. You could kill yourself trying. But the church is not one person. It's not just everyone who's here today. It's not even everyone who's sat through the membership class and stood up in front of the congregation to join. It's everyone who has ever shown up on Thursday morning to wash dishes, or gathered donations for the toy drive, or put an offering envelope in the plate to help support our ministries, or come to one of the ministry team meetings to help make things happen so that Pastor Becky doesn't have to try to do it all alone. It's everyone who loves this church family and who wants to make a real difference to other people's lives. The question is, are you one of these people? If you are, then know that you are not alone, and you do not have to try to do it all by yourself. Whether you have one hour a week to give or twenty, or no time at all but plenty of money, it still makes a difference! Many hands make light work, and the more of you who are willing to give some of your time and skills, the more we can do together. WE NEED YOU!

We are not just a church, we are a family, and I love every single one of you, and thank you for all the good things that you are doing to help us show the world that God's Love is there for Everybody.