Dear Friends in Christ,

As we enter more deeply into Ordinary Time—that long swath of green on our liturgical calendar that allows for deepening and growth—I want to use these letters to think more deeply about a single topic: financial stewardship.

Talking about money is hard, of course. And if we only talk about it in October, when we are in the midst of our pledge campaign, we miss the point. God blesses our lives all twelve months of the year.

I encourage you to take some time, in this quieter season, to reflect on money and its role in your spiritual life. (A good starting point is a money autobiography.) When you stop to think, what do you really believe about wealth, need, abundance, and generosity?

My guess is that there will be some surprises. Maybe there will be some hard truths. Economists talk about “revealed preference,” where we irrational humans make choices different from what we say we want. Perhaps your life reveals some beliefs you didn’t know you had.

My hope is that alongside these surprises, there will also be some gratitude. It is hard to look back at life and not see the blessings—simply because God is such a profligate giver. Even when there is scarcity and struggle, there is abiding and redeeming love.

If we are to talk about financial stewardship, we have to begin with our feet on the solid ground of gratitude. Knowing God’s providence is the beginning of any response we make.

As I do my own stock-taking, I need to express my gratitude for one of my greatest blessings, which is you—the people of this parish. Your faithfulness and dedication (including but not limited to your financial giving) have taught me so much about the meaning of service. My time at Grace as a curate from 2003-2007 made pledging normative in my own life and showed me how spiritually rewarding it could be; since returning as rector in 2021 I have learned more about giving riskily and sacrificially. You have been my teachers.

Every gift matters to the church, both for the works it enables and also for the example it creates, the faith it shows. Every gift has the power to shape our souls.

I would love to talk about what you discover as you think about the role of money in your spiritual life.

Yours in Christ,
Anne+