Dear Friends:

If it’s October, it must be Stewardship time!  Now before you sigh, “Oh brother!” let’s think about this for a moment.  For with all the transitions that are taking place in the field of banking and the political scene, Stewardship reminds us that there is one aspect of our faith that does not change, and that is God’s love for each one of us.

Let me explain.

During these past few months, we have been in a financial angst that has turned the whole banking system upside down.  Many of the financial corps found themselves to be in a situation where what looked like an easy profit, took them into an unexpected whirlwind.  The big and mighty found themselves on their knees, hoping someone would save their skin from the mess they found themselves in, thinking they could make an “easy buck.”

In step the F.D.I.C. and the Federal Reserve Bank and other government organizations are trying to keep the financial situation above water – something that we have learned from the 1929 stock market crash which led to what became the Great Depression.

What does this have to do with stewardship?  Everything because stewardship is the alternative to a “quick buck” or an easy fix.  Stewardship reminds us of the steadfast love that God has shown us through Jesus Christ.  Regardless of the ups and downs in our lives, God is there, was there from the beginning and will be there until the Second Coming of our Lord.  That is a fact of faith; this is what we believe and will continue to believe as long as the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west.

Stewardship, my friends, is an act of faith, (remember faith being believing in what has yet to be seen), especially when we see the “high and mighty” institutions crumble right before us.  And as we look at our investment statements, and scratch our heads and try to believe what our investment offices tells us to be “patient, for the market is just correcting itself, we’re in a volatile time, but what goes down will eventually come back up.”

Stewardship claims that God loves each one of us, with all that we have before us, with all that has been created and will continue to be created. We as faithful people of Jesus Christ now give thanks for God’s gracious bounty.  For as faithful people of Jesus Christ, this is not the time to retreat to the back room and close the door, or throw up our hands thinking, “What will I do now?”

This is a time for us to stand up together with thankful hearts, rejoicing in God’s unimaginable grace which “passes all understanding,” knowing that we are not alone during these transitional times.  Our faith in what we believe reassures us that during these volatile financial times, now is not the time to retreat in what we can offer to God through a financial gift.  I realize that you can’t give what you don’t have, but there are many other ways in which you can serve our Lord with many of the gifts and talents that we have received through the Spirit.  For God’s institution, the church, will continue to move forward in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, and I challenge each one of you to stand with us as St. Peter’s continues to be a beacon of God’s steadfast love during these questionable times.

In the next few weeks, you’ll hear from our stewardship chairman, Terry Rozell.  Please “read and inwardly digest” his words of wisdom as St. Peter’s moves forward in God’s grace, being faithful stewards of God’s bounty.

Thanks be to God!