Most parishes are in the midst of their stewardship programs as we meet. No matter how we’ve tried to define it, stewardship always seems to come down to the annual fall fund drive, and, as important as that is, we know it’s wrong. Christ’s many parables on stewardship always meant something more. To be a steward in God’s kingdom is have a share in the caring of God’s creation and the proclamation of God’s Word as ones who live in loving relationship with God and with one another.

Those are the principles that are driving the work of the Stewardship Committee of the Foundation in the development of a full range of materials and consulting services to be made available to every congregation during this next year.

But you and I know that materials and counsel provided by the diocese, no matter how good or well received, cannot replace the Holy Spirit filled energy, imagination and accomplishments of a local congregation that is intent on becoming a community of stewards.

No one knew that better than Fr. John Shepard, and no one was more committed to creating the conditions under which local congregations could do just that. As a member of the Foundation’s Stewardship Committee he was determined to see that happen. The members of the committee are equally determined that Fr. John’s vision will not fade away.

Therefore, and in Fr. John’s memory, I am pleased to announce the creation of an annual John Shepard Award for Excellence in Stewardship.

When we meet again in Convention next year, one parish will be awarded the John Shepard prize, of not less than $1,000, for excellence in stewardship. We are working on the terms for the competition now, and intend to publish them in late January or early February so that each of you will have plenty of time to respond.

In general they will measure congregational applications on the basis of creativity, imagination, and success not simply in regard to fund raising, but more importantly to a comprehensive program of stewardship following the teachings of Jesus and intentional in developing the spiritual health and well being of parishioners.

Additional awards of recognition will also be made for congregations showing outstanding progress in various elements of their own stewardship programs, including fundraising.

I would like to close this announcement by borrowing from Kay Rafferty’s note to the diocesan clergy and offering the following quote, on behalf of the Stewardship Team, to John Shepard….it is one of many good pieces from the book “The Steward”, by Douglas John Hall.”

“…[we need to learn how to] interpret the Christian life as stewardship. The world is crying out for keepers and tenders of its wonderful, frail beauty, and God desires to send us out as stewards into this astonishing, unique creation.”

Trust me, there is great joy in having that little box somewhere handy. Dropping in some change each day in thanksgiving for the day’s blessings makes it easier to pay attention to those blessings. But sometimes it’s just plain fun to put all your change in the box without thinking of anything in particular. It’s just plain fun to know that, in very short order, it will go to help fund some very worthwhile mission work someplace, maybe in your own town, maybe in some far distant country, but always to help make some part of God’s work come to life.

Pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters; they add up fast. Fill a box, then fill another. It won’t hurt your standard of living a bit, and it will bless you with an almost giddy inner joy.

With that in mind, hear what Paul had to say to the recalcitrant and sometimes miserly Corinthians who were quick to promise and slow to deliver:

2Cor. 9:6 The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Like many of you, I will be filling out at least one pledge card this fall during what we’ve come to know as “stewardship season.”  That’s the time in the fall when most churches, planning and budgeting for the coming year, invite us to consider our own giving toward God’s work.

This process seems cemented into the rhythm of the church year. As much as we talk about “year-round stewardship,” the big push in the fall gets most of the attention. And that gives rise to all kinds of techniques to teach a lot of stewardship in a short time.

Don’t get me wrong.  I know that in a world where we are flooded with information, we need to have the occasional “attention getter” to focus on something important. This seems particularly true in the world of stewardship.

I have had a cardboard pony express pouch delivered to my house with instructions to add my pledge card and pass the pouch to a fellow parishioner. I’ve enjoyed elaborate and elegant meals in parish halls that included a soft sell about pledging. A California parish where I was a member promised us that if we pledged, no one would come to the house to ask us to give, a tactic that was disturbingly effective. I have been instructed on the significance of the tithe and steeped in the principles of proportional giving. All of those things have been helpful.

In each of those scenarios I have made a pledge but, I have to confess, none of them really grabbed my heart. For what it’s worth, my best stewardship lessons have come more simply. Many of them have come from short homilies or talks by laity who have called me back to the basic truth that our generosity arises out of a deep sense of thanksgiving. These talks come out of real life. They are unembellished truth.

They remind me that the abundance that surrounds me – a home, a job, family, friends, the beauty of creation, a parish community, the many other blessings that can so easily go unnoticed and unacknowledged, come from God. They remind me that none of that “stuff” I’m thankful for really belongs to me, but is simply put into my care. That I am being called to be a good steward – all year round.

That’s what motivates me to give to two churches, three capital campaigns and a couple of other things. That’s what reminds me to be a good steward not just with my financial giving, but in every part of my life.

If a pony express pouch lands at my house this year, I’ll happily add my pledge card. And I know I’ll join into any activity my church chooses to get stewardship “on the screen.” But when push comes to shove, I’m with Meister Eckhart. It’s all about thanksgiving.

If you are interested in some helpful websites for stewardship, try these: The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) www.tens.org or The Stewardship of Life Institute, a Lutheran organization, www.stewardshipoflife.org.