By Michele W.
My instructions were to speak from the heart, so here it goes.
My name is Michele W. and I am a freshman member of the Board of Deacons. As a result, I feel a bit ill equipped to speak to you about stewardship on behalf of the Board of Deacons so, I’d like to speak to you about what stewardship means to me as a member of this church instead. The call to stewardship is the call to offer ourselves and our gifts to God. Today, the reason is obvious to me, but it wasn’t so clear to me as a child.
I was raised in Mexico and attended Catholic Church, as do pretty much all church-going people in Mexico. As a child, I can remember gathering whatever money I could scrounge up and putting it in the collection basket at church on Sunday because “that was what you were supposed to do”. I never really understood why, and it seemed like an odd reason, but I did it anyway. I was fairly active in the church and youth group, but as I grew up and became an adult I stopped going to church. I had a challenging job, I was making good money, and I could take care of myself. I didn’t really need to go to church, and besides…I was busy on Sunday.
In the summer of 2000, my first husband was diagnosed with cancer, and as it happens with many of us when a crisis hits, I RAN back to God. Where was he? Why was this happening to us? To me? In December of 2001 my husband died of cancer. I RAGED…against God and I RAGED against my faith. That’s when I found a UCC church in Florida (where we were living at the time) and a wonderful pastor who welcomed me and encouraged me to continue to argue with God. “That’s the right thing for you to do right now, it’s what you need”, she said. And so I fell into the arms of this church family where I fought and cried and felt cared for and held like I never had before. It was then that I realized for the first time what it truly means when we say that the church is the body of Christ. This church was, in fact the arms of God. I had fallen into God’s arms.
In 2004 my son and I moved to Chapel Hill to start a new life. Before we moved, I went to some of the leaders in my church in Florida and asked them where I should go when I arrived in Chapel Hill. I knew that I needed “more arms” that I could fall into in our new home. “Go to The United Church of Chapel Hill, they are a wonderful congregation and will welcome you with open arms”, one of them said. So we moved, and I came to speak to Jill one day, and I knew immediately that this would be out new church home. She said “We welcome you with open arms”, and indeed you have welcomed us with open arms because this church truly is the body of Christ. So why do we offer ourselves and our gifts to God? Because of all of the gifts that this church, the body of Christ in the here and now, gives to others.
I’d like to finish by sharing a reading that one of my pastors in Florida shared with us. For me, in clearly summarizes all of the gifts that God gives us through his church - the body of Christ. It is an augmented version of Psalm 23, The Lord Is My Shepard, because you all are my Shepard here on the ground, here on Earth.
The Lord is my Shepard…that’s relationship!
I shall not want…that’s supply!
He makes me to lie down in green pastures…that’s rest!
He restores my soul…that’s healing!
He leads me in the paths of righteousness…that’s guidance!
For his name’s sake…that’s purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…that’s challenge!
I will fear no evil…that’s assurance!
For thou art with me (all of you)…that’s faithfulness!
Your rod and your staff they comfort me…that’s shelter!
You prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies…that’s hope!
You anoint my head with oil…that’s consecration!
My cup runs over…that’s abundance!
Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…that’s blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord…that’s security!
Forever…that’s eternity!
AMEN