20Archive/Archive/Pentecost%20II%202005%20St

Stewardship basics

What makes us good

stewards? The

answer’s simple: a

grateful heart.

3

No more

“beg-a-thons”

Stewardship’s not

about the annual

“beg-a-thon.” Our

diocesan stewardship

consultants can tell

you why.

11

Speaking

stewardship

When it comes to

financial

stewardship

campaigns, one size

does not fit all. Are

you ready to learn

the “five languages

of congregational

stewardship”?

17

www.edusc.org

insideside

Visit our diocese onlineVisit our diocese online

CrosswalkThe official publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South CarolinaThe official publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina

Pentecost II, 2005Pentecost II, 2005

CHRISTIAN SSTEWARDSHIPCHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP

The earth is

the Lord's

and all that is in it . . .(Psalm 24:1a)

86245_Crosswalk.qxp 10/12/2005 9:56 AM Page 2

Pentecost II, 2005 Crosswalk

CrosswalkOfficial Publication of the Episcopal

Diocese of Upper South Carolina

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803.771.7800/800.889.6961803.799.5119 fax

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Crosswalk E-mail [email protected]

Bishop The Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson, Jr.

Canon to the OrdinaryThe Rev. Mark Clevenger

[email protected]

Archdeacon and Senior PastoralAssistant to the Bishop

The Ven. Frederick C. [email protected]

Canon for Christian FormationThe Rev. J. Philip Purser

[email protected]

Canon for Youth Ministry The Rev. L. Sue von Rautenkranz

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Peggy Van Antwerp [email protected]

Assistant to Bishop Henderson Jane B. Goldsmith

[email protected]

Canon for Finance andAdministration

Julie Price [email protected]

Assistant to Archdeacon ByrdBonnie Blackberg

[email protected]

Assistant for Christian Formation,Manager of Diocesan Resource Center

Roslyn [email protected]

Director of Finance and InsuranceCynthia Hendrix

[email protected]

Assistant for Communications and Youth Ministry

Bethany [email protected]

Bishop Gravatt [email protected]

Visit us on the Web at:www.edusc.org

Cover photo: Suzanne Zoole,

Advent, Spartanburg

Mid-Pentecost 2005

“How shall I repay the Lord for all thegood things he has done for me?”

—Psalm 116:12

Sisters and Brothers, dearly Beloved,

This issue of Crosswalk takes Christian stewardship as its theme because itbehooves us now, as the fall season of “stewardship campaigns” comes upon us,to recall that Christian stewardship is much grander and all-encompassing thanthe annual campaign might suggest—that stewardship, in fact, is a holistic conceptwhich underpins every aspect of our individual and corporate life. The stewardship themehas been anticipated for months, but it assumes new meaning in light of the incomparabledestructiveness resulting from “Katrina” and “Rita.”

Since General Convention 2003 I have often remarked that the “silver lining” tothe dark cloud of distress and dissension in the Church has been the renewal of interest in“holy basics”—in the study of God’s Word, Written and Living, in Holy Scripture—along with a rekindling of inquiry into those principles and attitudes whichmark us as people of the Anglican tradition. Let us now add Christianstewardship to that category of holy basics, for it is nothing less, according toa 1988 resolution adopted by our General Convention, than “the main workof the Church.”

In saying this, Beloved, we are grounded in the teaching of our Bookof Common Prayer, from which we are reminded that the mission of the Church“is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” and that“the Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members”(“An Outline of the Faith,” p. 855). This is the heart of what it means to bethe Church: to use everything we have been given by God (in other wordseverything we have, beginning with the precious breath of life) to carry out themission of reconciliation which we claim as members of the Body of Christ.Stewardship, in the words of one wise Christian, “is everything we do after wesay, ‘I believe.’”

The question posed by the Psalmist—“How shall I repay the Lord forall the good things he has done for me?”—takes on new poignancy as westruggle to comprehend the incomprehensible destruction of recenthurricanes and how best to respond to that devastation from the midst of ourplenteousness. But the question anticipates a way of life that includes but goesbeyond the immediacy of any tragedy. To be sure, the question has nosatisfactory answer, because it is impossible for us to offer anything equivalentto the gift of salvation wrought by our Lord on the cross and available to us asa free gift of God’s grace.

The biblical theology of stewardship, in a nutshell, is this: “The earthis the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Ps. 24:1a); “We love [God] because he firstloved us” (1 John 4:19). In other words, stewardship is not compensation for“all the good things he has done for me.” It is, rather, our grateful response toall of God’s loving gifts to us, especially the gift of our Lord and Savior JesusChrist. The word stewardship comes from the Greek, oikonomia (“the law ofthe house”), which refers to the management of a household for the benefit ofall of its members. A steward, then, acts on behalf of the master, often withauthority, always with responsibility for the good use of resources, but never intotal control.

—continued on page 22

2

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FROM THE newsB R E A K I N G

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Hurricane re l ie fAs Crosswalk goes to press, financial assistancecontinues to be the most effective way to supporthurricane relief efforts along the Gulf Coast.Donations to:

o Episcopal Relief and Development, P.O.Box 12043, Newark, NJ 0710; by phoneto1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129; via Internetat www.er-d.org.o EDUSC, attn. Julie Price, 1115 MarionSt., Columbia, SC 29201; checks marked“Hurricane Relief.”

Watch for updates in e~DUSC, regular andspecial editions (see above for subscription info).

Bishop named to special commissionon Church, Communion

[ENS]Bishop Henderson, along with 13clergy and lay people from throughout the U.S.,has been named to the Special Commission on theEpiscopal Church and the Anglican Communion.The commission was appointed by PresidingBishop Frank T. Griswold and the Very Rev.George L. W. Werner, president of the House ofDeputies. The commission is charged withpreparing the way for General Convention 2006to respond to the Windsor Report, released in2004 by the Lambeth Commission in response tothe election and consecration of the Rev. CanonV. Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire.The commission is also asked to respond to theFebruary 2005 communiqué of the primates ofthe Anglican Communion and the actions of theJune 2005 meeting of the Anglican ConsultativeCouncil.

The committee, which will hold its initialmeeting on November 7, will prepare a reportwith proposed resolutions, if any, for presentationat the 75th General Convention next June. Readthe full ENS report at www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_67465_ ENG_HTM.htm.


Bishop’sBishop’s Desk


Crosswalk Pentecost II, 2005

3

By Peggy Van Antwerp Hill

“Christ set the example of serving and sharing.

The steward seeks to share that example,

to live it, and to preserve it.”

—“Responsible Freedom,” Stewardship statement by the Church of the Brethren, 1985

I think I first began to consider that Christian stewardship might actually be a wayof life (as opposed to a costly and dreaded duty) as a newly minted Episcopalianbent on learning more about what being an Episcopalian might mean. I had grownup in the Roman Catholic Church, been educated by the good sisters, andsomehow, simplistically, developed a theological worldview that might besummarized thus: “I act and God responds.” God, that Big Brother in the sky,spends his days (and nights) watching my every move to determine whether myactions merit reward or punishment. Imagine my amazement when a Sundayschool class in my new Episcopal church set before me the idea that “God acts andI respond,” turning the whole of my theology upside down and bringing me face toface with two realities that I now understand as the heart of the Christian life andthe basics of faithful stewardship: gratitude and relationship.

First gratitude. In the words of Thomas Merton in his Thoughts in Solitude:

To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything

He has given us—and he has given us everything. Every breath we

draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace. . . .

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is

never unresponsive,is constantly awakening to

new wonders and to praise of the

goodness of God. For the grateful

person knows that God is

good, not by hearsay but

by experience. And that

is what makes all the

difference.

Living one’s life as a bountyof gifts received—it is thisapproach to every day thatturns the garden-varietybeliever into a Christiansteward. “Gratitude . . . takesnothing for granted”; and so thethoughtful person cannot help butrespond to the countless gifts receivedin a “Pay It Forward” way, by becominghim- or herself the giver.

The dynamic of the giver and receiver brings us to the matter of relationship, forneither the giver nor the receiver can exist alone. Oikonomia is the Greek wordtranslated into English as stewardship. It is derived from oikos (“house” or“household” ) and nomia (“management”) and points not just to the reality thatGod is the ultimate authority and we are called to be steward-managers of God’sincomparable gifts but also to the fact that a steward is more than an overseer orservant. “Responsible Freedom,” a stewardship statement from the Church of theBrethren, is to the point:

A steward is part of the household community, sharing the bounty and

blessings with other members of the human family. A steward shares the

vision of the household. The best interests of the household are also the best

interests of the steward. The well-being of the community is also the well-

being of the steward. Stewards are accountable to each other. The needs

change, the tasks of the members of the body change, but all believe and

participate in the mission of the whole. Christ set the example of serving and

sharing. The steward seeks to share that example, to live it, and to preserve it.

So I return to where I began. It was the Episcopal Church that taught me to seestewardship as a way of life and to understand that the way in which I discharge my“stewardly” responsibilities is fundamentally a statement I make about myrelationship with God. And the rest has been an uphill journey.

On the good (and truly grateful ) days I am mindful that my relationship withGod begins with stewardship of my time—including time set aside for prayer andfor offering myself to a much-needed local ministry as well. On the good days Irecycle scrupulously (including those plastic bags [should I perchance use them]that you actually have to take back to the grocery store), I embrace a healthy lifestyle(simple, good foods, including especially local products, and [perhaps even] a tripto the gym), and I do not shop for “fun “ (even if the mail carrier has delivered that

very day a great coupon or catalog from a terrific place, and I recentlysaw a compelling TV commercial that spoke to my “need”).

On the good days, I e-mail my local and nationallegislators to let them know, honestly, what I think

Jesus would do. On the good days, I share myfaith in an intimate and meaningful way,

with an acquaintance or a treasuredfriend. On the good days, I reflect on

gift given to me in the person of Jesusof Nazareth. On the good days, I(re)consider my pledge to my homechurch in light of the uncountableblessings that I have received. . .

And on the bad days, well, . . .you know. I struggle, befuddled,exhausted, overwhelmed, doubtful,and yet aware that God calls me to

faithful stewardship, and that thatcalling is so honorable, so all-

encompassing, so magnificent that mymind boggles, and I know not where to begin.

Thanks be to God for the journey.

On stewardship as a theme in Scripture, see“Stewardship and Scripture” on page 23.

Stewardship bas ics . . .Relationship and a grateful heart

“[T]he grateful person knows thatGod is good, not by hearsay but by experience.

And that is what makes all the difference.”—Thomas Merton

“Stewardship, yes, but . . .”(Photo: Pam Steude)


Called to createBy the Rev. D. Jonathan Grieser

The issue of stewardship confronts thereader from the very first chapter ofGenesis. God creates human beings in theimage of God, gives them dominion overthe earth and the animals that have beencreated, and commands them to befruitful and multiply. When thinkingabout how human beings relate to theearth and to their possessions, attentionusually focuses on the question ofdominion, but it seems to me that there isa prior issue, a more important issuepresent in Genesis 1.

In the image of GodHuman beings are created in the image

of God. What does that mean? Well ofcourse, Jews and Christians, theologians

and biblical scholars have puzzled overthat for millennia and I could spin out anelaborate theological discourse on whatthe image of God has meant to differentpeople at different times. What do weknow about the image of God fromGenesis 1? To answer that question, wehave to think about what Genesis 1 tellsus about God. The most obvious, and themost important, thing about God inGenesis 1 is that God creates, and whatGod creates, God deems good, indeed,“very good.” It is as simple as that. In afew short verses, God creates order out ofchaos; God creates a world of bounty andbeauty, a world filled with a multiplicityof living things of every sort; living thingsthat have no particular purpose forexisting except that God decided to createthem, a universe given life by God’spleasure. In the middle of this creation, atits pinnacle, God placed human beings;

creating us in God’s image. What doesthat mean?

Given what else we know about Godfrom Genesis 1, it means that we, too, arecreative beings, created to bring life,goodness, and bounty to the world inwhich we live. Often stewardship, giving,is presented as our response to God’s loveof us. It certainly is. But if we take theimage of God seriously, then giving is notsimply part of our response to God; it iswho we are, it is our nature to be creative,giving beings.

About us . . . In the movie About Schmidt Jack

Nicholson plays Warren Schmidt, aretired insurance executive in Omaha,Nebraska. When he wakes up the dayafter his retirement party, he discovers hehas nothing to live for; his life has nomeaning. In fact, he realizes thateverything he had lived for wasmeaningless. His job could be performedby anyone, by the young schmuckbrought in to replace him. He realizes hedoesn’t really like his wife of 42 years; andhis only daughter is about to marry awaterbed salesman.

In the course of the movie his wife dies;he drives around the Midwest in thehumongous RV he and his wife hadbought; and he tries unsuccessfully to gethis daughter to back out of the plannedmarriage. Schmidt comes back home tohis big, empty house and we get theimpression that the rest of his life will be

like the two hours of the movie, waitingfor his death.

The only ray of hope, the only meaningthat he can find is that one evening, whileflipping through the cable offerings, hestops to watch an advertisement for anorganization seeking donations to helpThird World children. For some reason,Schmidt responds to the ad, sends off acheck every month, and writes letters tothe child he sponsors. When Schmidtcomes home from his daughter’s weddingand opens the mail, there is a letter fromthe little boy’s caretaker. Included in it isa drawing the boy had made, of an adult(perhaps Warren Schmidt?) holding thehand of a child. The movie ends there,with Schmidt’s eyes filling with tears.

Living into God’s imageNicholson’s is a brilliant, Academy

Award–winning performance in a mostlybleak film, depicting a meaningless life—joyless, lacking beauty and love. The oneray of hope the movie offers is thetenuous relationship between this manand this child, two people who have nevermet, but who are bonded by Schmidt’ssmall act of charity.

God has created us in God’s image, tobe creative, giving, loving beings and hascalled us to live into that image. How dowe do that? By taking God’s own activityas our example. We can live open,expansive lives, we can live into the imageof God in which we were created; we canbe gracious, as God is gracious.

That’s what brought Warren Schmidt totears. In that simple picture, he caught aglimpse of a life very different from theone he had been leading, a life full of loveand joy, a life of profound connectionwith other humans and with the world;and he suddenly regretted all the choicesalong the way that closed off such a lifeto him. When we give, we tap into God’sgiving. We share in God’s creative work;we open ourselves up to the image of Godin us; we become more than we are.

The Rev. D. Jonathan Grieser is atransitional deacon serving at St. James,Greenville.


4

WHAT’SIN THEWORD?

[W]e, too, are creative

beings, created to bring

life, goodness, and bounty

to the world in which we

live . . . .[I]f we take the

image of God seriously,

then . . . it is our nature

to be creative, giving

beings.

Stewardship Prayer

Lord God, you alone are the source of every good gift,of the vast array of our universe, and the mystery ofeach human life. We praise you and thank you for your great power and your tender, faithful love.

Everything we are and everything we have is your gift.After having created us, you have given us into the keeping of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Fill our minds with his truth and our hearts with hislove, that in his Spirit we may be bonded together in a community of faith, a church family, a caring people.

In the Name and Spirit of Jesus, we commit ourselvesto be good stewards of the gifts entrusted to us, toshare our time, our talent, and our material gifts as anoutward sign of the treasure we hold in Jesus.

Amen.


5—continued on page 23


“Summertime and the livin’ is easy…” Oh yah?!Every year about this time I begin to wonder: “Whostole my summer?” And this year is no different. WhenI think about it, I recognize that a lot of my feelingsrest with the memories of being a kid. Then, summermeant no school and heralded plenty of time to play.(Although, from my Mom’s perspective of having fourboys rumbling around all day, there might have beentoo much time!) But, of course, I am not a child now;I no longer go to school and have the summer off. Ihave, as you do, significant responsibilities to meet andmany things to do, to the extent that summertime’s“livin’” is not only not easy; it is, in fact, too much likethe rest of the year.

This leads me to think more carefully about timeand the way most of us use it, and I can’t avoid theconclusion that the way we employ time has becomean unacknowledged source of violence in our lives.

My life is not very different from the lives of thepeople I live and work with. Words like stress andoverwhelmed are as prevalent in ordinary conversationas are comments about the weather. Complaints aboutnot having enough time are seen as normal. It evengets to the extreme where many of us tend to feelguilty at those times when we are not stressed oroverwhelmed or out of time. Irrationally, we wonderwhat we may have forgotten to do—as if we are indanger of being slackers—further evidence of thedestructive pull when time becomes violent.

Calendar as gunAs I say, my own life provides more than enough

evidence for time’s violence; and over the years I havethought more about my own use of time, even as Iobserved and witnessed how others around me use andexperience it. I have concluded that in communitieslike the one in which I live and move and have mybeing, the source of violence is not guns but calendars.And as a priest of the Church and a rector of a parish

community, I feel compelled to confront such violentuses of time, especially as we consider what a faithfulresponse to such living might be.

What is God’s perspective on time? What does ahostile experience of time say about our sense ofpractical faith and spirituality? Moreover, what canfaithful people like us (who are clearly very much “inthe world”) do to be less “of” the way the worldworks, especially in terms of participating in time’sviolence?

I’d like briefly to address these questions mostly as areminder of what we already know: If God is “thesource of light and life,” then it stands to reason thatour lives will be richer, stronger, more healthy, if wepay attention to the Source. And paying attention toGod is the domain of prayer and spirituality in ourlives.

Showing upFor more than a dozen years, I have kept a

Benedictine spiritual discipline, both personally andwith a small community of people. On a personallevel, my day is punctuated with one 20-minute periodof time that is consciously dedicated to myrelationship with God. This time contains variations interms of what I do. It may be quiet time. It mayinvolve reading the lessons from the Daily Office. Italways involves some prayer, some reflection.

These personal efforts are augmented by meetingthree mornings a week with a local community ofpeople, which keeps the Morning Office together. Thistime, too, is only a matter of 20 or so minutes, and Ihave found that being surrounded by this group’scommitment—and its expectation that I attend—hashelped me stay steady, especially when my ownspiritual zeal flags.

As Woody Allen has said, “90 percent of life isshowing up.” Being present, in any relationship— butespecially our relationship with God (which is what“spirituality” is about)—is the issue at hand. Forshowing up, of course, takes time. And that’s the rub.When we feel as if we don’t have time, when ourobligations and responsibilities press in on us, we gointo a “survival mode” and start punching our “to do”list in a desperate hope of “getting out from under.”Except the list never disappears; it seems there isalways more to do—hence the source of our violence.

“. . . all the time there is”Joan Chittister, Benedictine nun and mentoring

author, tells the story of when she was just starting her

monastic vocation and came headlong into herproblem with time. With the sincerity of a true novice,she met with her Mother Superior in hopes of relievingher time-constrained burdens. The young Chittisteressentially said that there was not enough time for her,to which the wise superior retorted: “My dear, youhave all the time there is.”

What does time mean to God? Biblically speaking,time is God’s basic gift to us, and time’s importance ispunctuated by Sabbath time, holy time, when we arecalled to “rest” so that we can remember who we areand whose we are. For me, this is the heart ofspirituality. This is the heart of faithful, prayerful life.We are to remember God. It is—and must be—thatsimple.

This is not an ethereal pursuit. This does not requiregraduate degrees or special training. One does notneed guide books on the Desert Fathers and Mothersnor whatever recent versions emerge promising“Spirituality for Dummies.” Remembering God isprimary to having a relationship with God. So, whatdoes it take for people like us to “do this inremembrance of me”?

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. . . the way we employ time has

become an unacknowledged source

of violence in our lives.

By the Rev. Michael Bullock

Biblically speaking, time is God’s

basic gift to us, and time’s

importance is punctuated by

Sabbath time, holy time, when we

are called to “rest” so that we can

remember who we are and whose

we are.

©Andrzej Toraski


6


WW OO RR SS HH II PP

The stewardship of faith and relationship

A visiblewitness to themanagementof one’s time,abilities, andwealth,Christianworship is aresponsibilitythat comesfrom havingbeen baptizedinto thedeath andresurrectionof JesusChrist.

By the Rev. Canon George I. Chassey

The worship of God is the primary purpose of the Church. ATheological Word Book of the Bible, edited by Alan Richardson,

describes worship as follows: “the true service [worship] of God isadoring and obedient love to him, together with loving service ofone’s neighbor as God’s child.”

The focal point of Church life is the worship of the one who is thecreator, redeemer, and sanctifier of life. Worship is the fundamentalway in which the believer, as faithful steward of all that God hasgiven, responds to God’s love and to the gift of faith.

This was the way of life for the early Christians. “They devotedthemselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breakingof bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). This act of adoration isproclaimed at each Holy Eucharist: “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God ofpower and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosannain the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.”

Our principal obligationThe Episcopal Church holds worship as central to the life of those

who claim Christ crucified and raised from the grave. There is acanon setting worship as the principal obligation for those who areliving out their faith in this part of God’s Church. But before goingon, a few words about canons and canon law are in order.

In his book Canon Law—A Handbook, the Rev. David Stevickwrites: “Canon is from the Greek kanon which meant a cane or reed,which in ancient times was used as a measuring device. In time theword kanon came to designate any straight rod or bar. Eventuallythe word came to designate a norm. Canons seek to create andmaintain the conditions whereby life in the redeemedcommunity—with one’s fellow Christians and under God—can belived with responsibility and joy.” Canons define the norm in whichwe are to live together in thecommunity of faith.

“Canon law,” Stevick continues,is the body of regulation governingthe essential order and structure,the worship, the administrative,stewardly and disciplinary aspectsof church life.” This is what theChurch outlines in Title II, Canon1, “Of the Due Worship ofSundays”: “All persons within thisChurch shall celebrate and keep theLord’s Day, commonly calledSunday, by regular participation inthe public worship of the Church,by hearing the Word of God readand taught, and by other acts ofdevotion and works of charity,using all godly and soberconversation.”

Living in relationshipWorship is not for the benefit of God, but for the benefit and

welfare of the individual and for the common good for thecommunity. Worship focuses the individual on that which is greaterthan self, enriching the soul and placing heart and mind on God,the source of grace and truth. It is stewardship of our relationshipwith God, a primary means by which we can give ourselves whollyto our Creator through prayer and praise. Coming together on theLord’s Day with others who make up the Christian community, oneis open to having his or her very being shaped by God’s plumb line,Jesus Christ, the standard for righteousness, justice, mercy, and love.

A visible witness to the management of one’s time, abilities, andwealth, Christian worship is a responsibility that comes from havingbeen baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Byparticipation in public worship in the local church, one is caring forone’s soul and shaping an informed conscience. It is living inrelationship with the one who gives life now and life that is yet tobe. It is essential if we are to live in an ordered society—a societybeing shaped for the common good of all its people.

In the midst of World War II, the 98th archbishop of Canterbury,William Temple, in an address broadcast by the BBC in 1944 said:“The world will be saved from political chaos and collapse by onething only and that is worship.” The archbishop’s words are as truetoday as they were in 1944. Worship, regular attendance at HolyEucharist, is the path to the heart, mind, and soul being opened tothe holiness, the truth, and the love of God.

The Rev. Canon George I. Chassey, retired priest of the diocese, formercanon administrator, has served most recently as stewardship officer atSt. Martin’s-In-The-Fields, Columbia, and stewardship consultant toColumbia’s St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church.

Making work ship possible: Stewardship of the altar (photo: Suzanne Zoole)


7


By Deni Sibley

Stewardship is a word we have heard annually for so long that we seldomstop to think about its implications. The components of time, talent, and

treasure dominate our thoughts. Fall stewardship campaigns encourage usprayerfully and thoughtfully to review these three elements before filling outour pledge cards and time and talent surveys. The imperatives of raising boththe financial and human resources for a congregation can be so consumingthat the concept of stewardship becomes too narrowly defined; what we cangive and do for our congregation overshadows the larger question of why wedo it.

On the surface, the answer to that question would seem apparent. Withoutour contributions of time, talent, and treasure, there would be no teachers forSunday schools, no choirs, worship leaders, Eucharistic ministers, ushers, orgreeters for worship, and no money for salaries, programs, and maintenance.But on further consideration, stewardship has a much bigger purpose.

Making disciplesUltimately, the goal of our stewardship is the spreading of the kingdom of

God. We give to our congregations so that we can continue to do the workwith which Christ entrusted us—carrying out the Great Commission. This isthe foundation of stewardship, to go and make disciples of all nations. To putit bluntly, being a steward means being an evangelist.

As uncomfortable as the linking of stewardship and evangelism might be forus, it’s not as far fetched as it might appear at first glance. Psalm 24:1a tells us“The earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.” Therefore, everything we haveultimately belongs to God. As stewards, our responsibilities are to be managersand overseers of God’s property.

The Greek for steward, oikonomos, clearly shows us that the steward/overseeris someone who has been “entrusted” with the management and care of

property or a landed estate, andthe “property” with which we havebeen entrusted is the kingdom ofGod. We have a responsibility totake the kingdom of God out intothe world, so that others can beexposed to the grace of God andlove of Christ. Christ has entrustedyou and me with the care andgrowth of his kingdom. It’s notsurprising that the Greek forsteward also means, by extension,to be a preacher of the gospel. AsBishop Henderson has remindedus, “There is no Plan B.” The vowsfirst spoken for us at our baptism,and later restated by us at ourconfirmation, remind us of ourresponsibility: “Will you proclaimby word and example the GoodNews of God in Christ?” In otherwords, “Will you be a steward ofthe kingdom of God?”

As members of a Church where the Decade of Evangelism passed as merelya blip on the radar, being an evangelist is an unsettling thought. But as withgood stewardship of time, talent, and treasure, kingdom stewardship shouldnot be something we “do,” but rather a response to the grace given us by Godin Christ, a natural outpouring of our appreciation—a way of life, day to day.Our lives should be a thank-you note to God.. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians4:1 “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards ofthe mysteries of God,” and in 1 Peter 4:10, we are told that we should be“good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

Kingdom stewardsBut how do we do this? How do we make kingdom stewardship a way of

life? The Greek gives us key. Oikos, the root for oikonomos, or stewardship,means household. However in Greek times, the household not only meantimmediate family, but also included servants, servants’ families, friends, andbusiness associates. By extension, oikos meant one’s sphere of influence. TheOikos Principle describes the manner in which the early Church grew: peoplepracticed kingdom stewardship within their sphere of influence—family,friends, and work associates. It was a way of life, and natural, proclaiming “byword and example the Good News of God in Christ” within their normal,everyday environments.

Statistics support this as a way that we can practice kingdom stewardshiptoday. In their book The Master’s Plan for Making Disciples (1997), Win andCharles Arn describe a study by the Institute of American Church Growth inwhich more than 14,000 people were surveyed on how they becameChristians. These people were asked, “What or who was responsible for youcoming to Christ and your church?” There were eight possible responses:special need, walk-in, pastor, visitation, Sunday school, evangelistic crusade,church program, or friend/relative. Seventy-five to 90 percent responded“friend/relative”— the Oikos Principle at work.

Make a friend, be a friend . . . The Cursillo movement, whose goal is to bring the world to Christ, teaches

us that Oikos Principle: “make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.”What a relief it was to learn that we weren’t expected to “pick a street corner,harangue complete strangers, drag one to church.” Don’t we all have someonewithin our oikos whose life would be richer knowing the love of Christ?Kingdom stewardship is one of those beatitudinal paradoxes—as stewards, weare to care and manage the property. But as stewards of the Kingdom of God,the appropriate care and management is to give away pieces of the kingdom.And as a result of giving it away, the kingdom spreads and becomes larger.Stewardship of the kingdom becomes an action of augmented returns!

The season for stewardship campaigns will soon be upon us. We must bemindful that our calling to live out our Baptismal Covenant goes well beyondmere pledging of money. Not only are we to care for and love one another, butwe have covenanted to do our part to spread the gospel to those in our liveswho need to hear the Word. The Oikos Principle gives us a clear method bywhich we too can contribute to the Kingdom. Pledging time, talent, andtreasure may be something we consider on an annual basis, but the world’sneed for Christ is ongoing. In order to be true stewards not only of ourcongregations, but of the Body of Christ as well, we must rededicate ourselvesto do our part in bringing the world to Christ.

Deni Sibley is a member of Grace Church, Camden.

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Living the Oikos Principle...

[T]he‘property’withwhich wehave beenentrustedis thekingdomof God....

To put itbluntly,being astewardmeansbeing anevangelist.

Photo: Pam Steude


8


Stewardship of the WordTrinity, Abbeville, forum engages the Word firsthand

By Peter Trenholm

Lots of churches in the diocese have adult Sunday school classes. Trinity Church, Abbeville, hasan Adult Forum, if you please.

The difference is genuine and twofold: content and format. Rather than use a set curriculum,with text books, lesson plans, and a progression of perceived difficulty, we wander where we choose,following a path that is conducive to a somewhat “fluid” or indefinite congregation of students.Around a hearty band of regulars, there is a free flow of “students” who attend the forum as isconvenient and appealing. It is a “forum” in the ancient meaning of that word, discussion in an opensession, with a moderator who tries to keep the focus on the subject at hand, rather than on upcomingcovered-dish luncheons.The curriculum is chosen by forum participants and is purposely as varied aswe can manage to make it.

In the years since our Sunday school segued into a forum, we have covered a lot of Churchterritory, including all the Gospels, except Mark, (whose turn must be coming), the Book of Acts,Revelation (which brought us several visiting members from other Abbeville churches), the Articles ofReligion, and the Catechism, and, most recently, Lost Scriptures—books that didn’t make the canon ofthe New Testament (such as The Gospel of the Ebionites; The Second Treatise of the Great Seth; TheInfancy Gospel of Thomas; The Acts of Thecla; The Didache; and The Apocalypse of Paul). In the latterexercise, each forum participant selected one of the writings and gave an oral report; the “contest”centering on who chose the most unusual or bizarre “lost scripture”—and some of them are weirdlygnostic.

During Lent 2005 our focus was on the Book of Psalms, which we analyzed and classified bypurpose and literary style. At the end of our study, we wrote “Psalm 151,” each member of the forumcontributing a verse or two. It was read at service the Second Sunday of Easter and is reproduced herefor your enjoyment and edification. Sounds pretty authentic, we think.

Now that summer break is over, we have the taken on the Book of Daniel. We are hopeful thatsome of our Revelation visitors will come back for another dose of Old Testament apocalypse.

Peter Trenholm is moderator for the Trinity, Abbeville, adult forum.

I love the Lord because he hears my supplication.

When I cry for help, the Lord hears my voice.

Trouble and turmoil follow me daily.But the Lord is my refuge and my stronghold.

As often as I have said, “My foot has slipped And the skeins of death ensnare me,”

The Lord stretches forth his handAnd saves me from the fury of my enemies.

Trouble and turmoil follow me daily, But the Lord inclines his ear to me.

I shall not fear any dagger by nightNor dread the arrow that flies swift in the

daylight.

The Lord spares the innocent and cares for the merciful.

The Lord is gracious, slow to anger and full of compassion.

He hears the cry of those in misery, of those trapped in distress

And gives the righteous the courage to do His will.

From whence cometh my help? My help is in the Lord,

Who made both Heaven and earth.

The Heavens declare the glory of the Lord,And the beauty of the pastures testify to His

handiwork.

The nations You made shall come and bow down,

They will put their trust in you, their God.

Let me walk with You, Lord, and feel alive in your land.

Among all the gods there is none like You.

I shall try to repay my Lord For all the blessings he has bestowed on me.

Let those who love the Lord sing praises to His Name.

Let my soul rejoice as I go to my rest.

For I have been rescued from the bonds of death,

My eyes saved from tears and my feet from stumbling.

O Lord, I am your servant, the child of Your handmaid;

I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of the nations.

In the courts of His temple, I will offer sacrifice.

In the midst of Jerusalem, I will call upon the Name of the Lord.

By Duncan C. Ely

Not all who wander are lost. —J. R. R. Tolkien

Wandering into stewardshipWe must not only give what we have; we must also give what we are.

—Desire Mercier

Stewardship gets a bad rap! Whenever most of us hear the word, wethink, “Oh, no! They’re asking for more money again!” That’sbecause—let’s face it—we don’t really have a very broad understandingof what stewardship means.

After years of wandering around grappling with the concept ofstewardship, I have come to an understanding that makes sense to me:Christian stewardship is a way of living: we are grateful for God’sgenerosity to us, so we respond by sharing ourselves and our gifts asgenerously as we can for God’s kingdom. We start sharing our livesand who we are—our faith, our time, our recreation, our education,our professional work, our interests and hobbies, our environment,our beliefs, our skills and talents, our love, our relationships, ourprayers—to build up God’s kingdom and to make our world a betterplace.

Our gut response to open our wallets is easier, but certainly not asmuch fun as opening our lives. I started my stewardship years ago bygiving money, and I wandered into a broader way of living Christianstewardship almost accidentally. I couldn’t afford to give as muchmoney as I really wanted to, so I started volunteering. Since I couldn’tafford to contribute enough money to help pay a contractor toupgrade a playground to meet code, I recruited some friends and werebuilt the playground equipment ourselves. A church vestry washaving a hard time and couldn’t afford to hire a consultant, so Ivolunteered my time and abilities as a professional nonprofit executiveand board trainer.

Volunteering my time and talents steamrolled. I knew people of allages, backgrounds, and circumstances who needed help with cleaning,clothing, counseling, gardening, history, genealogy, historicpreservation, learning English as a second language, management,mentoring, painting, yard work—you name it—and I started sharingmy education, my experience, my life. I belong to groups that make adifference by building Habitat houses, rehabbing houses, cleaning upneighborhoods, lobbying for environmental legislation, writing forCrosswalk, even building an Episcopal church! I meet people, talkabout God, have fun, make a positive difference.

What began as volunteerism, ended up as stewardship. My growingedge is moving from volunteerism to stewardship and consciouslydedicating my gifts of time and talent to God. An unknown authorwrote, “When we serve others, we are imitating Jesus. We advancefrom volunteer to steward when we consciously choose to dedicate aportion of our time, talent, and treasure to the Lord, as a token ofgratitude for all He has given to us.” Sure . . . I still give money.But that’s only part of stewardship.

God, you have given us gifts to share in building up your kingdom.

Inspire us to dedicate them to you and use them in service of our

church, our community, and our world. And help us grow in our

understanding of our gifts and of our stewardship of them. Amen.

Wa n d e r i n

g s

PSALM 151

Offered by the Trinity, Abbeville, adult forum


9


Whose money is it?Stewardship and service

By the Rev. Deacon Steve McDonald

Ibelieve that the Episcopal Church can be an effective tool for dealing withmany of the problems in the Upstate and beyond. I believe that many of

the people who could be served by Episcopal programs will suffer if we do notsupport our churches and our diocese. I do not believe that the poor shouldsuffer because we do not always agree with each other. I do not believe that ourchildren or our elders should suffer because we do not always agree. Ourdiocesan programs suffer when we do not fund them, which means God’schildren suffer as a consequence of our stewardship of resources. Service toothers—acts of ministry such as feeding the hungry, caring for homeless andothers who are marginalized—is, in a very real way, stewardship of life.

Changing livesI have spent the last 16 years working at United Ministries in Greenville to

make a difference in the lives of the poor in our diocese. I have been blessedthat most of the support for the nonprofit where I work comes from thechurches in Greenville County. Over 100 churches from more than 20denominations pool their money to support the programs at UnitedMinistries. With this support we are able to effect change in the lives of thosewho receive and those who give.

Like the churches in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, the churches inGreenville do not always agree with each other. They do not all support thesame causes or even share the same theology. Some churches love our programsas they are, while others wish we would add programs directed at differentissues. I try to listen to them all. Some I can help, while others go awayunsatisfied. But they still send their monthly checks because they believe thatUnited Ministries is an effective tool for helping the poor. The people in thesechurches still fuss and fight. They try to win each other over to a particular wayof thinking or believing and sometimes these arguments can be cruel orharmful but the money still comes in. The money still comes in because thepoor and the sick are still with us. Children still need to be protected andeducated. The homeless still need to be fed, housed, and given medicalattention.

Whose money is it?Local, county, and diocesan programs need to be funded, not because

we agree with our church, priest, or bishop. Whether our vestry votes the waywe want them to has nothing to do with whether or not a child is given achance to live. Besides the money really does not belong to us in the first place.

Read the quotation at the beginning of this article. If I believe whatC. S. Lewis says about everything belonging to God (and I do), then I mustbelieve that God has allowed me access to certain of God’s most precious

possessions for a reason. I must believe that God has allowed me to come toknow and love many of the world’s poor, deprived, despised, and depletedpeople. The mentally ill living under bridges, the addicts living without hopeof a future, the poor who have never known much of our society’s riches haveall shown me that our gifts of tolerance, grace, and, yes, money, are comingout of the purse carried by the “Good Samaritan.” The last touch of kinshipexperienced by a dying patient in a nursing home is simply our hand beingguided by the same spirit that healed the leper. The molested young childweeps in the same arms of the man who said “Let the little children come tome.”

Precious giftsThe theology of stewardship calls us to service as part of a life of

discipleship. The financial reality of stewardship is that there is a structure orsystem that has to be supported. Without support that structure collapses orthe system fails. The structure is the Church. The system consists of theprograms of the diocese. The diocesan programs are designed to help God’speople. If we decide that those programs don’t need to function, then shutthem down. However, if we decide that those programs are worthy of theirpurpose, they must be funded.

I believe C. S. Lewis. I believe that everything we have belongs toGod. I believe that God’s most precious gift to us is each other. There are otherprecious gifts waiting to meet us. Many of them need our help. Let us embracethem with our time, talents, love, and, yes, money.

Deacon Steve McDonald, who serves at St. Andrew’s, Greenville, is the LearningCenter Administrator for United Ministries. Bishop Henderson has recentlyappointed him diocesan canon to the poor.

“Every faculty you have, every power of thinking or moving your limbsfrom moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment ofyour whole life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything thatwas not in a sense His own already. So I will tell you what it is really like. It islike a small child going to its father and saying, “Daddy, give me sixpence to buyyou a birthday present.” Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with thechild’s present. It is all very proper, but only an idiot would think that the fatheris sixpence to the good on the transaction.”

—C. S. Lewis

[W]hen was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger ornaked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?

—Matthew 25:44Photo © David Freund


10


Throughout most of human history people haveembraced their close affinity to the plants,

animals, and water around them. But since theReformation and the Enlightenment, humanity, at leastin the western world, has grown apart from the essenceof human existence. Now in the first decade of the 21st

century more and more of members of society realizethat we need to be better stewards of God’s creation—the Earth.

As human ingenuity developed machines and newways of harnessing the Earth’s resources, people losttouch with the environments around them. Suchalienation has led to the severe pollution of our air andwater, to mention just two important resources. Now asa nation, faced with the devastation wrought by recenthurricanes, we are asking complex questions about ourrelationship to the environment with a renewed sense ofurgency and alarm. We have for the most part tried toaddress our own assault on our environment throughgovernment reguatlions to redress the over-explotationof our dwindling resrources. But regulations are onlypart of the answer—a very small part of the answer forthose of us who are Christians. It is through our actionsat the local community and church levels that truestewardship must be fostered.

In the Episcopal Church, the environmentalmovement is growing and gathering force, as,increasingly, Episcopalians have come to understandthat care for the environment is part and parcel of theirfaith, at the very heart of giving thanks for all we havereceived. Among recent Church efforts is A Catechism of

Creation: An Episcopal Understanding, recently

released by The Episcopal Science, Technology andFaith Committee of ECUSA’s Executive Council.Organized in question-and answer format, part oneaddresses the Bible’s basic doctrine of creation; parttwo describes the modern scientific worldview; and partthree presents the biblical roots and theology ofenvironmental care. Also of interest is A Guide toEnvironmental Stewardship for Individuals,Congregations and Dioceses, “starter kit” jointlyproduced by the Episcopal Ecological Network and theMinnesota Episcopal Environmental StewardshipCommission. See page 22 for more information onobtaining these resources.

Last summer I attended a national conference thatincluded denominations from North America andbeyond that want to build community appreciation forair, water, plants, and animals by fostering it at thelocal-church level. From the conference we learned thatthere are many ways to become better stewards of theEarth. Not only is it important to encourageconservation of water and energy, but we also must giveassistance to needy folks, those most affected by ourenvironmental carelessness, who cannot advocate fortheir own needs, whether in our local communities orin Haiti, where our diocese has long been in mission,and beyond. Environmental stewardship and socialjustice go hand and hand.

We in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina haveslowly worked toward a better understanding ofenvironmental stewardship, writing a creation liturgythat can be used in Sunday services during Pentecost II, providing meals for the needy in local congregations

and support for transitional housing, in facilities such asSt. Lawrence Place in Columbia.

These and other tasks are important, but there is much more to be done. We must, in fact, rethink our own daily lives—what we eat, how we get from one place to another, and how we care for our lawns and gardens—to mention just a few things. It’s hard for usto change long-established ways, but our ancestors didit and we can do it now.

Perhaps one of the hardest to change is our mode oftransportation. But in order to reduce our consumptionof oil, and especially reduce our polluting of the airfrom our personal vehicles, we need to rethink what wewant when we purchase a new car. Instead of a big SUV,think of a smaller car that gets better gas mileage andsends less pollution into the air. This is only oneexample of the hard choices we have before us butreflection and prayer can help guide us toward betterchoices that will improve our stewardship of God’sCreation.


On being faithful stewards of God’s creationLoLovve ye your mother . our mother . . . . .

“Our relationship to creation reveals the

disposition of our souls and says a

tremendous amount about whether we are

children of light or children of darkness.”

—Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold III

To choose a fuel-effecient, low-pollutingcar as my next vehicle.

To use recycled paper.

To recycle everything that can be recycled.

To buy more of the things that help theenvironment (e.g. water-saving faucets)

To take reusable cloth bags to the grocerystore.

To turn off the water while brushing myteeth, soaping the dishes, etc.

To use environmentally friendly cleaningproducts.Whenever practical to walk or ride mybike instead of driving in my car.

To purchase local produce whenever possib1e.

To use organic, shade-grown, fair-trade coffee.

To plant a vegetable garden next spring.

To refrain from using chemicalfertilizers and pesticides.

To refrain from impulse buying.

To write my legislators, encouragingsupport for earth-friendly legislationand for ending reliance on foreign oil by supporting alternatives to oil use.

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By Fritz Hamer

86245_Crosswalk.qxp 10/14/2005 2:57 PM Page 11

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By Pam Steude

“ [S]tewardship is a life lived in response to

Our Lord and his goodness.’’

—The Rev. Charles M. Davis, Sr.

When most Episcopalians of a certain age think ofstewardship, they think of “Time, Talent, and

Treasure”—a phrase used for many years to sell the ideaof a balanced commitment to God and the Churchthrough what we give back from what we have beengiven. Unfortunately in many cases, the word stewardshiphas come to have a negative connotation for many for theways it has been used and abused over the years.

“Part of the problem,” according to Thom Neal,Columbia attorney and chair of the DiocesanStewardship Committee, “is that we’ve got to reclaim theword stewardship. For so many years when we think ofstewardship we think of the October ‘beg-a-thon.’ We’vegot to transform our understanding into somethingelse.”

Neal, a member of St. John’s, Congaree, recently tookover the chair of Stewardship Committee from the Rev.Charles Davis, Sr., who had served since the late 1990s.Neal with a group of eight consultants went through aweekend of formal training in January sponsored by thediocese, with speakers and trainers from outside UpperSouth Carolina. The training helped the participants geta different, much more comprehensive focus onstewardship.

It’s all in the checkbook“The problem is that people focus solely on the

fundraising aspects of stewardship. If you can get peopleplugged into the mission of a congregation, into thevision of a congregation, the dollars will follow. Part ofthe trick is to get people invested in what’s going on in agiven church; then they are going to want to support it,”says Neal. “You can look at their checkbooks and seewhere their hearts are. So you just have to get their heartsfocused.”

The diocesan stewardship consultants are excited andready to go into congregations and help in manydifferent ways. When the consultants are contacted, thefirst thing they do is meet with the core leadership andget a feel for who and where the congregation is andwhat’s going on. Because every congregation is different,there is no one-size-fits-all approach in stewardshipconsulting.

Depending on what the congregation requests, one ofthe first things a consultant will do is to ask thecongregation to write a stewardship statement, verymuch like a mission statement. In this statement, theleadership of the church focuses on vision and on thosethings to which they are committed, and then invites allthe members to join them in that commitment.

Making a statementThe stewardship statement has to be something that all

members of the vestry, stewardship committee, andclergy can sign off on. After it is developed, mostcongregations sign the statement and post it somewherein the church as a reminder of what the congregation hasvowed to support.

“I think for people to plug into the stewardshipstatement,” says Neal, “they must see effectivecommunity outreach and community action. If peoplereally feel that the church is doing something real andproductive, not just the ‘smells and bells,’ they’re willingto support it.”

The consultants can simply work with the vestry andchurch leadership and the stewardship committee or gofrom there to offering a presentation for the wholecongregation. For example, if a church is struggling withgenerational issues, the consultants can present aprogram that breaks out each generation represented inthe church—GenXers, Baby Boomers, and so on— tosee how differently each generation looks at things. Inshort, the consultants tailor their program to fit theneeds of a particular congregation, although Nealbelieves the most effective way to use the consultants isto train congregational leadership to get them engaged.The consultants do charge a nominal fee for theirservices.

People firstBreaking down church membership into categories and

percentages can help the leadership focus on where theycan really make a difference in their congregation. Theway resources are directed can really change lives. Forexample, says Neal, “You may have a large group in themiddle who are not in leadership roles but may bewaiting to be asked or to be engaged in some fashion.Focus on that middle group that wants to be engaged,and change will happen.”

Stewardship and evangelism run hand in hand, whichmeans that congregations need to be more intentionalabout including newcomers and inviting people in. Nealsays, “Up until now, we have looked at churchmembership almost as if people were patrons orcustomers, but I think we’ve got to make them partnersinstead. It takes a lot of work to do that but I see a lot ofchurches doing a lot of good things.”

“For so many years when we think of

stewardship we think of the October

‘beg-a-thon.’ We’ve got to transform our

understanding into something else.”

Getting out of the rutForty people from the Diocese of Upper South

Carolina attended the National TENS (The EpiscopalNetwork for Stewardship) conference held in Charlottein June 2005. As a member of TENS, our diocese paysan annual fee and receives a myriad of materials,resources, and ideas for stewardship campaigns andprograms, which they in turn can pass along to theindividual parishes within their diocese. TENS on theWeb (http://tens.org/) offers a variety of free resourcesand useful links.

The stewardship consultants and Diocesan StewardshipCommittee are excited about their skills and lookforward to helping congregations better understand whatstewardship means and how to get out of the stewardshiprut and meet their own stewardship needs.

According to former Diocesan Stewardship ChairDavis, “The goal of stewardship is to get people’s heartsand souls in the place where they can respond to Godand other people in thanksgiving for all the goodness andgrace we have received. Simply, stewardship is a life livedin response to Our Lord and his goodness.”

Pam Steude, former editor of Crosswalk, is a member of St.Francis of Assisi, Chapin.

D i o c e s a n c o n s u l t a n t s f o c u s o n . . .

People and grateful h e a r t s

Stewardship Consultants

The Rev. Charles M. Davis, Sr.

[email protected]

The Rev. Rob Hartley

[email protected]

Mr. Bill Head

[email protected]

Mr. Blount Shepherd

[email protected]

Mr. Chris Smith

[email protected]

Mr. Albert Reynolds

[email protected]

Mr. Thom Neal

Ms. Betsy Neal

[email protected]


12


By Duncan C. Ely

Bearing one another’s burdens and sharing one another’s sufferingis integral to being members of Christ’s body.

—Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold III

Radically reconsider your understanding of biblical stewardship. See it as being compelledto make a difference by faithfully developing and using all your gifts—not only by

giving money on Stewardship Sunday or volunteering once a week at the local soup kitchen.The biblical concept of stewardship really means sharing your life—your abilities, gifts andtalents, your faith, your home, your intelligence, your love, your money, your passions, yourtime—everything—to make as big a difference as you can. Stewardship can and should beabout having such an impact by redistributing resources and about social justice (notpolitics!). The goal is for all the world’s people to have the opportunity to become thepeople God intends them to be.

The Diocese of Upper South Carolina has modeled this understanding of stewardship inHaiti. Parishioners and clergy have not just given money, but have gone on trips, designedand built a water system, built schools and helped train teachers, taught sewing and othercrafts, started an agricultural program, held fundraisers and partnered with other groups.

Loren Corey Eiseley (1907–1977) wrote an essay, “The Star Thrower,” in 1949 aboutmaking just such a difference. The characters in the story include starfish collectors whoharvest live starfish to kill them and sell them as shells, a man who makes a difference bysaving stranded starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean, and a narratorwhose life is changed from one who thinks he can’t make much of a difference to one whobecomes a thrower himself.

In a pool of sand and silt a starfish had thrust its arms up stiffly and was holding its body away from thestifling mud.

“It’s still alive,” I ventured. “Yes,” he said, and with a quick yet gentle movement he picked up the star

and spun it over my head and far out into the sea. It sank in a burst of spume, and the waters roared once more.

“It may live,” he said, “if the offshore pull is strong enough.” He spoke gently, and across his bronzed worn face the light still came and went in subtly altering colors.

“There are not many come this far,” I said, groping in a sudden embarrassment for words. “Do you collect?”

“Only like this,” he said softly, gesturing amidst the wreckage of the shore. “And only for the living.” He stooped again, oblivious of my curiosity, and skipped another star neatly across the water.

“The stars,” he said, “throw well. One can help them.” He looked full at me with a faint question kindling in his eyes, which seemed to take on the far depths of

the sea.

Our companion-diocese relationship with the Episcopal church of Cange in central Haitiaptly illustrates the power of stewardship in our world today. Over 25 years ago, the Rt. Rev.William A. Beckham, sixth bishop of Upper South Carolina, understood the moral obligationof stewardship when he instigated and led Upper South Carolina’s long-term commitment tothe poor in one of the world’s poorest and most dysfunctional countries—a nationenvironmentally, physically, and spiritually destroyed by greed, brutal politics, racism, andwar. During the last quarter of a century thousands of Upper South Carolinians of all ages andbackgrounds have spent countless hours at home as well as made well over 200 medical andother mission trips as stewards of their time, treasure, and talent to make a difference.

Reconsidering stewardship . . .

A look at our mission


13


Today Cange is a center of education and healthservices, enthusiasm and hope—a center from

which other efforts are already making a difference insurrounding areas. Our stewardship thus far has resultedin true modern-day miracles: an extensive free turbine-powered potable water system serves almost 5,000people; primary and secondary schools educate morethan 1,200 students with the best national test grades inHaiti; a medical complex provides a dental clinic andother comprehensive health care services; a crafts andsewing center trains people and makes goods for sale; andan agricultural initiative has produced a banana farm andstarted crops from seed of such vegetables as beets,cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, eggplant, leeks, pimentos,spinach, radish, and Swiss chard; and a foundation isbuilding up a permanent fund to finance special projects.Such broad stewardship has been hugely successfulbecause it has focused on helping Haitians helpthemselves—a powerful example of Lao Tzu’s, “Give aman a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how tofish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

As impressive as all of these miracles are, there is stilla lot of work to be done. In the planning stages areexpanding agricultural, church, educational, and medicalfacilities and adding new buildings and programs,broadening curricula, training teachers, and establishingpartnerships with other groups.

Partnerships with organizations such as Partners inHealth have played an important role in our work inHaiti. Partners leverage resources, provide much neededsupport, and broaden the scope of help we can provide.Perhaps one of the most potentially powerful projectsnow under way is “Adopt a Village,” which is impactingearly childhood education, teacher certification, in-service training, and vocational education programs. Theconcept is simple: partner Upper South Carolina andother congregations with each of the Episcopal missionvillages in the Cange area. Anyone—people,congregations, convocations, and other groups—can gettogether to practice excellent biblical stewardship byadopting a village. The goal is to involve as many peopleas possible in a hands-on relationship with our fellowEpiscopalians in Haiti. The missions vary in theirgeography, population, facilities, and needs. But they allhave something in common: people in need, peoplehungry to learn.

Four congregations in Anderson and Clemson havealready adopted the mission in Christ Roi and areplanning a youth mission trip to carry supplies inbackpacks on a six-hour hike to the remote school ofBlois Joi. Congregations in the Gravatt Convocationhave adopted the mission in Blanchard. They are raisingfunds to build a school and also are planning a missiontrip. Trinity Cathedral has adopted the mission in the

village of Morne Michel. St. John’s, Columbia, hasadopted the mission in Chapoteau Village and isorganizing sister churches to collaborate.

You get the idea! “Adopt a Village” draws on themany unique abilities and skills of everyone—and needseveryone—because the needs are so great and theopportunities to make a difference are so great.

Eiseley writes:

I picked and flung another star. Perhaps far outward on therim of space a genuine star was similarly seized and flung.I could feel the movement in my body. It was like asowing — the sowing of life on an infinitely gigantic scale. Ilooked back across my shoulder. Small and dark against thereceding rainbow, the star thrower stooped and flung oncemore. I never looked again. The task we had assumed wastoo immense for gazing. I flung and flung again while allabout us roared the insatiable waters of death.

If we could capture even half of the energy that the2003 General Convention generated and put it intostewardship, our world would be a vastly better place.Think about it! Considering stewardship as a lifestylerather than as a specific time to write a check opens up awhole new world. If we understand that everything wehave is a gift from God, then we have to respond bysharing those gifts—time, treasure, and talent—withothers. This kind of stewardship is already transformingthe world in Haiti. Some people think they live in aworld of their own, isolated and protected by money,neighborhood, people like them. But wise peopleunderstand that we would all be better off if everyoneunderstood we’re all in this world together as God’speople. We don’t have to give all of our abundance away.We only need to share it. The challenge is not just tospend an hour or two a week helping others lessfortunate and then go back into our own worlds. Theidea is to more fully integrate our own lives and the livesof others so we can redistribute what God has given us insuch a powerful way that we change lives. It is noaccident that our diocesan vision is One Body + OneMission + Changing Lives. Think about the miracle ofthe loaves and the fishes. Wasn’t part of the miracle theabundant sharing of everyone present for the commongood?

A first reaction to this fuller idea of stewardshipmight be that there is so much need in the world that Iam just one person and I can’t make much of adifference. But remember the Eiseley’s essay about thethrower. Reconsider your stewardship. Think about thedifference we are making in Haiti. Pray. Join. Help.

Duncan C. Ely is a member of St. Philip’s, Greenville.

in Haiti...Anyone—people, congregations,

convocations, and other groups—canget together to practice excellent

biblical stewardship by adopting avillage [in the Cange area].

Think about the difference we are making in Haiti.

Pray. Join. Help. Photos on this page: Pam Steude


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EYE 2005, Happening “Uno” highlightUpper SC summerBy the Rev. Sue von Rautenkranz

Every three years, our Church holds a national event foryoung people called EYE—the Episcopal Youth Event.

This year young people from all over the United States andCentral and South America gathered for five days offellowship, learning, and worship. “Can You Catch the SpiritOff the Beaten Path?” was the theme for this EYE, as wegathered on the campus of Berea College in Berea, KY—morethan 1,400 youth and adult sponsors. More than 50 bishopsattended, including Bishop Henderson. Our Upper SC grouptotaled 15, representing many of our congregations as well asour Youth Commission.

While there were many serious workshops offered thisyear, it seems that the two most popular ones were knitting

and dorky dancing. Look for the dorky dancing workshop at upcoming diocesanyouth events, and get ready to receive some different-looking Christmas presents this year.

(I’ve already received a knitted bookmark!) Each day there were new knitters amongus, including many young men and a few bishops! Another highlight of the weekwas the Cultural Carnival, an event that has grown over the years to an amazingdisplay of cultural oddities and celebrations. This year the Diocese of Marylandtopped the experience by bringing live blue crabs for people to “catch.”

Youth Ministry is alive and well in the Episcopal Church and there are amazingyoung people who are gifted leaders sharing their love of God and this Church!

—continued at top of next page

I loved meeting the youth from everywhere—from

Hawaii to Maine. The cross-cultural fair was fun

when we got to walk from booth to booth and see

what every state is known for. Bishop Michael Curry

from North Carolina was a great speaker. I could have

listened to him all day.

—Michael Petry, St. Bartholomew’s, N. Augusta

( Y O U T H & Y O U N G A D U L T S )BELOW!

20BELOW!

Youth share talent and treasure beyond Upper SC

Being at EYE was a truly

wonderful experience. I don’t

think I’ve ever felt so welcome

to be open about faith,

especially being around so

many people! EYE was an

amazing experience. The very

first Eucharist was really

awesome! I loved the way our

preacher not only connected

with us but was extremely

emotionally involved in his

sermon. EYE was just an

overall great experience.

—Katie Reilly, St.David’s,Columbia Upper SC at EYE, with Bishop Henderson (back row left) and Presiding Bishop Griswold (back row center).Photo courtesy of Ministries with Young People, Episcopal Church Center


15


Happening UNOWhat a gift this weekend was to me and the others from our diocese who shared this program with the youth leaders

from El Rio in Quito, Ecuador. My heart was so full by their witness to us of their faith and ministry, that I believewe received so much more from our new friends then we could ever have given to them. Cameron Graham, whoserves as a missionary in the Diocese of Central Ecuador and is sponsored by many in our diocese, brought her teamof youth leaders for a two-week experience that included our sharing of the Happening program. The weekend beganas a dream about nine months ago when I received an e-mail from Cameron that simply said, “So, what do you thinkabout getting Happening started in Ecuador?” There were many speed bumps, but we were too excited by thepossibility of the weekend to let anything get in our way. The weekend itself had a major barrier, a language barrier,that is. Our team didn’t speak Spanish and our candidates didn’t speak English, so every word was translated, bothways! The next part of the dream is to take a group of youth and adults to Ecuador next summer, so that they mighthave their first Happening weekend there. We know from our experiences this summer that dreams and hopes canbecome realities when we let God take the lead.

—Deacon Sue von Rautenkranz is diocesan canon for youth ministry.

By the Rev. Canon Phil Purser

“Faith is caught and not taught” are the words of John Westerhoff, a Christianeducator. When it is about children and stewardship, there is both “catching” and“training.” Parents, godparents, grandparents, teachers, and other adults share withchildren what they themselves have or have not experienced, practiced, and learnedabout stewardship.

In the beginning of the formational experiences for children and stewardship,adults need to ask their own questions. From whom have I received the gifts of life forwhich I am responsible? What does it mean for me to care for all that has been givento me? How do I share gifts with others who are part of my community and thoseoutside of my community? These questions become a foundation for “teaching ourchildren” about the blessings of being stewards. They also help us learn to formquestions for our children, helping them learn from their experiences.

A young woman in her early thirties was talking about her giving to theChurch and the importance of her tithing, giving ten percent of what she had to give.She said when she was six years old, her parents, the first teachers, told her about theirfaith in God and how they had decided that God would be a part of their life throughtheir giving. She was taught that ten percent of what she was given was first to go toChurch—God calls us first to love God. Sharing what is important to us with God isone of the ways we can love God. Ten percent went to savings—we live for today, butalso plan for tomorrow. The remaining 80 percent was for her to spend in whatever

way she thought she should spend it, remembering that she could always put more insavings and give more to the Church. It was that experience that “formed” her andshaped what kind of steward she would be as an adult.

Stewardship, of course, is about so much more than the management offunds. We’re really talking about “catching” a lifestyle. Recently at a stewardshipgathering, I heard another young person, this time a young man, recount a childhoodstory. He and a sibling accompanied their parents to deliver the Christmas basket fromchurch to a family very much in need. Upon leaving the parents asked them what theyhad seen and heard, what they had learned about themselves, and what they hadlearned about others. This act of stewardship became a “teachable moment” aboutunderstanding identity—“we are not poor and we are not rich”— and about thepresence of Christ is in all persons—“just because your clothes are old does not meanthat God loves you any less.”

These children “caught” by being “taught” by adults who were intentionalstewards. What children see adults do and hear them say about stewardship in everysense of the word is forming their own stewardship practices and their faith for alifetime. What would you like to have the children you know see and hear aboutstewardship? What have children special to you “caught” you doing or not doing aboutstewardship? What do you hope they will learn?

See the box on page 19 for some children’s stewardship ideas.

The Rev. Phil Purser is diocesan canon for Christian formation.

Happening fue una de las experiencias

más divertidas y refrescantes de mi vida.

Saber que personas que no conozco están

orando por mi, dando de su tiempo para

escribirme cartas . . . Puedo decir que la

mano de DIOS se encontró en cada una

de nuestras actividades. Le doy gracias a

DIOS por todas las personas que conocí

y mis nuevos amigos.

—Roberto Javier Vivanc

As we were finishing our celebration of the Eucharist and I

began to give the blessing, our friends from Ecuador began to

move around. At first I thought they might not be used to

having a blessing. Then I realized that they were preparing

themselves. They stood with eyes closed and hands raised and

as I spoke the words they reached out, took hold and crossed

themselves. It was one of the most beautiful and moving things

that I have ever seen. I will never again pronounce the blessing

without thanking God for my new friends from Ecuador.

—The Rev. Susan Louttit Hardaway,Holy Trinity, Clemson

“Catching on” to stewardship . . .(It’s kid stuff!)


By Kimberley Higgins

Who: St. John’s Episcopal Church. Mission, GravattConvocation. 920 Clearwater Road, North Augusta, SC29841; 803.593.5662; www.saintjohnsclearwater.org.Average Sunday attendance in the low thirties. Priest-in-charge: The Rev. Robert M. Hartley.

Where: Just a few miles from the Georgia border,tucked between North Augusta and Clearwater, down atree-lined county road lies this quiet rural church. It sitsupon a hill, a welcoming safe place where people canencounter God.

When: Dedicated in April 1949, St. John’s wasoriginally built on a small piece of land in the little townof Clearwater. After many years in Clearwater it wasdecided that if the church was to grow a larger area ofland was needed. In 1965 land was purchased onClearwater Road. In the words of St. John’s priest-in-charge, the Rev. Rob Hartley, “they put the church onwheels and drug it about a mile up the road to itscurrent location.” The members of the congregationthen bought two old surplus barracks, vintage WorldWar II, from nearby Fort Gordon and attached them tothe church. They were then transformed into Sundayschool rooms and a large fellowship hall.

Although in a quiet location, St. John’s is anythingbut quiet. This group is active and raring to do whatmust be done to increase their church family. Prior toHartley’s arrival, St. John’s had seen a series of supplypriests who ministered to its people without having apermanent presence. “When I first came here thenumbers on Sunday were about 12, and BishopHenderson was thinking about closing the doors,”explains Hartley. “I was in seminary at the time and

Archdeacon Byrd asked me to come down hereabout once a month to help discern whether ornot to keep the church open.” As a transitionaldeacon Hartley was assigned to Good Shepherdin Columbia and was given permission from thebishop to lead one service a month at St. John’s.That one service turned into two and then partway through his time in the transitionaldiaconate Hartley came to St. John’s full time.Hartley was ordained to the priesthood in thechurch in November of 2003 and has been thereever since.

How: “When I first came here I sat down withthe mission committee, the core of those attending atthe time, and we talked about closing the doors or doingsomething different,” says Hartley. “The little coregroup always thought we needed to rebuild thischurch.” It was agreed that having a pastoral presencein the community, a mind for evangelism, and someonewho would provide continuity were very importantfactors for growing the church. Hartley explains, “WhenI came I did all the things I was supposed to do—theworship, the spiritual formation, the catechism classes,and all that. I never did anything extraordinary, but weincreased the number of members, and they increasedvery rapidly. The only difference really was that I washere. That was it. I just had to be present and availableand the church grew. It just happened.”

St. John’s is now in the second year of a five-yearplan, which the original “core” developed. “We will bein the middle of the plan in 2006, and we have donemost everything we set out to do,” says Hartley.

Part of their attempt to grow has been a focus ongrowing spiritually. The people of St. John’s discuss thelectionary readings during Sunday school hour eachweek, but contend that the main teaching happens on

Wednesday nights when they have asupper followed by a Bible or bookstudy. This weekly gatheringcontinues through out the entire year.

Involving lay people is veryimportant to the communicants of St.John’s, where members serve in thechurch as Eucharistic ministers andin the music ministry, as well asbeyond the church walls to provideoutreach to the local community. St.John’s supports a local food bankthrough an offering on the firstSunday of each month. They alsoprovide help for families at

Thanksgiving and Christmas. St. John’s is currently working at starting a seniors

ministry. Since the area’s population has in the past beencomprised mostly of mill workers, many older folksstayed in the area after the mills shut down and retiredhere. The church’s Senior Touch Ministry will bedesigned to contact seniors who may not have anyoneelse to check in on them.

Why: According to Hartley, “All the communityministries we have taken on, our spiritual formationministries, teachers who have been raised up, our youthministers who work with the young people, all of this isreally an exercise in discipleship—following Christwhere he leads and being good stewards of all that Godhas given us. Stewardship, like discipleship, touchesevery aspect of who we are. To grow in giving of time,talent, and treasure is part and parcel of growth indiscipleship. As is growth in faithfulness to what God iscalling us to do.” “Stewardship,” Hartley points out, “isnot just about money; it is stewardship of our lives. Godhas given each of us a life, and he has asked us to dosomething with it, and that is stewardship.” Hartleycontinues, “When we understand just how broad theconcept of stewardship is, we needn’t ever use the wordstewardship again. We might just as well say discipleshipbecause that is what it is.”

Quote: The Rev. Rob Hartley: “This a great outpostof the Kingdom of Heaven. I think the Lord is reallycalling us to meet Christ on this little hill over lookingClearwater Road. I think he really wants us here.”

Kimberley Higgins is a member of St. Paul’s, Batesburg.

16


BODY P • A • R • T • S

MISSION PROFILE

St. John’s, North Augusta


By the Rev. Canon Mark Clevenger

We are told that most congregations in theUnited States have fewer than 200 in average Sundayworship attendance.

In a congregation of that size, it’s often the casethat identity, rather than a specific mission, serves as theorganizing principle.

In other words, people are not in congregations ofthis size with a yearning to be led to do something asmuch as they are there to experience a sense of who theyare or might become in God’s eyes.

One size does not fit allI can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood in front

of a group of devoted churchgoers and profoundlyunder-whelmed them with an energetic, rah-rah, let’s goget ’em, pitch. It wasn’t so much that they disagreedwith me, as that their experience of church just didn’tcorrespond to what I was describing.

If you’re like me, you’ve found that most folks whofind and stay with a congregation with less than 200 inattendance don’t get their spiritual itch scratched bygetting sent out to do things.

It’s more about being and belonging for them.Now, of course, as soon as I say something like that bothyou and I are thinking of exceptions to this. There are,indeed, occasions when these feelings have doingconsequences, for instance, when a member of thecongregation is in crisis. You won’t easily find a greaterdepth of pastoral support than what the members ofthese smaller congregations can provide when theirfeelings are triggered.

This is one of the primary benefits of participatingin a smaller congregation, that is, if you’re the kind ofperson who likes that kind of intimate relational setting.If you’re not, however, a small congregation can be amixed blessing.

This leads me to a point that I don’t think can bemade too often. What is preferable about onecongregation to one person may not be preferable tosomeone else.

This is why it can be very challenging to offer justthe right stewardship approach for any one church. Firstwe must discern the nature of the congregations withinthe congregation before we can design an effectivestewardship program. In other words, we need to seepeople as they are, not how we would like them to be,or how we assume them to be.

It’s not too late to make this the best year ever. Hereare some timely steps that are guaranteed to encourageyour congregation’s giving.

Questionnaires can be funMost of us throw questionnaires away. We just

don’t see a benefit in taking the time to respond toimpersonal inquiries. Nevertheless, effectiveprogramming is always needs-based. The best way is alively, fun questionnaire that asks folks aboutthemselves, not the congregation.

An effective questionnaire should be no longerthan one side of one page. Responses should be invitedto be anonymous or signed. Each questionnaire shouldbe accompanied by an addressed, stamped returnenvelope. Questionnaires can also be dropped in theoffering plate. Make it as easy as possible for them to bereturned. Do not ask about the church.

Instead, ask members about themselves: theirhopes, desires, frustrations, concerns, and so on. Askabout their lives outside the congregation. Goodquestions: What makes you happy? What makes yousad? What do you catch yourself worrying about? What’sone thing you want to accomplish in life? What are yourdaydreams? What are some things that might be missingin your life’s toolbox that would make each day easier?

You get the idea. The purpose of the questions is tohelp the people, not the church. Ask about them andthen make the strategic interpretations that result ininnovative programming.

Read beyond the content of the responses forclues to the underlying process of spiritualdevelopment at work. For instance, “shopper language”is consumer language. These folks are interested in aquid pro quo. They are searching for a product. In aboutone hour each week they want to find something foreveryone in their family that they can’t easily getanywhere else.

“Joiner” folks have arrived. Their language is ofbelonging, community, fellowship and fun.

“Striver” respondents identify themselves byaddressing the deeper questions of life. They’reconcerned about identity, meaning, and self-

actualization. “Server” folks talk about making adifference with their lives, especially by serving others.

Sort the responses according to stages of spiritualdevelopment and brainstorm appropriateprogramming, allocating resources in ratios thatcorrespond to the stages represented. For instance, if 20percent of your responses are from shoppers, considerallocating 20 percent of your budget to meeting theneeds of shoppers. This might involve a newseeker/consumer-oriented worship service or othershopper-sensitive programming.


17


TT H EH E F I V EF I V E LL A N G UA N G U AA G E SG E S O FO FC O N G R E G AC O N G R E G AT I O N A LT I O N A L S T ES T E WWA R D S H I PA R D S H I P

1. The language of the seekerMost of these folks will only step foot in a churchfor a funeral or wedding. They’re seeking themeaning of life, usually at Barnes and Nobel orsomeplace similar. We’ll have to leave the comfortof our building, capture their very short attentionspans, and show them that we have something ofeternal, unparalleled value to offer them beforethey show up or give to us.

2. The language of the shopperSimilar to seekers in that they are consumers,but they can be distinguished by the fact thatthey’re open to finding the meaning of life ina church. Give them a Sunday morningexperience they can’t easily find elsewhereand they’ll invest.

3. The language of the joinerJoiners experience meaning only throughbelonging. They seek and deserve the mostfriendly, welcoming, and forgiving family, inChrist possible.

4. The language of the striverIt’s all about making an ever-deepening, evermore meaningful, intellectually significantspiritual journey for these folks. They seekcredentials, achievements, evidence ofprogress—EFM, Stephen Ministry, evenordination. Help them on their journeys andthey will respond gratefully and generously.

5. The language of the serverThese folks like to be challenged to servepeople in need. Give them an institutionalvehicle to meet human needs in a way nototherwise easily done and they’ll respondgenerously.

Put the focus on people first[W]e must discern the nature of the

congregations within the congregation before

we can design an effective stewardship

program.



18

It was an interest to me that the number of Generation X (1961–1981) attendingthe TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship) Conference in Charlotte this

past spring was significant (maybe 10 percent or 40 people). Also of interest to mewas the way Gen-Xer’s view the world and how truly different their defining cultureis from mine (trailing edge Baby Boomer, 1943–1960). Their age is defined by 999television channels, not 3; color TV, not black and white; MTV, not AmericanBandstand; and, perhaps most important to the financial aspects of stewardship,plastic, not cash, and electronic payments, not handwritten checks.

Young people seeking a church family are seeking through electronic media thatare familiar to but a few of the Silent Generation (1925–1945). Members of theBaby Boom who were caught on the edge or in the middle of the technologyrevolution steamrolling through the 1980s know a good deal about being“connected,” but only something about e-commerce. Gen-Xer’s hardly knowanything else.

When we consider stewardship and the ways Christians give of their treasure,we need to pay attention to the paradigm shift that is already a part of life for ouryoungest members, growing in number. Their comfort level is with a congregation’sWeb site not the newsletter. They will prefer to pledge online, and not to fill out apledge card. The convenience to be able to (“heaven forbid”) pay online appeals tomany. I hear that there are people out there who do not even own paper checks.What is the world coming to?

““When we consider stewardship and the ways Christians give of

their treasure, we need to pay attention to the paradigm shift that is

already a part of life for our youngest members. . . .”

Within the fold of Upper South Carolina, St. Christopher’s in Spartanburg(www.stchrisonline.org) is providing opportunities for its members to pledge at anytime during the year. Other congregations, such as St. James, Austin, TX, allow forinstant giving and pledging online (http://stjamesaus.org/). For more informationvisit their Web sites. Also churches getting serious about electronic stewardshipshould check into the National Church Supply Company’s Envelope Service(www.envelopeservice.com), which can assist those interested in adopting some ofthese stewardship services in their own church.

I wouldn’t throw away the pledge cards just yet, but don’t overlook the newonline stewardship arena.

Blount Shepard, one of our diocesan stewardship consultants, is a member of St.Simon & St. Jude, Irmo.

A sign of the times . . . By Blount Shepard

This “stewardship idea,” featuring our own St. Mary’s, Columbia, was

originally published in Trinity News, volume 52, no. 2, with the theme

“Stewardship: Trials, triumphs, and trends.” Trinity News is the

magazine of Trinity Church-St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City.

Each member of the parish, no matter what age, was given an envelopecontaining two dollars and an instruction sheet. The instructions were to use the$2 to help someone else within a designated period of time. The responses wereamazing. Some added much more to the initial amount. Children made manyinquiries and suggestions and bought food for the homeless people they see atintersections. We bought children’s books and sent them to Thailand for missionoutreach and the amount of the purchase was donated by the store to ourchildren’s hospital for research. On and on it goes. It was one of the mostinspiring, energized stewardship drives I’ve ever been a part of.

—Donna Rone, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Columbia

Paying if forward. . .A stewardship idea

Photo © Robin Smith


19


Make sure there is an opportunity for children to give an offering eachweek. It sounds obvious but an astonishing number of congregations havenever thought about this. The children’s offering can come during Sunday

school, children’s church, or the morning worship but it should be an event, partof the liturgy.

Give offering envelopes to every child who wants them. There arewonderful, colorful, inexpensive offering envelopes available from severaldenominational bookstores and publishers. Do not be dismayed by theuses children will find for these envelopes. I will never forget the morning

we had to find an extra envelope for a child who had found it a convenient placeto put the tooth which had come out during Sunday School. Yes, it is a good ideato tell parents what you are doing and give them veto power, though I have neverknown a parent to refuse or complain.

Honor every gift. Record children’s offerings and give them regularstatements along with adults regardless of the amount they contribute. Ifthe cost of keeping the records and generating the statements exceeds the

amount of the contribution, so what? This is an investment in formation and iswell worth the cost.

Teach parents how to teach their children. An adult forum on earlymemories of money will be valuable to the adults. End it with thequestion “What memories do you want your children to have?” and it

will be valuable to their children. Anyone interested in a “parents as stewards”training session, please call for a copy of the outline we have developed in theOffice of Stewardship (1.800.334.7626, ext. 6284).

Incorporate a discussion of stewardship into confirmation class. Onepriest I know includes it in preparation for baptism, which is an evenbetter idea.

Include Christian education volunteers in planning for your annualstewardship program. They are a valuable ally and may bring some freshideas along with them. Encourage them to look for stewardship teaching

opportunities in whatever curriculum your church is using. There are a number ofresources available but I think you will find that you do not need special “stuff ” toteach this.

Last, but most important, cherish the children. They are one of the bestgifts God has given us.

©Copyright Terry Parsons

“Do you speak stewarsdship?”—continued from page 17

If another 50 percent of your responsesreflect joiner qualities, allocate 50 percent of yourbudget to meeting their needs. These might includesmall groups and relationship-building events,especially events that serve no purpose other thanopportunities for fun. If another 10 percent soundlike server responses, allocate resources toprogramming for social justice and serviceopportunities.

See to it that staff time, building useallocation, and every aspect of the budget reflectthese ratios. Have a proposed narrative budget readyfor distribution for your stewardship kick-off. Keep itsimple. Demonstrate how you propose to allocate thecongregation’s resources in ways to meet the expressedneeds of its members.

Don’t have much flex in your budget afteryou’ve funded the sacred cows? Aha! That’s aninvaluable finding. Demonstrate in your narrativehow existing programs earn their existence bymeeting the needs reflected in one or more of thestages. This goes for salaries, too. For instance, if youhave reason to believe that your congregation reflectsthe ratios presented above, then staff should be usingtheir time each week to serve members accordingly.

Is yours a one-person shop? Organize yourwork week around the ratios reflected in yourcongregation. In short, do what it takes to design andimplement a needs-based ministry and get ready for asubstantial bump in energy, commitment, and giving.

The Rev. Mark Clevenger is diocesan canon to the ordinary.His article and his definitions of the five congregationallanguages originally appeared in the Diocese of Long Island’sDominion in September and October 2002.

Living with Money curriculumhelps churchgoers understandrole, power of moneyFrom the Episcopal News Service

A groundbreaking educational curriculum for churches that helps people understand the role,power, and impact of money in their lives is available from the Episcopal Media Center.

Living with Money, a video-based program with supporting printed materials, “shines the lightof faith on the taboo subject of money to help people develop a balanced, wholesome,rewarding ‘money life,’’’ said the Rev. Louis C. Schueddig, producer and the Episcopal Media

Center’s president and executive director. “Living with Money encourages dialogue on the subject of money in thecontext of the Christian faith.

The catalyst for the project, which took four years to fund and develop, is the Rev. Davis L. Fisher, an Evanston,Illinois, money consultant and Episcopal priest. “Everyone has a ‘money life,’ whether we acknowledge it or not,”Fisher says. “Almost nobody talks about it. From our earliest years and throughout our life our attitude toward moneyinfluences who we are and what we become.”

Living with Money features four video programs with a panel of eight experts from a variety of disciplines. Theirconversations supply the foundation for further discussion by participants and a group leader. Panelists, in addition toFisher, are Glinda Bridgforth, Detroit-based financial counselor, founder of Bridgforth Financial Group and author ofGirl, Get Your Money Straight; John Haughey, a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, professor of Christian ethics at LoyolaUniversity in Chicago, and author of The Holy Use of Money and Virtue and Affluence; George Kawasaki, a Chicagobranch manager of Ron Blue & Company, which offers financial, estate, and investment counsel; Olivia Mellan ofWashington, DC, a psychotherapist specializing in conflict resolution of money issues, and author of Money Harmony;Francisco Menachca, senior bank officer with Bank One in Chicago and manager of community outreach andeducation programs; Vicki Robin of Seattle, president of New Roadmap Foundation, and co-author of Your Money orYour Life; and William Schweiker, professor at the University of Chicago School of Divinity, chairman of aninternational research project called People and Property, and author of Responsibility and Christian Ethics.

Each set of Living with Money includes four programs on two videos with closed captioning, a leader’s guide, and a participant’s journal, and sells for $125 plus shipping and handling. The printed resources were prepared by MorehousePublishing. For more information, call 800.229.3788 or visit the Episcopal Media Center Web site, www.episcopalmedia.org.

Will our children be stewards?

The following suggestions are taken from the article “Will our children be stewards,” by Terry Parsons, stewardship officer for the national Church.

For the full text, see the “Children and Youth” section at www.episcopalchurch.org/stewardship.

INCLUDING OUR CHILDREN



20

Weighing in on Scripture and greater truths

Iam writing in responseto the summer

(Pentecost I) edition ofCrosswalk and its focuson Scripture. Bishop

Henderson has my gratitude for hiscalling on all of us to studyScripture and “return to holybasics.” As a lifelong Episcopalian Ido not recall ever being challengedin this way. Although I grew uphearing a psalm, an Old Testamentlesson, an epistle and the gospellesson at each service, I did not havea real appreciation for the Bibleuntil I began Bible study. I was ledthere by the need to know theauthority behind my beliefs. Intruth, I was not yet a believer, onlyan Episcopalian who believed inbelieving.

“Faith seekingunderstanding”

For me the crisis in theAnglican Communion can be boileddown to the weight we would givebiblical authority. Instead ofaccepting the greater truths of thebiblical message on faith (“faithseeking understanding,” accordingto St. Anselm), we reduce theauthority that the Bible has over ourlives to a matter of how we interpretbiblical precepts and stories.

I remember being in myEducation for Ministry (EFM) classwhile still somewhat of a biblicalskeptic. We were discussing the storyof Abraham and Isaac. The historicalcritical method was at play as themajority of us could not accept asreal a father sacrificing his son. One

young man spoke up: “I don’t have aproblem with that. God toldAbraham to do it and Abrahamobeyed God.”

His comments forced me tolook more deeply at the story.Could it be that Abraham’srelationship with God was such thathe believed God’s promise that hisdescendants would outnumber thestars? Could it also be that in hishumility Abraham recognized that inhis limited understanding he neededto trust that God would provide away? Isaac asked, “Where is thelamb?” (Gen. 22: 7), and Abrahamresponded “God will provide.” Johnthe Baptist completes the OldTestament story of Abraham andIsaac when, upon seeing Jesus, heproclaims, “Behold the Lamb ofGod who takes away the sins of theworld” (John 1:29).

Looking at the greatertruths

We can limit the Bible (and thetransforming power it might have onus) to questions of interpretation orwe can look for greater truths. Itwould be hard to prove that JuliusCaesar ever said: “I came, I saw, Iconquered,” but can anyonequestion that “I came, I saw,

I conquered” truly represents JuliusCaesar? Likewise, for me, uponlooking at the Bible in its entirety,certain truths are apparent. Thetheme of our fallen state and needfor salvation is clear. Throughoutthe Bible God calls us intorelationship with him. Godcontinues to love us and be mercifulto us even as we fall away. We arecalled to obedience and to giving upself. God’s steadfast love for us is aclear theme of the Old and NewTestaments, but it is a theme ofsalvation and not only affirmationand inclusion. Otherwise, why dowe need a savior?

“The last highest answer” Not only can we limit the Bible

by interpretive methods, but we arealso vulnerable to limiting our owncommon prayer. In the liturgy, wepray what we believe given theauthority of Scripture. With manybiblical interpretations possible, our“common” prayer can no longerexist.

God’s calling on us and theworld’s calling on us are at odds. Wehave been taken over by worldlyvalues to the extent that it is hard torepresent the otherness of ourcalling as “resident aliens.” In thispostmodern world I’m not sure Iwant to trust humanity to interpretand dissect Scripture. Ourdenomination has been infected by aculture which compromisesinterpretation. We hear constantly ofthe three-legged stool, but the thirdleg of tradition referred to by

Richard Hooker is in part thetradition of biblical understanding.

The late theologian Karl Barthspeaks of the Bible as driving us outbeyond ourselves, inviting us,without regard to who we are, “toreach for the last highest answer. . . .a new world, the world of God.” Hewrites: “There is a river in the Biblethat carries us away, once we haveentrusted our destiny to it—awayfrom ourselves to the sea. Thisdaring is faith. The invitation todare and to reach toward thehighest, even though we do notdeserve it, is the expression of gracein the Bible: the Bible unfolds to usas we are met, guided, drawn on andmade to grow by the grace of God.”

Would it not be better for us tostep out in faith, so that we couldbegin to experience the Bible’stransforming power on our livesthrough the deepening of ourrelationship with God?

Adair Keller is a member ofChrist Church, Greenville.

God’s calling on us and the

world’s calling on us are at

odds. We have been taken

over by worldly values to the

extent that it is hard to

represent the otherness of our

calling as “resident aliens.”

By Adair Keller

We can limit the Bible . . . to

questions of interpretation or

we can look for greater truths.

Two Upper South Carolinians reflect

Anglicans and



21

Thank you for givingus a whole issue on

“Anglicans and Scripture.”The articles by FeliciaSmith and Lisa Unterseher

were especially helpful, and we urgentlyneeded to hear Bishop Henderson’s call to“get serious about the Bible.”

Almost everyone agrees our Churchwill face historic decisions at GeneralConvention in less than a year. It is our lastchance to preserve our relationship with theAnglican Communion before theworldwide Lambeth Conference of bishopsin 2008. Our Diocesan Convention inOctober is our chance to address animportant part of our future.

A resolution has been filed that fulfillsBishop Henderson’s call for convention toendorse The Windsor Report and to complywith its recommendations as the “the wayforward for the entire AnglicanCommunion, ecumenical relationships ofthe Communion, and the common life ofthe Episcopal Church” (in the words of theSt. Louis statement, signed by 23 ECUSAbishops, July 8, 2005). The proposedresolution (on the diocesan Web site atwww.edusc .org/Convent ion/83rdConvention/Resolutions.shtml) asks GeneralConvention 2006 to do the same.

Getting down the mountainUnspoken in the diplomatic language

of the statement from St. Louis is the dangerthat the Episcopal Church could divide,along with the Anglican Communion—our home in worldwide Christianity. TheRt. Rev. N. T. Wright (bishop of Durham,

England, and a member of the very diverseWindsor Report team) has likened our crisisto being “on the top of a mountain amongcrags and crevices, the light is failing and weneed urgently to find a safe route down.”He said The Windsor Report is “the only waydown the mountain” (debate in Church ofEngland General Synod, February 17,2005). Put positively, according to thediscussion materials by the Rev. Dr. PhilipH. Whitehead on the diocesan Web site(www.edusc.org/LambethCommission/WindsorIndex.shtml), The Windsor Report isabout how we can stay together and livetogether.

Full debate in our convention on theresolution regarding The Windsor Report willundoubtedly bring us back to the focus ofthe last issue of Crosswalk—our use of theBible, particularly in deciding moral issues.We may not bring out all the scriptural textsinvolved, but we will certainly speak fromthe stance of our viewpoints on the Bible.Our beliefs about the Bible will determinehow we use it.

On Hooker and othersWith reference to that recent

Crosswalk, the Rev. Richard Norman isclearly correct that the crux of our situationis the interpretation of Scripture, ratherthan a sheer appeal to its authority. Oneelement of interpretation is the sweep ofScripture—painting the unfolding of God’splan for the redemption of God’s creaturesand creation. I must say that thecomprehensive effort by the Rev. Dr.Swanson on “The Bible and Sexuality” was,to me, a truly sad harvest. This longest

article in Crosswalk had only six columninches extolling Scripture’s portrayal ofGod’s beautiful gift of sex.

The last word from Prof. Swanson wasa note of uncertainty about Scripture.When it comes to same-sex relationships,“we need the guidance of the Spirit on that.”This statement could well predict thedivision in our debate in convention on theproposed resolution. Either we will followthe panorama of Scripture (extended into2,000 years of Church tradition) thatincludes God’s sole offer of blessing for sexwithin the marriage of a man and a woman,or we will follow a suggested new voice ofthe Spirit that would deny the consistent,focused direction of Scripture.

Someone will ask: “But what aboutthe three-legged stool of Anglicanauthority—Scripture, tradition, andreason?” Richard Norman’s article insistedthat each of the legs (including a possiblefourth—experience) “is of equalimportance.” I’m grateful for the correctiveby the Rev. Thomas Davis, in his article: “itwas never intended that Scripture andtradition be of equal weight.” The same canbe proved for what Richard Hooker called“right reason,” which in the parlance of thatday included all that makes us distinctly andfully human as restored in Christ, includingour complex experiences. “Right reason”never meant mere rationality or scientificfindings alone.

My copy of Hooker’s Laws ofEcclesiastical Polity has pencil marksthroughout noting the preeminence hegives to Scripture. If he had invented theimage of a stool, it might have been a rather

modern looking Scandinavian piece with abentwood seat curving down to form abroad strong “leg” supported by two othersof perfect proportion, but distinctly smaller.

Extraordinary timesThese are not ordinary times for our

Church. Lay leaders, clergy, and bishops ofevery viewpoint have admitted that we facea crisis of some significant proportions.Those who say everything is just fine seemto be living in denial, at best. Our parish isquietly recovering from a desperate lowpoint a little over a year ago, partly related tothe larger crisis. Our reduced pledge to thediocese reflects climbing up from a bankbalance of $300 at that time. The nationaland international Church situation has notgrabbed our attention yet, but I expect ourtime to come.

Endorsing The Windsor Report is truly“the only way forward” to preserve our placein our family in worldwide Christianity. Noother realistic ways have been offered. Aspastor of one of our parishes, I hope ourdiocese in convention will affirm our lifeflowing from God our Creator, Jesus Christour Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit oursustainer and guide, and boundedgraciously by the drama of God’s plan for usrevealed in Scripture.

The Rev. James Workman is rector of St. Michael’s, Easley.

Scripture, Windsor, and the FUTURE...

By The Rev. James Workman

Endorsing The Windsor

Report is truly “the only way

forward”. . . .

Scr ipture . . .

on Crosswalk for Pentecost I, 2005...



22

—continued f rom page 2The meaning for us Christians is clear: God, the creator, is the ultimate authority, who has given us freedom to manage, and charges us, also, with the responsibility for ourdecisions and actions. To understand fully what it means to be a steward is to comprehend who we are in relationship to God, to one another, and to the whole createdorder. We cannot choose whether or not to be stewards; we can choose only what kind of stewards to be, how it is we will respond to the vast and magnificent bounty whichhas been put in our care—whether selfishly, indifferently, or mindfully, with profoundly grateful hearts.

If we live holistically as faithful stewards the effects of our stewardship will be everywhere apparent. Giving of our treasure—that signing of the pledge card that wehave unfortunately come to think of as our primary obligation as stewards—will come to be, as it should, no more than the tip of that proverbial iceberg. Responding froma deep and enduring sense of gratitude to God’s incomparable beneficence will change lives, including our own. We will understand our worship as stewardship of faith.We will manage our time so as not to neglect prayer and other spiritual disciplines. Evangelism (that threatening e word) will emerge as stewardship of the gospel and ofour Lord’s Great Commission. Acts of service and advocacy for social and economic justice will be understood as integral aspects of Christ’s reconciling ministry. Asstewards of the environment, we will demonstrate an abiding reverence for the earth and all its resources. We will treasure and care for the gift of our physical bodies astemples of the Holy Spirit. And, yes, we will share our material possessions and our money with joyful extravagance.

In short, Beloved, we will live the life of discipleship, in thanksgiving for everything God has given us and in the name of the One who came as steward of souls,of salvation, and of God’s unending love.

“I will fufill my vows to the Lord ... I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving ….”

—Psalm 116:14, 17

Faithfully yours in our Lord,

Upper South Carolina VII

Bishop’s Desk

Environmental Resources

National Church Environmental Stewardship page, www.episcopalchurch. org/1829_ENG_HTM.htm?menupage=1847.

National Council of Churches of Christ Eco-Justice Programs, EpiscopalChurch USA policies and statements on the environment,www.nccecojustice.org/.

Earth Ministry, an ecumenical group, founded by Episcopalians, that has asits mission “to inspire and mobilize the Christian Community to play aleadership role in building a just and sustainable future,” www.earthministry.org/.

“Greening the church: Episcopal environmental movement continues togrow,” by Sharon Sheridan, Episcopal Life, June 1, 2005, on the Web atwww.episcopalchurch.org/1829_62397_ENG_HTM. htm?menu=undefined.

A Catechism of Creation: An Episcopal Understanding, available fordownload from www.episcopalchurch.org/science.

A Guide to Environmental Stewardship for Individuals, Congregations andDioceses, a joint project of the Episcopal Ecological Network (EpEN,http://eenonline.org/)and the Minnesota Episcopal EnvironmentalStewardship Commission (www.env-steward.com/). Available for $10 fromEpEN; e-mail [email protected] for details.

Eco-Justice Ministries, an independent, ecumenical agency helpingchurches develop ministries that are faithful, relevant, and effective inworking toward social justice and environmental sustainability. Information,curricula, and resources, on the Web at www.eco-justice.org/.

Episcopal Ecological Network, http://eeeonline.org/.

—continued from page 10

We should consider the Ten Commandants of Resource Management in thisreflection. Drafted by Appalachia Science in the Public Interest located in Mt.Vernon, Kentucky, these commandants include the following: Do not call whatthe Creator proclaimed as good to be waste; Rest don’t shop; and Don’t covet asluxury what to the next generation will be a necessity. For more on this andother issues of the creation see their Web site, www.a-spi.org, and the otherresources listed to the right.

Fritz Hamer is chair of Integrity of Creation, an extension of the Outreach Task Force at Trinity Cathedral, Columbia.

What Would Jesus Drive?Hummer 13 mpg (city)Ford Explorer 14 mpg Lincoln Navigator 13Nissan Xterra 16Toyota Highlander 19Toyota Prius 50

Environmental Stewardship

FROM THE


Stewardship & ScriptureThe theme of stewardship runs throughout both the Old and New

Testaments. In the Old Testament the focus is on the developingrelationship between the Israelites and the God who calls them to behis people.

Old Testament scriptures record Israel’s thankful response to theGod who has blessed, and called, them as a nation. The OldTestament scriptures set the standard for the tithe (giving ten percentof one’s wealth in thanksgiving to God), beginning with Abram (Gen.14:20b), and continuing with Jacob (Gen. 28:22), and others. Thescriptures also remind the community, via the traditions of the

Sabbath (seventh) and Jubilee (50th ) years, that God is the owner of all and that his chosenpeople, his stewards, are called to manage the land and the economy justly, for the benefit of thewhole household of God.

In the New Testament, Jesus engages the issue of stewardship as a matter of relationship to God,to self, and to one’s neighbor, in numerous parables that feature the steward figure as the maincharacter. Paul also uses the term steward in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 and Ephesians 3:2. In the finalanalysis, however, the New Testament concept of stewardship is encapsulated in our Lord’s GreatCommission (Matthew 28:19), which exhorts us to be stewards of the Good News: “Gotherefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of theSon and of the Holy Spirit.”

Below is a list of Scripture citations, excerpted from the TENS (The Episcopal Network forStewardship (http://tens.org/) Manual for Stewardship Development Programs in theCongregation—material for personal and corporate reflection as the annual “stewardshipcampaign” approaches.

For more on Scripture and stewardship, consult A Manual for Stewardship

Development, available from TENS, http://tens.org/.

On a giving attitude:Matthew 7:12 John 1: 16-18, 13: 1-141 Corinthians:13: 1-3, 16: 13-142 Corinthians 4: 17-18Hebrews 10:24-25, 13:16 James 1:16-271 Peter 17:25 1 John 2:15-17 2 John 1:2-6

On the tithe:Genesis 28:22Leviticus 27: 30–32Duteronomy 14: 22 Malachi 3:10

What is Christian giving? Matthew 5:23-24Luke 6:38 1 Corinthians 13:3, 16.:2

On God, the creator of all: Genesis 1:1–2:24

Jesus’ parables aboutstewardship:

Matthew 13:1-19, 44-45; 20: 1-16;21:3 33-41; 25: 14-30;

Luke 5:34-38;7: 31-35;

10: 25 37;11: 1-10, 12:13-21; 14: 25-35, 15:1-32; 16:1-8


23

news—continued from page 2

The Rev. Mark Clevenger named canon to the ordinaryBishop Henderson has announced the appointment of the Rev.

Mark Clevenger as canon to the ordinary. Clevenger has beenserving the diocese since January 2005 as canon for congregations& mission. In naming Clevenger, Bishop Henderson cited “severalfactors in the life of the Diocese [that] have converged in a way thatsuggests to me the need for fresh initiatives in the way I ask my staffand our various diocesan leadership bodies to function. Thesefactors,” the bishop went on, “ include the financial realities ofsome of our congregations, the increasing need to streamline theimplementation of our long-range plan for mission, our need tocapitalize on the magnificent strides accomplished in our ministryto Haiti, the challenges facing Gravatt, our impending DiocesanConvention, as well as the inevitable build-up to the GeneralConvention of the Episcopal Church,” which has occasionedBishop Henderson’s recent appointment to the national SpecialCommission on the Episcopal Church and the AnglicanCommunion (see the related story on page 2).

As canon to the ordinary, Clevenger has assumed responsibilityfor the administrative oversight of the diocesan staff, as well asserving as the primary contact person at the diocesan office for alldiocesan clergy, congregations, commissions, and committees.

83rd Convention information availableThe 83rd Diocesan Convention is coming up on October 21 and

22 at Trinity Cathedral, Columbia. Candidates for elective office,proposed resolutions, and the proposed Statement of Mission(SOM) are posted on the Web, www.edusc.org/Convention/83rdConvention/83rdIndex.shtml. Copies have also been providedto all congregations. Convention begins on Friday, October 21, at6 p.m. The forum to discuss proposed resolutions will take place onSaturday, October 22, at 9 a.m.

St. John’s, Congaree, youth dig deep for Katrina reliefWhen St. John’s, Congaree, rector the Rev. Ed Tracey announced

a special collection for victims of Hurricane Katrina he received animmediate response from the teenagers in the church’s J2A(Journey to Adulthood) community. The J2A program includes ayear-end pilgrimage to a holy place, underwritten in large part byfundraisers conducted by the young people. About the time thehurricane hit, the Congaree kids, who are planning a pilgrimage toIreland, had raised $400 washing cars—which they donatedentirely to Katrina relief. Thanks be to God for these inspiringyouthful stewards!

Churches demonstrate inspiring stewardshipThe Church of the Good Shepherd in Greer, a mission

congregation, has blessed all Upper South Carolina with a gift of$1,095.00—offered in addition to their full, fair-share episcopalpledge. In a letter to Bishop Henderson, Good Shepherd vicar theRev. Michael Schnatterly indicated that the gift was being made"in the hope that the witness of a small mission offering more thanis requested and pledged to support of the diocesan mission andministry may inspire other congregations to do likewise." Othercongregations that have increased their 2005 giving beyond theiroriginal commitment are Holy Trinity, Clemson; St. David’s,Columbia; St. Paul’s, Fort Mill; and Our Saviour, Rock Hill.

Higgins, Sanders named Camp Gravatt’soutstanding staffers for 2005

Hillary Higgins (St. Paul’s, Batesburg) and Pierre Sanders(Voorhees chapel) have been named Camp Gravatt’s outstandingstaffers for 2005. Each year two staff members are chosen by theirpeers to receive the Bishop and Archdeacon’s Outstanding StafferAward. The winners must be practicing Christians and team playerswho set a good example for campers in word and deed. Both Ms.Higgins and Mr. Sanders were praised by their peers as greatChristian role models whose generosity of spirit and positiveattitude make them ready to go the extra mile. Congratulations tothese two great young people.

B R E A K I N G

Time and the violence of our lives—continued from page 5

Remembering what’s realI am a huge fan of The Book of Common

Prayer, which may sound strange coming froman Episcopal priest; but what I mean by this isthat The Book of Common Prayer is an incredibleand practical faith resource. The present PrayerBook is also a heart-rending source of no-nonsense spirituality and very tender pastoralcare.

If we take the Prayer Book seriously, one ofthe things we notice is that it takes our lifeseriously. Fundamentally, the index of the BCPtakes the gift of time and shapes years intoseasons and seasons into occasions andoccasions into days and even hours. Howwonderfully gentle; how thoughtfully andpractically understanding; how biblicallyfaithful. We need help not being overwhelmed.We need help in remembering God. We needhelp in remembering what is really real,including who and what we are. Everysignificant threshold in human experience—from conception to death—from morning tonight—is marked in the Prayer Book tradition

with liturgy and prayer, and what this says isthat these thresholds are not only importanthuman occasions; they are also thosebenchmark events when God is to beremembered, known, and embraced.

So, what’s this got to do with overly busypeople? A great deal. Everyone has time toremember God. Remembering doesn’t require20 minutes; the same thing can beaccomplished with a conscious “thank you” asour feet hit the floor from our beds. The samething can be accomplished with a heartfelt“please help me!” when we feel ourselvesslipping away into frantic time’s grip. The samething can be accomplished by the simplerecognition that we desire God’s presence.

These are important beginnings towardGod and away from violence. And when we dotake simple, short times to remember God andour life with God, we may find ourselves notonly wanting more time to be present with theHoly One; we may also find that we are morewilling to be present, ourselves. That’s when theviolence stops and the redeeming life blossoms.

The Rev. Michael Bullock is rector of St. Martin’s-

In-The-Fields, Columbia.

Photo © Benjamin Goode


Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina

1115 Marion Street

Columbia, South Carolina 29201

Nonprofit Org.

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PAID

Permit No. 848

Columbia, SC

Dio

cesan c

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Dec.

4 Bishop's visitation to Good Shepherd, Columbia

Bishop Harris's vistation to Trinity Church, Abbeville

15 DEC meeting, St. Luke's, Newberry

18 Bishop's visitation to Epiphany, Laurens

26-30 Diocesan House closed.

Nov.

1-3 BACAM (priesthood), Gravatt

4-6 Happening #54, Gravatt

6 Bishop's visitation to St. John's, Clearwater

10-12 DEC retreat, Gravatt

13 Bishop's visitation to St. Peter's, Greenville

Diocesan HIV/AIDS healing service, St. Luke’s, Columbia

14-16 Clergy Conference, Kanuga

Bishop’s residency, Gravatt Convocation

20 Bishop's visitation to Advent, Spartanburg

Bishop Harris's visitation to Grace, Anderson

24-25 Diocesan House closed.

27 Bishop Harris's visitation to All Saints, Clinton

27 ECW Advent Quiet Day “On-The-Net” through January 6

Oct.

2 Bishop Duvall's visitation to St. Alban's, Lexington

8 Continuing Education Day

9 Bishop's visitation to Good Shepherd, York

13-16 Cursillo #103, Gravatt

15 ECW Western District Meeting, St. Thaddeus, Aiken

16 Bishop's visitation to All Saints, Beech Island

21-22 83rd Diocesan Convention, Trinity Cathedral, Columbia

Sr. High DYE (concurrent with convention)

23 Bishop Duvall's visitation to St. Martin's, Columbia

24 Diocesan House closed.

25-28 Bishop's residency, Reedy River Convocation

30 Bishop's visitation to St. Luke's, Columbia

DEADLINE for next issue of Crosswalk: November 15.

Send submissions to [email protected]

Send photos to [email protected]

Send items for the calendar to [email protected]

Pentecost II, 2005

CrosswalkThe official publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina

There is nothing to eat,There is nothing to eat,

seek it where you will,seek it where you will,

but the body of the Lord.but the body of the Lord.

There is nothing to eat,

seek it where you will,

but the body of the Lord.

From: "Host," by William Carlos Williams (Pictures from Breugel and Other Poems: Collected Poems 1950-1962., 1967.1950-1962., 1967.From: "Host," by William Carlos Williams (Pictures from Breugel and Other Poems: Collected Poems 1950-1962. 1967.)

The blessed plants and the sea, yield it

to the imagination

intact.

The blessed plants and the sea, yield it

to the imagination

intact.

Photo © David Bailey


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