Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness .... Post to WPC Facebook Page following Diac
your kindness
refreshes
the heart 2015 Stewardship Campaign Westminster Presbyterian Church Durham, NC
Paul’s Thanksgiving & Prayer
“
I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.
”
- Philemon 1: 4-7 (New Living Translation)
On the cover: The image within the heart is of the cross that sits atop the baptismal font in Westminster’s Sanctuary.
your kindness
refreshes
the heart
Westminster Presbyterian Church | 2015 Stewardship Campaign
contents 1
reflecting deeply.
reflecting deeply. Grace to you and peace in the name of Christ,
2
8
“I always thank my God” 4
“I keep hearing”
6
“Put into action”
“The generosity that comes” 10
refreshed.
The Stewardship Committee Kate Asquith, Alyson Bosworth, Sam Bryan, Barbara Fletcher, Chance Hart, Jimbo Huckabee, Billy McFall, Kara Pearce, Dave Pottenger, Amy Simonson, Chris Tuttle, Melinda Vaughn, Richard Watson, Jim Young
a Time & Talent pledge for 2015 will be passed from house to house. Look out for word from neighbors and from your Path Guide, who is there to support you throughout the Relay. This is an excellent opportunity for fellowship and hospitality. As we each take the time to make this very personal commitment, we do so knowing that we are acting as part of a larger covenant community. As we reflect on how we are called to live out our faith, we know others along the Relay will be in discernment at the same time.
It is with gratitude and thanksgiving that we begin this stewardship campaign. Our message comes as an invitation. First, we invite you to spend time during this season in reflection. Too often – and both of us are guilty of this – we make our pledge by looking at what we gave last year and deciding if we can adjust it. This year we hope to provoke a different kind of conversation about what matters most to us. This booklet contains a devotion written by Chris for each of the four weeks ahead. Each one studies part of Paul’s letter to Philemon, the basis of our theme: Your Kindness Refreshes the Heart. As we consider the role of faith and giving in our daily lives, Paul’s words remind, encourage, and challenge us.
Finally, we invite you to celebrate in worship on Dedication Sunday, November 9, as we present our collective gifts to support the church’s work. These are the acts of kindness that refresh the heart. In this time of renewal, we will rededicate ourselves to putting our faith into action, not just at the moment of our pledge, but for the full year ahead. We look forward to sharing this journey with you.
Then, beginning October 19, you are invited to participate in the Community Stewardship Relay. As before, Pledge Packs with the materials for making a financial pledge and
Amy Simonson, Stewardship Chair 1
Chris Tuttle, Pastor
“I always thank my God” September 28 - October 4 “Every letter has a story behind it,” writes Charles Cousar, one of my New Testament professors at Columbia Seminary.
faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.”
Paul’s letter to his friend Philemon begins with a story of gratitude. Following his greeting and address, Paul gives thanks. This is a standard form for Greco-Roman letters; right after the salutation comes the thanksgiving.
The thanksgiving is usually addressed to a church, but in this letter it is directed right to his friend.
I wonder what it would look like if we took more time to pay attention to the people around us. Then, like Paul, we might be more inclined to see people for who they are – beloved, joyful, complicated children of God.
reflection:
Write down three things that you are grateful for in your life. Say a prayer together with your family or friends and thank God for these things.
What would our lives be like if we look first for the things for which we were grateful, look first for the good in people, look first for the ways God is blessing the world? What kind of story of gratitude might we write?
I don’t know about you, but I seldom begin with gratitude in the notes I write and the emails I send. Sure, sometimes I’ll ask how the other person is doing, or let them know that I hope their week is going well. Then I dive right in, usually with something I want from them – a question, a need.
Paul does this in most of his letters: Romans 1:8: “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.”
So much of our communication has become transactional. Perhaps this is indicative of the way our culture tends to value efficiency and purpose over people and relationships. When was the last time you wrote to someone just to catch up? I confess that I spend too much time checking items off my list, and too little time tending to the relationships that matter the most to me.
Philippians 1:3-5: “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” Galatians 1:3-5: “In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your 2
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Our amazing trip to Scotland would not have been possible if not for the
prayers and gifts
that Westminster gave us. It was an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
”
- Jack High, 11th grade youth The senior high youth on their spiritual pilgrimage to Scotland.
3
“I keep hearing”
October 5 - 11
In his letter to Philemon, Paul opened with gratitude and sought awareness of God’s blessings in the world. He had something to be grateful for indeed, for he had been hearing about Philemon’s faith in Jesus and his love for God’s people.
reflection:
If you were to tell someone about WPC, what would you say? Think about a time you saw people from Westminster in action, making a powerful difference in the community. What was that like?
But Paul heard good things about Philemon. As a disciple of Christ, Paul must have sought out these sorts of testaments to the spread of Jesus’ teachings. I wonder how often we seek or even simply recognize the ways Jesus is at work in our lives, in our community.
“
I read about your donation of gift cards to teachers at a Durham school. I want to applaud you for supporting the hardworking teachers (and students) in your area. It was such a thoughtful and kind gesture of support. You set a wonderful example.
”
- Post to WPC Facebook Page following Diaconate’s donation of gift cards to Hope Valley Elementary School teachers (8/21/13)
4
14%
dm
8% in
What Your Generosity Supports:
p
Worship
17%
Music, pastoral leadership, nursery, Flower Guild
Nurture
29%
16%
A
Our world is so filled with noise that it is difficult to hear much of anything. Radios and televisions, phone calls, buzzing machines, and so on. A lot of that noise, particularly on the radio or television, is filled with anger and argument. Reality show characters rant at each other, politicians insult each other, brands put down their competition in hopes of pocketing our money.
e ur t r
Worshi
Outreach
Amidst the noise we encounter every day, we must ask ourselves: What would people say about us here at Westminster, about our faith in Jesus? What would people say about our church’s love for all of God’s people?
Education
I wonder what exactly Paul heard about Philemon and how the news came to him. We don’t know much of Philemon’s background, but we know he was a committed leader in his local Christian community. We know he was privileged enough to host meetings for worship and fellowship in his home. Paul heard about this.
Nu
The discord makes it hard to hear what is important.
New members, Stephen Ministry, youth programs
Outreach Local & global missions, mission trips, Presbytery
Property Insurance, building & grounds maintenance
Administration Technology, phones, office equipment
16%
Education Church School, Bible studies, Vacation Church School
Property 5
“Put into action”
October 12 - 18
After thanking Philemon and reflecting on what he had heard about Philemon’s faith, Paul challenges him.
of what else Paul is doing as he writes: challenging Philemon to put his faith into action wherever he finds himself. Paul wants Philemon to understand that faith is not just an idea, not just something specific you are to believe, but that faith is something that changes your behavior.
Some background is important here. We know Paul is in jail, writing to his friend Philemon. While there, Paul has met Onesimus – likely a slave of Philemon’s who has run away. Onesimus has become a Christian and Paul is impressed by his faithfulness. Paul writes to Philemon, calling on them to be reconciled. Paul wants Philemon and Onesimus to understand that they are now brothers in Jesus Christ.
reflection:
If someone were to observe your life, what would they say about the way you put your faith into action? What else can we do for others?
Time & Talent
Homeless Interfaith Hospitality Network families are coming to stay at WPC for a week. Drivers are needed to bring them to and from the Day Center…
Saying that we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord of all and Savior of the world ought to change our behavior. In believing, we can worry a little less about how our house looks and a little more about those who have no safe place to call home. We can make regular space, even in our busy schedules, for Scripture and prayer. As we encourage our own children’s education, we can spend time in our schools, supporting the education of everyone’s children. We can allocate our resources accordingly.
It is troubling for modern readers that Paul doesn’t say anything explicit about ending slavery as an institution here. Too often throughout history, the church – and we, its members – have stood by as groups were oppressed. I wish that Paul had said something stronger in this letter in that regard.
So, how does the relationship between your faith and your actions challenge you?
But he didn’t. We are left to wonder why, but also to take note 6
The Ash Wednesday Pancake dinner is coming up and the Fellowship Committee needs folks to flip pancakes and wash dishes afterward…
A member of the congregation is recovering from surgery and needs some help with meals for a few weeks… Your Time & Talent pledge fuels the church’s ministries and missions. Consider what gifts and strengths God has given you, and decide which of the 90+ opportunities to pledge to support as you’re able in 2015.
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Each time we bring new individuals into our church community we re-affirm our commitment to them, and to ourselves, to care for one another. Signing up for Time & Talent allows us, as a congregation, to fulfill those promises.
Pledge to support Wednesdays ROCK!, WPC’s mid-week program for kids.
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- Nancy Safrit, Deacon & Congregational Care Coordinator 7
“The generosity that comes” In a few short verses, Paul calls us to both lead with gratitude and to reflect on what others hear about our ministry. He challenges us to put our faith into action as well. Now Paul gets even more specific. He isn’t talking about putting faith into action in a broad-based way; he is calling us to put our faith into action by being generous.
October 19 - 25
reflect more fully on the gifts we have been given, we will get an even better sense of those “good things” we have in Jesus Christ. This is when things get really difficult. Even when we truly take time to reflect with gratitude on the blessings we receive from God, it is our tendency to limit our response. We want to give, we really do, but we want other things more: we want nice homes, nice things, enough flexibility to save up for college for the children, for retirement and vacation. I don’t think these are bad instincts in themselves – wanting to take care of ourselves and the people we love is one expression of our faithfulness!
Generosity is an attitude that is at the heart of the Gospel. We believe in a God who has been profoundly gracious to us, who created the world from chaos and continues to shape it, who has walked alongside God’s people from the beginning. Scripture testifies over and over to God’s love for us. Even when we are faithless, God is faithful. This generosity reaches its peak in the life, death, and resurrection of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ. God’s giving knows no bounds.
But, the problem comes when we confuse our priorities. On the next page are some examples of expenses that many people face. Please spend some time with this graph. Don’t get caught up in the details – some of you will spend more money on some things, less on others. You might categorize
Paul pushes Philemon to respond in generosity as an act of faith, faith that comes as we “understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.” According to Paul, as we 8
reflection:
things differently in your own budget. The goal is to invite you to think about all of the things your household devotes its income toward. What do your expenses say about your priorities?
Shade in the blank bars to chart your own expenses. How is God calling you to be generous? After a prayer, please take time to fill out your financial pledge and Time & Talent pledge. Thanks be to God!
The Bible sets the standard of a tithe – 10% – given in service to God. Where does your giving to the church fit in?
Monthly Expenses Your pledge $180
Cell phone plan for two Cable & internet
$135 $525
Leisure $400
Car payment $300
Utilities
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refreshed. We know of Paul’s gratitude to God because he had heard of the faith of his friend Philemon. Philemon puts that faith into action through acts of generous love. Paul describes the result of those actions: “Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.”
Joy and comfort. Kindness. Hearts refreshed and renewed for Christ’s service. None of this happens without you. How will you respond?
A cart full of food items donated by the congregation is delivered to Meals on Wheels in response to an urgent need this summer.
323 of Westminster’s 396 households pledged a total of $973,796 in 2014.
The Chancel Choir performs at its annual spring concert.
Palm Sunday is celebrated by all ages in worship.
10
WPC volunteers paint a retreat center on a mission trip to Mexico in January 2014.
Our shared commitment to offering a pledge each year provides a firm foundation for Westminster as we seek to build our faith and strengthen our community. 11
We will dedicate our gifts to God in worship on Sunday, November 9.
