Pastor's Corner

A message from Pastor Scott:

In his book, The Spirituality of Fundraising, Fr. Henry Nouwen told a story about a banker friend who was a strong contributor to a ministry they both supported. When the friend died, Nouwen reported that his family (who had inherited the man’s wealth) understood that the gifts the man had given to the ministry were based on love that was in his heart. Nouwen described the circumstance as he related the story as if it were explaining a parable:

Through the poverty of the rich man something very much of the kingdom developed. The money was real, but it was not the most impressive part of our relationship. We all had resources: Mine were spiritual and theirs were material. What was impressive was that we all wanted to work for the kingdom, to build a community of love, to let something happen that was greater than we were individually. . . My banker friend helped me see that we must minister to the rich from our own place of wealth—spiritual wealth we have inherited as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

As we approach our ongoing stewardship issues as a congregation, we will be focusing on the spiritual wealth Nouwen describes. In congregations, it is easy to understand budgets as numbers on a page. Sometimes those numbers do not equal the expenses. Sometimes, they reveal amounts that far surpass immediate needs.

Whatever the numbers are pales in comparison to the spiritual gifts we share as people of God. God has entrusted us with these gifts so that we will have the strength and the resources to minister to the world. In congregations, we mostly envision the world as the community where we live. By being part of a Church with ministries world-wide, our gifts also reach everywhere on earth.

To be sure, we may not individually agree with all the actions the Church takes. Yet, we cannot individually support all of the missional opportunities our Church supports around the world. At the same time, most of us cannot individually care for needs in our own community. Yet, God has brought us together to engage in these ministries as a community of faith. 

As October begins, we focus on the work of our community together. Each Sunday we will encounter different messages about God’s work at St. Peter’s. These are messages not of numbers but of the love of Christ dwelling in, through and around us.

Thank you for your participation in St. Peter’s congregation. I give thanks not only for the opportunity God has provided to serve in this place, but also for the growing love we experience as God’s own people working together in faith!

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Scott