We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

2023 Sun Oct 8

Stewardship is…

Stewardship IS..

“The Vestry needs your pledge by Oct. 24. From the Sept 26 sermon, “When I fill out my pledge card this year, I’m going to try to remember that all that I have is a gift—as Richard Rohr says, “It’s all a gift!” –and that I can share my financial gifts freely with not only St Peter’s, but with many other groups as well, the groups that are doing what I would consider to be God’s work out in the world.”

Stewardship is … Everything I do after I say, “I believe.” Stewardship is our thankful and intentional response to the question, “What is God calling me to do with the gifts God has entrusted to me?”

Why pledge ? The pledges are the major way to support what St. Peter’s values – food distribution and meals in our community, education, outreach to those in need, Christian education and fellowship for all.

We are stewards, caretakers of God’s gifts. Everything we have was a gift from God, and God asks us to use it all for God’s purposes. Generosity flows naturally out of our gratitude for the gift of love, family, and life itself.

Stewards promote the Shalom of the Kingdom: blessings of life, health, growth, harmony, justice, abundance, fulfillment, joy, praise of God

In the church, we are stewards of the good news of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.We are called to share that good news with new generations. But we live in a world where sharing that news is becoming ever more challenging. In order to share the good news, we need financial and other resources.

Our worries about stewardship tend to focus on money. But stewardship is all about mission. It’s those gifts which help St. Peter’s ministries thrive – food distribution and meals in our community, outreach to those in need, Christian education and fellowship for all.    

Convince people that the church is doing God’s mission and that it will truly transform our lives and our communities … and each of us is an integral part of that mission … heart, mind and body … and the money will follow.

Stewardship is …

+ Sharing in God’s mission with a glad, generous and grateful heart.

+ Transforming lives in our community.

+ Prayerfully responding to God’s call.

+ A deeply spiritual matter.

+ Something that blesses the giver more than the receiver.

Stewardship is discipleship; it is a complete reorientation of our lives toward God, who calls us through Jesus Christ.

Stewardship thoughts from Canterbury Cathedral

This week Canterbury Cathedral iin south England is celebrating their first Generosity Week between Sunday Oct. 3 – Oct.10. As they write, “The aim is to help us in our journey of faith, to consider the significance of generosity as Christians, and to reflect on what we can each do to demonstrate our gratitude for God’s love.”

“Throughout Generosity Week, we will be sharing links to information and reflections on this theme.”

This video which deals with “Giving Time” is part of their reflections and part of the of the Church of England stewardship teachings for this week

“Generosity is at the heart of Christian faith. God gave the world his only Son because he loved it so much. The generosity we show is testament to our lived out faith and our generous God. Each day we can be a generous disciple. Whether that’s giving to those in need or helping a neighbor, generosity lives through these everyday acts of kindness that make a huge difference to people’s lives. This harvest we invite you to join us for Generosity Week as together we will celebrate the generosity of those who have helped us through these difficult times, reflect on God’s generosity to us, and explore how we can grow generosity in our Cathedral community.”

Stewardship FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Stewardship at St. Peter’s

What is stewardship? Stewardship is an expression of gratitude and thankfulness for the blessings of life that come from God. It is love shared and love returned. A life lived in gratitude is a life lived in love

Why does St. Peter’s call stewardship a spiritual practice? Any spiritual practice is based on faith – faith that the act repeated regularly will increase our awareness of the presence of God and will gradually remove from our lives walls we erect that block God’s grace. Spiritual practices include worship, prayer, silence and meditation, contemplation, reading scripture, and giving. Giving (financial stewardship, in our focus here) has numerous spiritual benefits. Here are just three: First, stewardship reduces our attachment to things material. We learn that by giving away something we “have” really does not diminish us at all. Our needs continue to be met by God. Second, giving chips away at our belief in the concept of “mine” and “yours”. Giving helps us better experience truth that we are indeed one in spirit. And finally, in some mysterious way, our willingness to give determines our willingness to receive. No doubt all of us know someone who would never give anything to someone else and, in turn, would never accept a gift. We must be willing to give in order to be open to receiving. And God is giving to us every moment of the day. Our willingness to give enhances our ability to accept God’s gifts.

Is my stewardship defined only by the money I give to the church? Absolutely not. Time and service given to others is a critical component of stewardship. Our church can’t function without these gifts of time and service.

Why is making a pledge important? Pledges have two purposes. One is between you and God.  Pledging yourself to any spiritual practice increases the likelihood you will actually do it. In the fall each year we ask you to commit to the practice of giving. We’re most concerned with your commitment to this practice, and less concerned with how much you give.   For many of us, a pledge to give money to the church is a way that we say thanks to God and practice our faith.

Second, the vestry does its best to operate the church on a sound financial basis, and having a good handle of how much people plan to give in the coming year enhances the vestry’s ability to plan responsibly.   

What percent of the church’s annual budget is supported by pledges? About 83%. The rest of the operating budget is supported by cash offerings and donations,. It’s simple – our programs depend on pledge support.

What happens if I make a pledge and find I cannot fulfill it? Your pledge is not a contract. It is a spiritual commitment. You need to inform the treasurer if you cannot meet or to need to adjust your pledge so that we can make adjustments to operations as needed.

How much should I give? Am I expected to tithe? If you asked ten different members of the church this question you would likely get ten different answers. We encourage you to give a gift that is meaningful. For someone like Bill and Melinda Gates, who could likely live an extravagant lifestyle on 1% of their income, a tithe of 10% of their income may or may not be meaningful. To the contrary, a single parent with several children in college who has a budget down to the last dollar, a pledge of one-tenth of one-percent may be meaningful. To quote the lyrics from the song “One” by U2 (which started as a Christian rock band), “We’re one, but we’re not the same, we get to carry each other, carry each other”. If we can all give a gift that is meaningful to us, we will be able to reach our goals.

Practicing Generosity in an Age of Anxiety

From Penny Nash at St. Stephens, Richmond.

“We live in anxious times. I receive daily invitations to worry. I am susceptible to anxiety, both free-floating and specific. Loved ones traveling, Ebola, terrorists, my children, the economy. Discord among friends. And money. Especially money.

“Over the years, I have tried to practice generosity as a response to anxiety.

“This only works if I first can remember how generous God is to us-and to me. I remember our stories: how God provided manna in the wilderness; how Jesus made gallons upon gallons of wine at Cana; how the disciples/fishermen caught so many fish their nets nearly broke; how many people Jesus fed on the mountain and how many he healed in every town and city; how the oil and flour never gave out for the widow of Zarephath; how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.

“If I truly believe in God’s generosity, then perhaps I can let go of my anxiety and try to be generous myself. But this has to happen not only in my head but also in my actions. And that’s where we get to the part about money.

“A wise mentor told me that when he starts feeling anxious about money, that means he needs to write a check. He needs to give money away so that it will not have control over him, feed his anxiety, and make him grasping and hard-hearted. He needs to give money away so that he will realize he is fine, he has what he needs, he can trust God. His kids will still be able to go to college even if he gives generously to God’s mission on earth through the church.

“God is good. We have more than enough. So in the face of anxiety, be generous. I’ve tried it. And it works.”