Stewardship: More Than Enough
And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Luke 9:16-17, NRSV
Dear St. James’ Members,
In Abundant Gratitude, every time I think of our Saint James', I am overwhelmed with gratefulness for you and all the members of our parish. I have witnessed such generosity throughout the years as you contribute your ideas, funds, and time to our community. Every dollar we raise, every minute of volunteerism, and every good plan comes from the heart and goes toward our mission. In regular times, it is impressive, but as we emerge out of the most challenging parts of COVID-19, your efforts qualify as extraordinary.
Our pledge campaign this year focuses on the miracle of sharing, how our means meet the world's needs, how we respond to the Gospel, and how we sustain our community. Our theology of giving focuses on the three-legged stool of Wealth, Works, and Wisdom, how we make our gifts to the world. In this letter, I would like to focus on wisdom.
The scriptures of our tradition treat wisdom in a personified manner. Wisdom is a source of inspiration, creativity, and guidance that has been a part of the world since it was chaos. Wisdom smooths out the edges of our Creation and gives us ways to set things in order, plan for change, prepare for renewal, and appreciate what we have. She (the pronoun often ascribed to wisdom) is in all of us, resonating, reacting, and reaching forward to connect with God and all people.
More Than Enough, the theme for our campaign, brings us back to that moment of miracle described in Luke's Gospel, having just been fed by Jesus from a scant few loaves and fishes. The people in that story heard Jesus' call to share what they had so that all might benefit, and that is what you do with the gifts of wisdom and resources you possess. Through the mission and ministry of Saint James', Jesus calls us to bring what we have to serve each other and all of humanity.
Wisdom adds to wisdom, love adds to love, service adds to service, and our whole community overflows with
the feeling that we are the hands of Jesus in the world. You are part of the vital work of Jesus in our parish, in
Houston, and beyond. Without you, our church's ministry would be diminished. In a few weeks, you will receive
an invitation to name and pledge the gifts you will make in the coming year to help our church and our neighbors.
I ask that you pray with us as we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and launch our annual stewardship campaign.
Together, we gather our gifts and show our gratitude, so consider how you will contribute your gifts of wisdom and
resource to spread the Gospel in 2023
Father Thomas+
For more information about the 2023 Stewardship Campaign "More than Enough," contact the church office at (713) 526-9571.
