Witness Statements

Good morning. My wife and I, together with our two children, have been members of St. Luke's for six years. In a few months I will complete a three-year term as a member of the Vestry, and a two-year term as Chair of the St. Luke's Stewardship Committee. Time sure flies!

Looking back I was an unlikely choice to serve as Stewardship Committee Chair. I was born, raised, and spent my entire life - until joining St Luke's - as a Roman Catholic. Christian stewardship was not a concept that was emphasized in my prior religious experience. I had a poor understanding of it. When I accepted the invitation to serve as Chair of the Stewardship Committee, I thought of my role as that of St Luke's head fundraiser, and I was vaguely uncomfortable with the thought that my job was essentially to separate people from their hard-earned funds.

Over time, I learned more about stewardship. In late March/early April 2006, I spent a thought provoking weekend with Father Craig and a number of parishioners of St Luke's in Westborough Massachusetts at the Province I Conference on "Stewardship, Evangelism and Congregational Development." Over the ensuing months, I also read a lot on my own about the theology and practice of Christian stewardship. Here are a few things that I learned and have come at a deep level to personally believe:

• Stewardship is a way of life, an attitude, a way of being in the world.
• It is based upon the belief that all that we have comes from God and that God has entrusted us with all that we have;
• If we truly believe this, then, at its most basic, Christian stewardship is about making good decisions about how we use these gifts;
• Stewardship is about money, but it is about far more than simply this. It is about how we use all of our gifts. It is about our relationships with our families and friends and others. It is about how we care for our bodies and our environment. It is about how we spend our lives.
• As we become more thoughtful about how we spend our time and how we use our other gifts, most people tend will naturally turn away from some of the excesses of the often shallow and materialistic culture that surrounds us. Most people will tend naturally to want to simplify their lives and to focus on what truly matters.
• As we become better stewards, most people realize that there is a real joy in giving generously a portion of what God has given to us.
• We realize that stewardship is not just about the church's need for money it is about our need to learn generosity so that we can be truly happy.

These are insights that the theology of stewardship teaches, but aren't they also truths that we learn just in living life? Aren't most of life's most treasured and satisfying moments precisely those in which we are freely and unreservedly giving of ourselves to others without any prospect of payback or expectation of advantage down the road?

This year's stewardship theme is "Renewing Faith, Reaching Out, Changing Lives."

I would like to conclude by briefly describing how this year's stewardship program came to be. At a meeting early in 2007, the Vestry began a discussion of stewardship. It became obvious very quickly that a number of us felt a need to breath new life into stewardship efforts at St Luke's. Within a matter of days, a Stewardship Committee formed and began a series of weekly meetings. Discussions and meetings have continued regularly at the Vestry level since as well. I must say that it was truly remarkable -- as anyone who has ever served on a committee will appreciate -- that all of us agreed without the need for discussion or debate that what was perhaps most needed was an initiative that would challenge us as individuals and St Luke's as a parish to "reach out" to others.

"Reaching Out" thus became, and remains, the centerpiece of this year's stewardship effort. Over the next two Sundays you will be hearing witnesses on specific projects through which St Luke's has reached out to others in the past. Next Sunday, Adam Neupauer will witness "Our Dominican Mission and Transformation." On October 28th, Jim Rezendes and a guest from Habitat for Humanity will witness "the Grace of Generosity." In our mailing, which we hope that you will have received by now, we have outlined two outreach efforts that the Vestry wishes to support during 2008: the first, respecting the clergy and largely Dominican congregation of St George's Church in Central Falls; the second, an enhanced commitment to Habitat for Humanity. We hope and pray that these efforts will be just the beginning of a broadened outreach initiative by St Luke's over the next few years.

As you might expect, such increased outreach will present financial challenges to our budget and we hope that you will consider increasing your pledge from the amount pledged last year, or, if you did not pledge last year, that you will consider pledging for 2008 in support of our outreach program and the other ministries and operational needs of St Luke's. Not all of us necessarily have the time in our busy lives to minister to the needs of folks in Central Falls, or help construct a home for a poor person in our own community. But by making or increasing your pledge, your money will be acting on your behalf!

But, then again, this isn't just about money and isn't only about the people outside of our parish who will benefit from our outreach. It is about you and me as well.

For the challenge to Reach Out to others is really a challenge and opportunity for us to realize the spiritual benefits of being better and more generous stewards and happier, more fulfilled people.

Renewing Faith, Reaching Out, Changing Lives.

It is the sincere hope of the Vestry and Stewardship Committee of St. Luke's that the faith that such outreach renews and the lives that such generosity changes will be our own as well as others.

Thank you.

As we become better stewards, most people realize that there is a real joy in giving generously a portion of what God has given to us.

Organizing a Stewardship Committee is usually the hardest job in a parish. People are suddenly "very busy" or "going away" when asked to join the annual effort. Not this year. It's hard to say why, but several of us stepped forward to join Brendan Radigan on the Stewardship Committee last spring. And we all felt strongly that it was time to try something different when it came to stewardship and the October pledge drive. Still, it's a long way from "something different" to something new. We met over several months, checking in with the Vestry and Finance committees from time to time to make sure our ideas weren't too wacky. We got great feedback, then debuted our ideas for some parishioners at a b-b-q at John and Lorene Thompson's in August. The thrust of our plan: make outreach the foundation of our appeal. We'd seen how specific stories of outreach -- from youth witnesses from the Dominican Republic trips to guest speakers from Episcopal Charities -- really energized the parish. We saw that it was easy to give when you could see the good it produced.

St. Luke's, like every parish, has lots of brick-and-mortar expenses that focus spending inward. All our dreaming of fabulous outreach efforts won't heat the building come January, or pay salaries for our wonderful and very hard working staff. So, we came to understand that our outreach plans would require us to stretch beyond what we've already been doing. A tall order. But one that we were consistently encouraged to strive for. The Finance Committee was particularly encouraging of our efforts. They saw what we saw: that while many individuals were giving more each year, but in looking back over the past several years, there were fewer individuals pledging overall. That can never be good news for a parish, especially one as vibrant as St. Luke's. How could we help people feel that giving to St. Luke's would bring them closer to God? We hope that our outreach plans for the next year will do just that. As Brendan Radigan said so well a few weeks ago in church:

But, then again, this isn't just about money and isn't only about the people outside of our parish who will benefit from our outreach. It is about you and me as well. For the challenge to Reach Out to others is really a challenge and opportunity for us to realize the spiritual benefits of being better and more generous stewards and happier, more fulfilled people. Renewing Faith, Reaching Out, Changing Lives. It is the sincere hope of the Vestry and Stewardship Committee of St. Luke's that the faith that such outreach renews and the lives that such generosity changes will be our own as well as others.

And don't forget: We will be celebrating the culmination of parish stewardship efforts in ONE COMBINED SERVICE AT 9 a.m. on SUNDAY, NOV. 11. Should be a party!

We saw that it was easy to give when you could see the good it produced.

A Beloved Son

Good Morning: Thank you Father Craig for allowing me a few minutes to share with the congregation my sincerest appreciation and gratefulness to you as well as to all the wonderful church school leaders who, over the years, have provided our children with much wisdom, inspiration and hope through the youth ministry of this Church. Both of my children have benefited immensely from the unselfish giving and devotion of others so that they might have a better understanding of the church and its mission, the teachings of the Holy Gospel, and the true meaning of giving of one’s self unto others. In a world that is seemingly endlessly fraught with uncertainty, divisiveness, moral decay and the daily and incomprehendable departure from common sense and personal responsibility, it is this church, its congregation and its leadership for which I am so thankful for in helping to reinforce the best values and principles by which we strive to live our daily lives. This church has truly been a welcome beacon of light for all of us, and particularly, for our children. For all of this, we are truly blessed and most grateful.

I am reminded of a story that Father Craig has told this congregation from time to time, particularly as it relates to forming the foundation of our relationships with God and the Church in our own lives as well as instilling and nurturing this spiritual foundation in our children’s lives. It is unique because it tells about one of those chance encounters in life that one never forgets. The story begins, quite by chance, on a warm summer afternoon back in 1993 as my two children and I, Max, age 3 at the time and Morgan, age 1 and in a stroller, were criss-crossing Academy Field on our way home from a trip to town for ice cream. As we were walking across the field, a tremendous thunderstorm appeared out of nowhere and we were quickly surrounded by flashes of lightning, bolts of thunder and teaming rain. The closest shelter appeared to be under the overhang of St. Lukes and we quickly made our way to the safety of the church to ride out the storm. As we waited for the storm to pass, and as if by Divine Intervention, the door to the church quickly opened and we were greeted by none other than Father Craig himself, who welcomed us into the church with open arms along with a delightful offer of cake, soda and coffee. He was by himself that day and just happened to have stopped by the church that afternoon. I quickly realized what a spiritual moment this had become, as did Father Craig. This was a true offering of “Shelter from the Storm” to quote Bob Dylan. We had a wonderful conversation with Father Craig as we got to know each other. He and I both acknowledged how fate and God has brought us all together in that moment of time. Having just moved back into East Greenwich after 6 years in South County and having been congregants of St. Elizabeth’s Church in Hopkinton, I knew this chance encounter would begin a new journey for all of us into the warmth and serene sanctity of St. Lukes Church and its congregation. I also realized that the foundation had been set for Max and Morgan to grow and embrace the spiritual formation that would be so important in their young lives. I have been forever grateful to Father Craig for opening the doors of the church that day and embracing all of us. It was truly “meant to be”.

Fast-forwarding to today, Max, along with his fellow youth group missioners, has just recently completed his second trip to the Dominican Republic with Project Reunite. I know these trips have had a profound impact on Max and his perspective on life in general. The exposure to another culture so far removed from his own and yet joined together so cohesively through the spirit of worship and mission, has enlightened him to the conditions other people live in, often, quite happily. To quote Max, “it was amazing to see people so happy with so little”. It is quite obvious that the virtues of kindness, compassion, empathy and leadership have been bestowed and reinforced upon him as well as all of his fellow youth missioners. After having listened to their inspirational messages in church following their return from the Dominican Republic and after having read their individual memoires in the Anchor, I think it is safe to say that it is experiences like these for our children that truly do help carry them through the “Journey to Adulthood”. These experiences also help to prepare them for dealing with the realities of life and the world we live in and the true meaning and joy of giving of one’s self. Again, I am so thankful to this church, to the adult chaperones who volunteered their time to accompany and watch over our kids during their trip and to this congregation for its spiritual and financial support of these very worthy missions.

So it is with these thoughts in mind that I turn to this moment of joy and exhilaration for my son Max, who is serving this morning as the Crucifer for the last time after many years of faithful service, as he graduates from Bishop Hendricken High School and then, tomorrow, begins his next journey in life in the service of the United States Marine Corp.

Following his 13 weeks of training at Boot Camp on Paris Island in South Carolina, Max will return home to begin college in the fall at Suffolk University in Boston. He will then begin his 6 year commitment to the Marines as a Reservist and will then be prepared to serve when called upon. Max will take with him all of the previously mentioned virtues that are so important in life and carry them proudly as he enters military service and represents this great country of ours with pride and honor. His mother, his sister and I could not be more proud of him. The leadership skills this church has imbued in Max have prepared him well to serve in his new mission to help and bring hope to others in need throughout the world. To Max, I thank you for being such a wonderful son and for making me so incredibly proud of you. You are the embodiment of all the best qualities of a son any parent could ever ask for. The sacrifices you are about to make and the commitment you have made to yourself and to your country show me that you have learned your lessons well. You are an inspiration to us all. I know the St. Lukes community has been a major influence in your young life and the lessons learned here will serve you well wherever your life may take you. We are so lucky to be a part of this great congregation and Church. Thanks again to you Father Craig and to the entire congregation.

Semper Fi, Max!

I knew this chance encounter would begin a new journey for all of us into the warmth and serene sanctity of St. Lukes Church and its congregation.