Linking Stewardship and Mission

by The Rev. Sylvia Miller-Mutia

As we move into fall and Celebrate a Season of Creation at Canterbury, we begin to reflect on our stewardship of all God's gifts: our Earth, our health and families, our time and talents, our finances, our Church, and our faith.

Too often we compartmentalize these things in our minds, but really it's all about the same thing.  Everything we have is a gift from God.  Everything we have has the potential to participate in and reveal God's work in the world.

This past Sunday afternoon I met with the Finance Committee at Canterbury.  No surprise, the Finance Committee is thinking about how the stewardship of our personal and church finances at Canterbury supports our mission (or better yet, God's mission) in the world.

At Canterbury, we articulate our participation in God's mission as follows:

We are a reconciling community of Christians who are nurtured at the Lord's Table, grounded in the truths of Scripture and the traditions of the Church, and sustained through prayer. We are called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to:

Celebrate the joy of God's presence
Feed the hungry, heal the wounded, and welcome the stranger
Cherish diversity and strive for unity as one family in Christ
Engage in active ministry to the UNM and CNM
Honor God in all Creation

Cool.  So how can we build a budget for 2016 that puts our financial resources in the service of this mission?

That is the task before us.  And we're counting on your help.

In the coming months we'll be inviting the leaders of various programs and ministries to meet with members of the Finance Committee to discuss hopes and dreams for how our budget might support the programs that support our mission (that is part of God's mission) at Canterbury. 

What ministries and programs at Canterbury are you passionate about?  How do these ministries support our Mission?  What resources (financial and otherwise) do we need to develop these programs and live into our mission more fully? 

Think about it.  Talk about it.  And above all, pray about it.

God is doing great things in the world.  God is inviting us to be part of it.   God has already given us every gift we need for the work God is calling us to do.