Stewardship

Stewardship is about more than an annual campaign or a season of fundraising. Stewardship is about our whole lives of discipleship. It’s about how we recognize God’s activity in creation, including our own existence, and join our lives with what God is doing in the world.

God calls us to be stewards of divine gifts and and grace by sharing a portion of what we have received to help grow God’s kindom. We do this by sharing our talents and expertise in church worship, ministries, and community outreach. We do this by praying for the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit in our church’s life. And we do this by combining our financial support with that of others’ to ensure ministries that reflect and share the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ flourish through our efforts.

October 22, 2023 Minute for Stewardship

Jennifer Koop

Good morning! My name is Jen Koop and our family has been a part of FVPC since 2019, when we moved to Geneva from Massachusetts. Thank you for this opportunity to share some of the reasons why we are grateful for FVPC and give back to God through this church.

I’m going to start by asking you all to do something a bit painful, I want you all to remember middle school. The reason for invoking these memories is to bring back a time when, at least in my life, I wanted nothing more than to fit in. (Cough) years ago, when I was in middle school, the fashion rage was body suits and baggy jeans. I remember getting myself this amazing brown body suit, some sweet baggy jeans, and, to top it off, a killer vest with embroidered watches all over it. In middle school, I wanted to fit in and be LIKE the cool kids. Somehow I thought that outfit would help. As an adult, I like to think that I have become wiser—I’ve not worn a body suit since. But more importantly, it’s not so much about what you have and how you fit in but rather where you are and how you use what you have. 

 Dave and I chose FVPC because we wanted to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We want our kids to grow up surrounded by people doing their best to live God’s word. The mission and values that are enacted through FVPCs members are what we feel God wants us to be doing and showing to our children. We hope that they grow up grateful for all that we’ve been blessed with and called to help those in need. We hope they develop a strong faith and a deep sense of the importance in showing all God’s children love and compassion. More than anything, we hope they grow up knowing that God always gives us enough. Our pledge shows our commitment to FVPC and I hope that you all will join in too. Thank you.

Abundant Life – Bless the Lord!

Bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless God’s holy name!  Bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not all God’s benefits.  When I was a child, these were the words my family used as a mealtime blessing many evenings.  As is often true in our youth, a prayer like this became somewhat rote over time.  But, as I grow into my later years, it has taken on a deeper meaning.  It is a prayer to be said (or sung!) at any time of the day, in any circumstance - even in times of sadness and despair, not just times of joy and thanksgiving.

This Psalm (105:1-2) is a marvelous reminder of God’s abundance in our lives.  In the midst of constant strife and discord in our world, there is so much for which we can be grateful.  But, we too often overlook those blessings we have received.  There is no doubt that those of us in our senior years are more likely to recognize the blessings we have now and have had throughout our lives – as they say, hindsight is 20/20!  But with a bit of intentional practice, we can all improve our recognition of our blessings. 

During our Abundant Life! Stewardship Campaign this year, I would encourage you to follow the suggested process for writing down your blessings everyday.  Becoming more aware of how richly we are blessed (and that does not just mean financial/material wealth) makes us more aware of how much God has blessed us.  Then we need to ask how we best make use of those blessings to do God’s work through our church.

I encourage you to develop an “attitude of gratitude” over the month ahead (and forever!).  No matter your material, physical or mental condition, you will find that expressing gratitude to God daily will enrich your life.

Blessings,

Joanne Dempsey

2024 Pledge Information

Electronic Financial Pledge Card - 2024

All electronic pledge card submissions are sent directly to Jill Reilly, Financial Administrator.