The Rich Fool. Luke 12 13-21.
I had hoped to be standing here today giving thanks that our stewardship campaign had been a success.
But as it stands, next week the church’s Finance Team will be looking at the returned pledges and working out what we will cut from our budget next year. Over 200 letters were sent out. We have had less than 30 pledges returned.
What do you want? Do you want a church here at St Chad’s? Do you want your own vicar?
There are certain bills which have to be paid, insurance, heating, lighting, tax, building repairs, common fund.
Sadly there are a number of misconceptions about Common Fund. The money we pay to the diocese goes towards covering the costs of clergy. This money is not paid to the diocese to fund a profligate lifestyle in Colmore Row. It is money which goes towards paying for a vicar at St Chad’s.
The cost of providing a vicar for the church will be in the region of £42,000 in the next two years. The Diocese has asked us to up our common fund contributions to a point where we are “self sufficient” in other words we pay our own way. We have not been asked for the money now, we have been asked to phase in over a three year period the £42,000 target. The diocese will continue to provide legal advice, training for the numerous areas that involve specialised knowledge. Child protection and the care of vulnerable adults spring to mind, but we as a church need to raise enough money to cover our own costs.
St Chad’s has been subsidised by other churches for a number of years. Churches which have been given a common fund target and have exceeded that target by covering the costs of their own priests have ensured that churches elsewhere have stayed open where the common fund has not been met or paid. All the time I have been here we have met our common fund target, but that still means we have been subsidised. For what we have been asked to pay falls well short of the actual costs of providing a vicar.
Does today’s reading about the man who tore down his barns to build bigger storage facilities ring any bells? Jesus told the story when he had been asked to arbitrate over a will. It gave him a chance to outline the Christian attitude to money.
Money is for giving away. In Jesus time everyone was expected to give a tenth of their income to the Temple. Today every local church needs a lot of money. Without generous giving by church members, churches will have to close. Money is needed to maintain the buildings. Here we are keeping a very careful eye on the window frames which after nearly 90 years exposure to all weathers are showing signs that they will soon need some repairs.
While I tithe, in other words I give a 10th of all I earn to the church, I do not expect church members to do the same, although it would be wonderful if you did. What churches throughout the land are suggesting is giving a 20th of your income, that’s 5% of the after tax income to the church. I understand that you may not manage that at first, but like the £42,000 Common Fund request, 5% is a target that can be worked towards over a few years. And most churches find that those on low incomes are proportionately more generous than those who have more disposable income.
Christian teaching about stewardship is not only about money. We are also asked to think about our time and our talents. God has given us 16 waking hours a day, 365 days a year all through our life. How much of that do we give back to God to show our gratitude; an hour a week? Of course we all lead busy lives and nobody ever has enough time, but churches and charities survive only because of the time gladly given by their members to keep the show on the road. God has given us all different abilities and various skills. Have you done an audit of your own talents and how you use them? Could you manage a target of giving 5% of your leisure time and talent to the church, the same as you are aiming towards with your money?
There are jobs around the church which need doing. The North border could do with someone taking it under their wing. The hedge line between the church and the driveway into Rectory park needs to be filled in and kept bushy. The church cleaners would appreciate more people to help. The baptism team is on the lookout for extra people to help with the baptism families who come to church for baptism preparation and on the day of the baptism. Coffee pot is reaching out to the community and you could come along on a Friday to offer companionship to visitors. Christian Aid and the Children’s Society need co-ordinators to build up teams who are willing to be involved with support of those charities, someone who will keep an eye on the notice boards, checking that the notices are up to date and removing those of events which have passed, someone who will produce posters for events and maybe get together a small publicity team who will let the papers know what is happening at St Chad’s as well as ensuring that posters are displayed two weeks in advance.
Nobody is giving orders about how much you should give of time or money…that is between you and God. But when you look back over your life and assess what you have achieved, your generosity is what counts. God won’t ask you how much you own. But if you have given generously of your time, talents and money to the church and to people worse off than yourself, unlike the rich fool from Jesus story, you need have no fears when you stand before your God.
And finally please return your pledges. Many thanks to those who already have returned pledges to the stewardship officer, but it would be beneficial to know that other members of the congregation and friends of the church also want to support St Chad’s. When we know how much money we can anticipate coming in, we will be able to plan for the very expensive window repairs as well as meeting the budget to keep our church afloat.
AMEN
Rev’d Edwina Wallace.
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