Why do I give to the church? I could instead ask the vestry to lower my salary by the amount that Jennifer and I choose to give and save everyone a lot of time. Or I could give to the church where I grew up, the one that sent me to seminary. I could give to some other charitable organization, like Harbor Connects or The Human Fund. Or I could not give at all. I’ve made a career out of going to church, and there’s hardly a waking hour that goes by without me thinking of the church or the people here.
Jennifer and I give to St. Francis because we are part of the community; we believe in the work that the church is doing. It’s good for me to physically write a check so I can see how much is going out of our account (it’s not a huge amount, but the kids and I could have a LOT more Lego if we didn’t pledge).
St. Francis is doing good work. There is someone on campus every day of the week: AA, Al-Anon, Yoga, The Scouts of America, beaders, quilters, DAR, Town and Country, the SoCal Cotillion (not the real name, but the same idea), Peninsula High Symphony, and multiple other groups.
Then there are all the things that WE do: Sunday services, Taizé, the Healing Service, Grief Group, St. Anne’s, Men’s Group, Choir Practice, Meditation, SAGES, Sunday School, Youth Group, St. Luke’s Breakfast, the Antiques Show and Sale, the Rummage Sale, and lots of others that I’m forgetting.
Every week we have new people in the congregation; I’ve even seen people who could be in their twenties, the rarest of all age groups in church. I give to the church out of a sense of duty and respect, and because in many ways it’s the least of the things Jesus asks us to do (giving money is SO much easier than loving my neighbor). I give to the church because I don’t ever want to ask people to do something I haven’t done or will not do. Finally, I give to the church because I fiercely believe in our mission: to reconcile all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.
The Rev. Jason Shelby
Rector