By RevWik
This month’s theme question asks us to consider what it means to be a people of interdependence. What does it mean to say that we Unitarian Universalists – because we are Unitarian Universalists – strive to live lives (congregationally and individually) of interdependence? Not surprisingly, this question is worth asking particularly in the context of stewardship.
When you ask people why they choose to support the church – with their time, their talent, or their treasure – many of us will respond by talking about all the ways that the congregation, the community, makes a difference in their lives. Yet because we are Unitarian Universalists we ought also to be supporting TJMC because of the difference it makes in other people’s lives. That’s because we Unitarian Universalists strive to be a people of interdependence! We are in this together, and our faith tradition challenges us to live that truth. One way we can do that is to value the things that other people find important as much as we value the things that particularly speak to us … even if we aren’t personally all that interested in those other things, and even when we don’t understand them. As Unitarian Universalists our stance is an affirmation of all of us, and not just some of us.
Our annual pledge is one way we can manifest this commitment to one another. In order for TJMC to continue to offer the ministries it does for each of us and all of us, we do need financial support. As has been said before, “the free church isn’t free.” If you’ve already pledged for the 2016-2017 church year, thank you. If you haven’t pledged you can do that right on our website! If you have questions, or are unable to make a pledge because of your current financial situation, please don’t hesitate to talk with our Director of Administration and Finance, Christina Rivera or Lead Minister, Rev. Wik (revwik@uucharlottesville.org).
There are lots of other ways of supporting our community that don’t involve money – volunteering to teach religious education, coming to one of our periodic work parties to help take care of our buildings and grounds, singing in the choir, bringing food to a parishioner in need of some comfort and support, serving in a leadership role (of which there are many!). Through any of these, or other, ways we can demonstrate our commitment to being a people of interdependence – each of us sharing of ourselves in support of all of us.
If you would like to be in touch with the Stewardship Team with an idea for ways we can promote a more full understanding of stewardship in our community and encourage more of our members and friends to be active stewards, send a note to RevWik (revwik@uucharlottesville.org).