A Message from Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I am in touch with you again today even as I am headed to Charleston, S.C., to be present at the funeral tomorrow of the Rev. Clementa C. Pinckney, who was pastor at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and was a graduate of the ELCA’s Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. Yesterday I shared with you a worship resource titled “Service of Prayer in Remembrance” for use in this Sunday’s worship services.  Today I am sending you a revised version of this resource, now titled “Service of Repentance and Mourning.” The revisions are significant and important; I would not be in touch again today if this weren’t the case. I received valuable feedback from several quarters yesterday, and I decided it was worthwhile to incorporate these responses into a revised worship resource. I hope you will be able to make good use of it. I understand that it may be difficult for some congregations to incorporate this liturgy (or portions of it) into this Sunday’s services. And I know that many of you offered prayers in response to the Charleston shooting in last Sunday’s worship. We will need to be praying about, and acting in response to, this act of racism and hatred, and the sin of racism, for a sustained period of time. I encourage you to use your good discernment and judgment to be creative, flexible and resourceful in how and when you address this situation in your congregations – in worship, in education and discussion, in your collective actions. While this Sunday is designated as one of repentance and mourning for the ELCA, our attention to this cannot be limited to one particular day. Included again for your use this Sunday is the public statement I made June 18, the day after the shooting in Charleston. Share this with your congregation. Thank you again for your ministry and all you do to share the good news of Jesus Christ and God’s healing, redemptive power. Your Sister in Christ, The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Suggested Service of Repentance and Mourning: http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Service_of_Repentance_and_Mourning.pdf http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Service_of_Repentance_and_Mourning.docx   ELCA statement after the Charleston shooting: http://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/long_season_of_disquiet_letter.pdf

Re-think Stewardship

During the Season of Re-thinking (Repentance/Lent): Re-think Stewardship

By Drew Rindfleisch, Intern Pastor at First Trinity, LSTC Class of 2015

I will be honest:  I loathe talking about stewardship drives because it’s almost always about money .  Money is a difficult subject for our families, for our churches, and for many of us living in the dominant culture that sees money as an “inappropriate subject” (especially for dinner conversations).   We don’t have to look very far as the money battles waged in city of Chicago over the last few years have affected our lives—cuts to publics schools and cuts to infrastructure investment in buses and roads; the state legislature’s decisions to cut state worker pensions and mental health clinics rather than raise revenue on publicly traded corporations (2/3 of whom don’t pay any income tax).  And of course, Congress’ recent budget showdown shut down our government and vital human services for our people, and the compromise yielded safety net cuts for the poor and most vulnerable among us.

Treasurer, Marge Fashing, dusts the alter to prepare for Advent

Money is difficult to talk about because it is so personal.  Some of us don’t have very much, while others seem to have limitless funds.  But how we spend our money is important because they reflect our priorities as people of faith, as communities, and as citizens.  As we come to grips with emotional and economic hardships, many of us are left asking, “What do we prioritize, and who do we prioritize?”

For me, priorities comes down to investment and relationship.  On different sides of the aisles, folks want to prioritize different things—investment in infrastructure and job training initiatives to sustain families and communities.  And then there are those who want to prioritize subsidies for oil companies and large corporations, lower tax rates and tax credits that only benefit the few, and deficit reduction that cuts education and public services for veterans, seniors, and the poor and disabled who are hit hardest during these harsh economic times.  With Bridgeport Alliance and IIRON, we are working to make those public investments a reality because these priorities make up a moral document called a budget. And the only way to make a budget work is to cut services by cutting spending, or increase revenues to support the initiatives for public investment.  A church is no different.

But during this time of Lent, it is important to remember and to rethink (“repentance” in its greek roots) that stewardship is more than money.   Stewardship is about prioritizing our investment and cultivating our relationships: our gifts and talents whether they be musical or monetary, , our personal free time and personal stories of freedom in God’s love which we can share freely, and the sustainability of our neighborhood and God’s creation on the streets and in the parks.  We are all called to be a part of the stewardship of money, ministries, and space at First Trinity.

When we invest in our sanctuary and community center, we are investing in one another, in our community, and in our own values rooted in faith.    We are saying that God is calling us to continue the work of building a beautiful, warm, hospitable sanctuary where all of God’s Children, and we mean all people, are welcome.

When we hold each other accountable to financial and volunteer commitments we make, AND give gentle grace to those hurting from financial or emotional hardships, we are saying that words and actions matter—that we value and believe that every Child of God, including ourselves, are important and can make an impact.  No matter how small you may feel or how small your bank account may be; your contribution in time, energy, money, and voice matters.

When we show up to invest or volunteer at God’s Closet, and we make donations or grab some new gear; we affirm that clothes, shelter in the winter (housing), and food are human needs which come must be met with our partners in the neighborhood.  We affirm these basic human rights come from God and are not privileged goods for the few who can afford them.  When we seek to create a safe and hazard-free clothing pantry for children and families, and all of our neighbors; we must question and examine our own stewardship of space in the community center, support initiatives with our own dollars, and find partners in the community to help move God’s Closet into our basement.  When we decide to move into the chapel to lower heating costs after Christmas so that we can keep the lights on and keep paying a part-time pastor, we affirm that our mission at Trinity still matters, and that we believe in honoring the work of those who pastor and accompany us through life’s joys and struggles with a dignified wage, health care benefits, and time off.  
So whatever your situation or your background, re-think stewardship this Lent.  Re-think what you can give: to your relationships, to your community, and to your fellow human beings.  Re-think your investments because they do matter, and they make an impact.  Re-think what you can do, and what you can make possible in this church and in this neighborhood, in our city and in our world.  For with God, all things are possible.

Footnotes and what the Bible say about money and stewardship after the jump.