Saints are not born to it

                Except most rarely

Nor by default do they come to God having no other choice.

But rather, like sunflowers do they grow and turn,

Following the course of God with upturned faces,

Growing each day taller, stronger,

more resistant to the wind of the world

and even in times without sun

They wait, turned toward dawn, knowing the promise of light.

In their holy simplicity, the saints of God remember what I forget too easily:

That having found the Son, the source of life,

We give thanks for the saints. I would define a saint as one who is a child of God, and through this one, God’s love and light shines.

Congregations that approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective see financial contributions as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their incomes. They do not view the money given to their church merely as a way to pay its bills.

This year’s stewardship campaign – A Celebration of Gratitude – will focus on the biblical and spiritual principles of stewardship. Out of gratitude and thanksgiving for all God has given us, we respond in giving. We do so proportionately and systematically in response to the question, “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?”