From the Vicar...

Give and it shall be given to you

In these opening days of my ministry among you as Vicar, I'd like to take some time to reflect upon our Christian stewardship. Over the next three issues of the E-News, I will be writing about three important topics. Today's installment: "Give and it shall be given to you."

Giving, not until it hurts, but until it is deeply rewarding, is the key to authentic Christian stewardship. Most of us think of giving in very limited terms - making a financial contribution. But as Christian stewards, we are asked to give of more than just money; we are called to give of our action, our ability, and our abundance - the very essence of our lives.

Action, the gift of our time

One of the greatest gifts God gives us is the twenty-four hours we get at the start of each new day. All too often we squander those 1,440 minutes on unimportant activities, such as surfing the Internet, or watching TV. Yet many of us believe we never have enough time. The idea of giving up some of our precious moments can be much more difficult than making a monetary contribution. For that reason, a gift of time is a good place to start living as a Christian steward.

One of the best uses of our time is in prayer. Without daily regular prayer, most of us can never make the leap of faith required by authentic Christian stewardship. We should set aside some time each day to offer God the gift of prayer.

Volunteering is another way we can give of our time. We can spend time in a school, work with the elderly, visit the sick, or be a lector or a lay Eucharistic minister. As long as we hand back a portion of each day to the One who made all our days without thinking of what we can get in return, we are living the life of a steward.

Ability, the gift of our skills

Every one of us has something we can do to help others. It doesn't matter how rich or how poor we are, how smart, educated, or famous we might be. Each of us has been given at least one gift that we can use on behalf of the rest of humanity. For every skill you possess, there is a need somewhere in your family, your congregation, your community. To deny our God-given talents is not a virtue. Our abilities should be recognized, cherished - and shared.

Abundance, the gift of our possessions

Every one of us who lives in America is rich, even if we don't feel that way. All but the most disciplined or saintly among us have closets, drawers, basements, attics, cupboards, and garages full of stuff. We even hang on to things we no longer want or need!

That's not what God intended. God did not give us the blessings of money, personal property, real estate, stocks, and other possessions to hoard, waste or squander. They have been given to us to share with others. As Christian stewards, we are called to graciously let the objects in our life come and go, as the needs of those around us demand.

Giving a portion of our financial resources is part of stewardship living. It is a powerful way of showing we truly believe that all we possess has been given to us by our God - and that, to quote St. Francis, "it is in giving that we receive." Some advocate sacrificial giving as a way to make sure we return a portion of our wealth to the Lord. While sacrificial giving doesn't entail a specific amount, it does mean we make God our top priority.

A theologian named R.N. Rodenmyer wrote this about giving in his book, Thanks Be to God:   "There are three kinds of giving: grudge giving, duty giving, and thanks giving. Grudge giving says, 'I have to,' duty giving says, 'I ought to,' and thanks giving says, 'I want to.' The first comes from constraint, the second from a sense of obligation, the third from a full heart. Nothing much is conveyed in grudge giving since 'the gift without the giver is bare.' Something more happens in duty giving, but there is no song to it. Thanks giving is an open gate into the love of God."

Fr. Chip

This week's "Ministry Minute"...

... Speakers are

Trinity Church: Ann Russell - founding and active member 

Christ Church:  Suzanne George - choir member and volunteer church cleaner

Highlights of the January joint Bishop's Committee meeting

After an opening reflection by retiring Christ Church Warden Chuck Ott in which he encouraged us all to listen and enter into dialogue, also to "be" more and worry less about "doing," the joint Bishop's Committee spent much of its meeting reviewing financial statements for the year ending Dec. 31 and approving budgets for 2013.

The Christ Church budget shows $90,000 in total income with $96,000 in projected expenses. If the diocese approves a proposed adjustment to Fair Share, the budget would be relatively close to balance. As 2012 ended "in the black" this puts Christ Church in a positive position coming into the new year.

The Trinity Church budget is somewhat further out of balance, with expected revenues of $108,500 and projected expenses of $135,000. With $10,000 in Fair Share relief, the shortfall would be in the $15,000 range - an improvement over last year's $20,000 projected deficit. The 2012 budget year ended $4,300 "in the red" with pledges running very close to budget and expenditures running below budget.

The other highlight of the meeting was the nomination reports from both churches:

At Christ Church:

• Craig Davis in nominated to serve as Warden.
• Jean Wadman is completing Susan Sinnott's term and is running for reelection.
• Gary Dozier is completing his first term and running for a second term.
• Betty Lane is completing her first term and is not returning.
• Glen Flowers and Katie Towler are running for at-large positions.
• Kris Ebbeson is staying on as Treasurer, with Jim Sparrell coming on board as Assistant Treasurer. At some point later in the year, they will switch roles and Jim will become Treasurer.

At Trinity:

• Patrice Wood will be appointed by the Vicar as Senior Warden.
• John Normand, Crystal Sexton and Ginnie Lee McCaddin are staying on.
• Robert Bischoff is going to run for Treasurer.
• Wes Rowe is completing Mike Spinelli's term and may be willing to run for another term.
• Ginny Bridle is leaving.
• Peter is leaving his Treasurer's role but running for at at-large seat.
• Rusty is leaving his Warden role but is willing to stay on as at-large, and, if needed, clerk.
• Clerk remains an open position.

• Trinity Church 
• Christ Church 

 

We are hoping that January is not only the beginning of a great year for every parishioner individually, but as for the many youth endeavors that we are about to embark upon as part of the greater seacoast Episcopal community. The month of January we will be looking at the gifts that have been given to us as children of God through the birth of Jesus.

During Gospel for Kids, we will look at the baptismal promises and what it means to be a baptized Episcopalian. We know that St. John the Baptist said that he baptized with water, but another coming after him would be baptizing with the fire of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel for Kids program, we will be introducing the ever presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

Sunday Schedule

1st & 3rd Sundays

• At Christ Church: Godly Play (10:30 am) 
• At Trinity: Gospel Lessons for Kids (8:45 am) 

 2nd & 4th Sundays

• At Christ Church: Gospel Lessions for Kids (10:30 am) 
• At Trinity: Child Supervision (8:45 am)

Volunteers Needed: J. R. needs a volunteer to help out at each church to run the Gospel for Kids programs. This commitment is for two Sundays. If I could get six volunteers that would mean every volunteer would miss TWO Sundays the whole year to offer our expanded Sunday school offerings.    

We ask that you continue to pray for all those who are impacted by the storms, and please consider making a donation to the Hurricane Sandy Response Fund to support our partners in the US and the Caribbean.

E.R.D. Sunday is celebrated with an in-gathering on the first Sunday during Lent. 

This year the collection will be given to the general fund to be used in the area of most need. 

We invite you to share in the 2013 Lenten email series from Episcopal Relief & Development. Each day during Lent you will receive a daily reflection, in both English and Spanish, co-authored by a group of respected leaders from across the Episcopal Church. During this season of reflection on our Christian faith, their writings will enhance your spiritual journey as they both inspire and challenge you.

Sign up to receive our Daily Lenten Meditations by email at www.er-d.org

Resources:

Episcopal Relief & Development Hurricane Sandy Response Fund 

EPISCOPAL RELIEF & DEVELOPMENT HURRICANE SANDY UPDATE SITE

EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE   

Alexis Zaricki, Music Director

• Trinity: 8:00 am - 8:30 am
• Christ Church: After the 10:30 am service

• Saturdays: Food Pantry at Hobbs House Trinity. 10:00 am - noon (Sandi Nickerson & Gordon Lane)
• Sundays: The Christ Church "Holy Roller" Bus (Chuck Ott)
• 1st Saturday of the month: Portsmouth Salvation Army Suppers, 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (Jean Wadman)
• 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month: St. Vincent Soup Kitchen, Hampton (Ginny Bridle-Russell & Phoebe Bischoff)
• 1st Sundays of the month: Pastoral Visit to the Oceanside Rehabilitation Center, Hampton (Bob Main & Belinda Wilkes)
• The Canister Ministry at Trinity. Have you ever walked out of Trinity Church, and noticed those random boxes by the exit? Were you curious to what that ministry was all about? Well there are actually several ministries being offered in a one drop stop. Learn more   

Contact Amanda or Aidan for clothing donation drop off or clothing needs 603.918.6816 or email dress4schoolsuccess@comcast.net.

 Content Submission Guidelines 

The Shared Ministry E-News is an electronic newsletter for members of Trinity Episcopal Church, Hampton and Christ Episcopal Church, Portsmouth. It is published weekly on Thursdays. We welcome submissions that have a connection to the ministry of these churches. Inclusion of submissions is at the discretion of Reverend Robinson.

Please email submissions to porthamp@gmail.com or mail to the office at Trinity Church, 200 High St, Hampton, NH 03842 or Christ Church, 1035 Lafayette Rd, Portsmouth, NH 03801. Entries should follow the Submission Guidelines.

NOTE: The deadline to send a submission is Wednesday at noon.