Dear Friends of St. Matthew's:

In the last two months alone we observed a powerful Holy Week, celebrated Jesus' resurrection from the dead with a festive Easter liturgy featuring numerous musicians from our congregation including many young adults, hosted a middle school retreat for 35 Episcopalians from as far away as Rochester and Chatfield (13 of our own middle schoolers attended), and sponsored a jazz workshop and Vespers led by the Rev. Andy Barnett and his Theodicy Jazz Collective. On Friday I will journey to the Riverwood Conference Center with 45 women from St. Matthew's and two from Holy Trinity to grow in relationship with God and one another, and to learn more about the Enneagram from spiritual director Kay Vander Vort.

The Holy Spirit continues to move in and through the people of St. Matthew's, as we gather together as a faith community to worship, learn, and serve, and as we each live as followers of the Way of Jesus in our daily lives. In order to acknowledge and support the fact that the primary place most of us serve and live as ambassadors of Christ is in our workplaces, the places we volunteer to help others, our neighborhoods, and families, we've rethought and retooled our approach to faith formation.

When I talk with most people in our faith community, they are excited about what is happening and what God is up to in our midst. And yet when you look at St. Matthew's pledging statistics, you will see that only 95 out of 155 households have made a financial pledge or commitment to our church (61%), and that 10 households contribute 40% of our pledge income. That pattern means that if one of these 10 households cannot pledge or has to reduce their pledge due to illness, retirement, or a move, St. Matthew's budget will take a serious hit.

This is why I am so excited that Dan White and a newly-formed Generosity Team is willing to help all of us think more deeply about and engage in the spiritual practice of financial generosity. Financial generosity is for many of us the "last hurdle" to truly trusting God. Trusting that we can be financially generous and have enough to pay our bills and provide for our families can feel scary and like a leap of faith. And yet when we do give back from the resources God has given us, we grow in faith and in generosity. When we give to God's work through the church, we are fully invested. As Jesus tells us in Matthew's Gospel, "where your treasure is, your heart will be there also."

Over the course of our marriage, Dwight and I have worked toward a tithe, giving 10% of our income to the church and other organizations we believe in. And yes, I have found myself even more invested in the organizations to which we give. Like many of you, I also share the time and talent God has given me. I have learned how important it is to be fully invested!

This spring and summer, I encourage you to pray with your household about pledging for the first time, or increasing your pledge.  I am so grateful for the time, talent, and treasure so many of you share with our faith community and the many different people and organizations we are connected to.

With gratitude,
Blair