September 2013
Wholehearted Stewardship

Honest Sharing

It does not happen very often – real, genuine conversations about money, giving, and vocation. The fact that we were hiking was significant. We were so keenly aware of the power and beauty of the earth, the effect of altitude and the sun, and our dependence on water from the very ground on which we walked. Every step took effort but we were determined to “get to the mountain top,” whatever the time and effort, the pain and sacrifice. Yes, there was, and is, something quite formative about being so close to and aware of the earth that breeds honesty and vulnerability.

Along the way, my friend started talking to me about his giving to the Church. He and his wife were both doctors and gave generously of their time and money although he conceded that his wife gave more time than he did. But something did not feel right to him. He was aware – troubled actually - that he spent more on his favorite hobby than he gave to the church. “I just get this nagging feeling that I should give more,” he said. “How will I know when I am giving enough?” My answer came quickly: “When the nagging goes away!” The answer was easy but I knew that for him to get to that point in his life would be as arduous as our hike up the mountain.

We talked on for quite some time about the role God played in his life. He confessed that his wife wanted very much for both of them to join Doctors Without Borders. She was ready to go NOW! He was willing to consider such a move at some time in the future. “I am afraid,” he said. “I am afraid of all that I might have to give up if we start down this path. I just don’t think I can do it.”

Generosity is a gift of the Spirit and it is part of a package! The gift of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NRSV). When the Spirit takes over our lives we are truly made into new people with a new relationship to God, each other, the earth, our gifts and skills, and our relationship to material abundance. Generosity can be a scary thing because it opens the door to the Spirit and when the Spirit leads, we may go in a direction that we would never have chosen for ourselves.

My friend and I were hiking together long enough for the Spirit to lead our conversation into a space of honest sharing. Regardless of the activity - golfing, cooking, picnicking, hiking, gardening, cleaning, eating, service project, etc. - we can all share our stories.

As faith communities we must be increasingly imaginative about how to offer this kind of time and space separate and apart from worship. A congregation might consider a “spiritual gift” of the month and ask everyone to share a story from their life with someone else: Fears. Setbacks. Questions. Anything that could be shared in newsletters or on websites, or during worship.

The more stories a congregation shares, the more apt we will be to move from passive listening to active sharing. We don’t need to climb a mountain to do this, but it will not happen overnight. Remember, patience, too, is a gift of the Spirit.

Angela Emerson is the minister of stewardship development in the Diocese of Vermont. Actively involved with TENS, The Episcopal Network for Stewardship, she currently serves as a board member and blogs regularly for TENS, http://www.tens.org.

Resources

This article is part of the September 2013 Vestry Papers issue on Wholehearted Stewardship