Stewardship

Ministry Pledge Card

Please click HERE to fill out your Ministry Pledge Card.

What is Stewardship?

You can find the answers to many frequently asked questions in the attached document.  If your question isn't answered here, please ask a member of the Stewardship Team (The Rev. Dr. Paul Kolbet, Steve Morrissey, Elisabeth Choi, John Ahonen, Judy Rice) or any member of the Vestry, Staff, or any Clergy member.

Johanna Musselman, “Essential Gifts”

Click HERE to watch a video of her testimony.  

Good morning, St. Paul’s – My name is Johanna Musselman.  This morning, I’d like to share the story of my personal journey at St. Paul’s and the Essential Gifts I have discovered along the way.

My childhood friend, Dale Cavanagh, recommended St. Paul’s after she and I reconnected in Boston in 2019.  My husband & I attended on Easter that year and I also came for the Godspell service.  That’s a tradition I hope will be revived!

Almost exactly two years ago I decided that St. Paul’s would be my new church home.  Three things I noticed about St. Paul’s: 

·         warm and welcoming people

·         exquisite music to lift my heart

·         a deep and abiding commitment to the greater community, through service and worship

These are all great gifts, to be sure, but I had no idea how truly “ESSENTIAL” my connection to St. Paul’s would be until March 2020, when we all went into lockdown at the start of the pandemic.

Four areas came into focus:  Worship, Giving Back, Learning and Engagement

WORSHIP:  I’m not sure if my experience is unique, but as the months of the pandemic went by, I described St. Paul’s, to friends and family, as one of my lifelines.   For a year and a half, I dialed into Sunday worship via Zoom.  I enjoyed singing the familiar hymns and reciting the words of the Nicene Creed and the Lord’s Prayer – touchstones of our shared Episcopal liturgy. I also found connection and comfort at Coffee Hour in the Zoom Breakout Rooms.  I hadn’t previously been a regular attendee at coffee hour, so I met lots of people and looked forward to seeing them again.

GIVING BACK:  Early in the pandemic, I realized that there were still ways to participate, safely, in ministries outside the parish.  I happily ordered books for the Prison Book Ministry, picked up apples and granola bars for Common Cathedral and B-SAFE lunches and, this past July, gathered safely (for the first time) in the St. Paul’s kitchen, to help prepare a hot meal for the B-SAFE kids.  That team effort felt “normal”!

LEARNING:  I also realized I could keep learning despite COVID!  I attended adult education in Fall 2020, led by Elise; it was a great program about Civil Discourse.  The St. Paul’s University concept was an amazing way to teach, learn and connect with others last winter.  What a novel fundraising idea!  I extended my understanding of key issues facing the larger community, by engaging with the newly re-formed GBIO, Greater Boston Interfaith Organization.

ENGAGEMENT:  Lastly, a highlight of the past year was my participation in the Child & Youth Ministries Steering Committee.  I was privileged to be part of a committed team, who engaged with the parish through a survey, in-depth interviews and focus groups.  Assisting with analyzing the research, writing the report, and presenting it to the Vestry, almost all completed remotely, was very meaningful to me.

So, I’ve described the Essential Gifts I have received from St. Paul’s and a little bit about the ways I have strived to give back. 

Throughout the pandemic, the St. Paul’s family demonstrated strength, resiliency, and a continued commitment to its core values, as shared by Jeff in his sermon last week:

o   Connection to Community

o   Support Music and the Arts

o   Commitment to Outside Ministries

If you look around you today, you will see lots of people who have made commitments to St. Paul’s by giving of their time and talent.  The things that happen here at St. Paul’s all happen because of people – the clergy, the staff, the wardens, the vestry, Andy and the choir, the Sunday School teachers and Youth Group leaders, ministry leaders and so many more.  A special “shout out” to the tech. vergers!

Beyond time and talent, this is the time of year that my husband, Dave, and I think about how we might give back financially to St. Paul’s. 

I’d like to quote a brief passage from St. Paul’s 2nd Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 7 (2 Corinthians 9:7)

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

When I read Jeff’s letter about the Pledge Appeal for 2022, I thought not only about the Essential Gifts I received from St. Paul’s but also the gifts I can give back to St. Paul’s.  Time, talent and treasure are all essential to the continuation and expansion of St. Paul’s missions and programs.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak today.