'BEEING" ALL WE CAN "BEE"
Stewardship Sunday March 4, 2007
The Reverend Anne Felton Hines
For several years now, I’ve wanted to pattern our Stewardship Sunday after the pledge drives for public radio and TV – where at the most inappropriate times during our worship service – like the choir anthem and my sermon – someone would interrupt us in order to plead for money. But for some reason, I’ve never been able to sell the idea; people seem to think we should keep our worship service – well, worshipful! Still, sometime before I retire, I want to try it. And fortunately for those of you who disapprove of the idea, that should be a long way off! J
Still, we do believe in having some fun and even silliness during our annual drive to fund this church. This year our theme has been “Beeing All We Can Bee,” with the spelling of “Be” “B-E-E” – as in honeybee. We took the image from Rhod Zimmerman’s amusing poem that he wrote after these new buildings were built – in which he suggested that even in the face of great odds and even greater skepticism from so-called “experts,” the members and friends of Emerson performed like “worker bees” to raise the funds necessary to resurrect this church after the massive Northridge earthquake. According to Rhod, those of you who were here then – you “worker bees” – just kept saying, “We can do it; yes we can!”
And so we have used that image in everything for this year’s Stewardship Drive, which culminates today. Thanks to Traci Davis, we had little worker bees – complete with hammers, paintbrushes, and the like – covering the Stewardship brochure you received a couple of weeks ago.
And Lynne Masuhara has created our honeycomb on the wall, and individual little bees for every person who pledges. (You will note that there are already some bees up there; those are named for some of the church leadership, as well as newer members, who have already turned in their pledges.)
And just to make sure we don’t take ourselves too seriously, you will each be given a miniature bottle of bubbles later in the service, with a bee on the top, and the words “Be Your Best” written on the side! You will be invited to blow bubbles after you’ve pledged.
But before we get to the fun and silliness, I do want to talk a bit about the serious side of Stewardship. Because the important question in that Responsive Reading by John Wolfe isn’t, “Why join a church?” The important question is: “Why support it?”
We have all been asked over the past three weeks to answer that question – to consider what this church and this Faith mean to us, and then to reflect that meaning in a pledge of financial support for the coming fiscal year. Rev. Wolfe gives many fine reasons for supporting our church, but you are the only ones who can answer the question for yourselves; and in a few minutes, you will be asked to write your “answer” in the form of a pledge for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st.
But I’d suggest that you do more than answer the question of what the church and UUism mean to you. I’m also asking that you think about the future of this church – what you’d like to see it become, and how you can help move it towards your visions. Stewardship is about stretching ourselves so that our beloved church can “be all it can be.”
One day last week, Lynne Masuhara met with me to talk about my visions for Emerson and my financial pledge to help support it. I said that my hope for Emerson hasn’t changed all that much since I first came: I want us to grow – in spiritual depth, in our commitment to the larger world, and in the number of people who join our church. I want the West Valley community to know that there is a church that speaks up for those who have no voice; that stands in solidarity with the most vulnerable of our society; that steadfastly witnesses against injustice and for peace; and that welcomes all people, especially those who are shunned by others because of their theology or because of their sexual orientation.
I want those who long for a religious community such as ours to find their way here, to this place, to this congregation of people – just as all of you did at one time. I want them to find the comfort, the joy, the inspiration, the “religious home” that keeps all of you coming back.
You have your visions – your hopes and dreams for Emerson, too. And I look forward to hearing them as your Board of Trustees begin seeking them.
But in order to continue moving toward our hopes and dreams, we have some very serious demands before us, which require a serious financial response. I could stand here with a litany of important needs – a Sexton because we can’t continue leaving the security of our buildings to chance; health insurance for our office assistant, because we know it’s an issue of justice; expanded hours for both our office assistant and music director so they can meet the needs of a growing congregation. Some of you could add to this list, I’m sure.
But among all the needs we have, the most urgent one this year is the funding of our Religious Education Coordinator, Marlene Everingham. As most of you know, half of her salary and Professional Expenses for the past two years have been paid by a grant from our Pacific Southwest District Chalice-Lighters; that grant ends June 30th. This means that we need to come up with, at a minimum, an additional $6,000 if we are to keep Marlene at the 17 hours per week she now works. And that wouldn’t include any raise in compensation.
Our R.E. program has grown steadily under Marlene’s direction – both in numbers and in energy.
Equally important is the fact that because of Marlene’s presence, our volunteers have received relief from the stress they experienced when they had to carry the entire program themselves. They can now be freed up to perform those aspects of Religious Education they truly enjoy – or even to offer their services in a completely different area of the church. Some of them even now get to attend worship; what a concept!
We now have a paid caregiver for infants and toddlers. We were able to split one of the classes into two more appropriate age groupings. And we finally have two teachers for every class – offering continuity and security for the children, and relief for the teachers. This has been a major goal.
In addition, Marlene wanted me to make sure you know that R.E. has a “listening ear” – a suggestion box in her office, and she truly welcomes your ideas!
The religious education of our young people is one of the most important aspects of our movement. As overused as the phrase is, they are the future of Unitarian Universalism; its presence in the world depends on them.
Not only that, but they deserve to have the values of UUism in their young lives. It offers them a unique way of looking at the deepest questions of life; it offers them a freedom not found anywhere else; it offers them an avenue through which they can help transform the world; and most importantly, it offers them hope in a world that often feels hopeless. All that Unitarian Universalism and Emerson Church offers us adults, it also offers our youth. And therefore we have a responsibility to fund it fully.
And I am happy to say that we are well on our way towards meeting that challenge. As of yesterday, twenty-one households had made their financial commitment for the 2007 to 08 budget, totaling over $72,000. That’s an increase over last year of more than 9%.
And this year we have an extra incentive to increase our pledges: An anonymous donor has offered to match all new pledges and increases over current pledges, up to $10,000. That means that every dollar by which you increase your pledge will automatically double. I know that some of our members whose names are already on those bees up there, hadn’t thought they could raise their pledges over what they had given last year; but because of this generous offer, they stretched themselves once again and increased.
I, too, have increased my pledge, by at least 10% -- knowing that it will automatically be doubled, as if I were increasing by 20%. I hope that you, too, will increase your pledge, knowing that your generosity will be matched by the generosity of someone who wants this church to be all it can be. There are people beyond these walls who need us to be all we can be.
A few weeks ago I was attending a meeting of the new L.A. Chapter of the Network of Spiritual Progressives. At the end of the meeting we were invited to close our eyes and imagine how it would feel if the world were free of war, of injustice, of poverty, of environmental damage. What came up for me was a vision of no longer having to fear for my grandchildren as I read the newspaper every morning; and it brought tears to my eyes.
The poet cries out, “So much is unfolding that must complete its gesture, so much is in bud.”
That’s how I feel about this church: We have begun so much, accomplished so much together; surely we will not let it slide. Surely we will let our hopes and our visions be reflected in what we are able to promise in financial support. Surely we will step forward and meet the challenge, so that we may more strongly meet the challenges of our world.
For so much is in bud.
© 2007 Anne Felton Hines. All rights reserved.
