Each day God places a small piece of the Kingdom in each of our hands, and for me, St. Clare’s has become over the years, a very active, visible and palpable piece of God’s growing Kingdom among us all. Indeed, this stewardship season it is good to remember that in our hands we hold both an awesome responsibility and a gift of unimaginable Grace!
A few years ago, a country group, Sugarland hit the charts with a song called “Something More.” One phrase was very memorable: “Armageddon could be knocking at my door, but I ain’t gonna answer, that’s for sure. There’s got to be something more!”
Some 41 years ago, when Judie Erb and I first landed in Ann Arbor, we were only too aware that the world was filled with suffering, poverty, war, and impending environmental catastrophes. We had no solutions and were definitely looking for “something more.” Initially, our shopping for a church home was spectacularly unsuccessful. Then, by chance, one Sunday I stopped by St. Clare’s during a 12 o’clock folk service. Immediately I realized I had found “something more,” and we have been active members of St. Clare’s ever since.
While, at first, that “something more” was a only welcoming community that embraced joyfully worshiping God, during the past 41 years, we have been privileged to be part of a faith community that year by year has grown ever more vibrant. We partnered with TBE to provide facilities that were large enough for us to grow. Our church school program grew from being mediocre to being spectacular. We have a fantastic youth program and our youth now can participate in numerous service opportunities. Our music program and choir blossomed and fills many of our lives with joy. Our clergy provides us with spiritual guidance, liturgical innovation, and the wise leadership needed for facing future challenges. We are welcoming regardless of ethnicity or sexual, political or theological orientation. We provide relief, medical care and hope to Haitians living in Mirebalais. We work with other faith communities to feed the hungry at the Back Door Food Pantry, the Salvation Army Kitchen, and the Delonis Center and provide shelter for the homeless during the winter. And because so many St. Clarians actively work to bring God’s Kingdom into the lives of those around us, every few years, we raise up a new postulant for the priesthood.
Judie and I have been blessed for 41 years to be member of St. Clare’s, and I give thanks for our congregation’s many faithful stewards, the ones who decided, year after year, to unselfishly give their encouragement, time and money to support St. Clare’s operation. Their contributions have enabled St. Clare’s to be that “something more” in the lives of each of us.
But our journey together is far from over. With God’s grace and with the strong support of each of us during this stewardship season, I pray that St. Clare’s will continue to be “something more” in each of our lives for many years to come.
by Jim Downward
Stewards in the Hands of a Loving God 