Dear friends,
Soon after I came to Edwards Church, I heard a story about the lights in our steeple. In the 1970s, during the energy crisis, the Edwards Church council chose to pause its long-standing practice of lighting the steeple each night. It was a prudent decision, reflecting the church leaders’ commitment to being good stewards of our resources.
Not long after that decision, a call came into the office. It was the Federal Aviation Administration, asking the church to turn the lights back on. Airplanes, they explained, relied on our steeple’s light to guide their way.
What a powerful metaphor! The faithful church leaders had no idea how important the light of this church was for their neighbors and strangers. When they realized it, they understood that it is good stewardship to invest in allowing our light to shine bright.
We told that story at a recent Anniversary Team meeting; it provided inspiration for our new logo, which was designed by Scott and Susan Cleveland’s son, Bill. When we shared the logo at our Stewardship Team meeting, it inspired our theme for this year: “A Beacon of God’s Light: Powered by People.”
Throughout the month of November, we will celebrate the light of God’s love that shines in and through this church. We will hear from church members, sharing how they experience this church as a beacon of God’s light. The choir will sing “Let There Be Light,” the hymn that emerged from our 185th Anniversary hymn contest.
We will reflect on what it means that this beacon of God’s light is “powered by people,” dependent on generous giving of our energy, our time, our talent, and our treasure.
On November 15, we will gather in Sue Dickerman Hall for a congregational meeting led by the Stewardship Team. They will offer information about the well-being of our congregation: how we are caring for one another, how we are serving the wider community, how we are using our resources, what we need to continue to power this beacon of God’s light. I hope you will attend and ask lots of questions, so you can feel confident that your gifts are being used with care.
Around that time, you will receive a letter from the Stewardship Team, inviting you to consider what you can pledge to support this church. We understand that everyone’s financial situation is different; we trust each person (or family) to make a decision that feels faithful to them.
On November 22, we will dedicate our pledges in worship, as part of our Thanksgiving Sunday. On that day, our young people will bring in a lighthouse they will have made from pasta (see article in Announcements about our pasta collection). For each pledge received, they will add another light to the lighthouse. As we commit our resources to support this church, we will see the beacon growing ever brighter.
I am so grateful for the people whose generosity and faithfulness power this beacon of God’s light.
Peace, Debbie