Stewardship 2013—“Building a Rainbow of Giving”

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Here in Hawai‘i, we are surrounded by rainbows. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t glimpse a rainbow on the drive to work or up in the valley. Songs tell us that where we live there are rainbows and fill hearts with visions of places over the rainbow. We see rainbows on signs, and we carry rainbow banners in parades. Rainbows cheer our hearts and offer hope of new beginnings, prosperity, and good fortune.

In history, the rainbow has carried a variety of meanings. In Hawai‘i, a rainbow (ānuenue) was a sign of a noble presence. In Genesis, God placed his bow in the sky as the symbol of his promise to Noah that God would never again destroy the earth in a flood. The same story also reminds us how new beginnings build upon the old, as Noah and his family—along with the pairs of animals that had been taken into the ark—began the fill the earth again after the flood.

Here at LCH, we celebrate all of our new beginnings that build on what has gone before. Pastor Angela has joined with us to recommit to campus ministry, youth ministry, and neighborhood outreach. On our campus we have newly-available space for our ministry, and we have begun laying solid plans for covering the Hörmann Courtyard through our m1ssion campaign. We welcome all our new members and friends and give our gratitude to Kathy Crosier for her many years of service as our organist.

We give thanks to God who provides for all of our needs. We accept the challenge to build our own rainbow, to live genuinely and celebrate the changes in our congregation, and to continue to build on the solid foundation of our heritage and traditions in meaningful worship and community service.

Just like the varied colors of the rainbow, we all have various gifts to share. Perhaps your gift is serving as a lay assistant or a choir member at weekly worship services. Maybe you enjoy serving in community outreach through organizations such as IHS or Wounded Warriors or One Pot One Hope. There will be new opportunities to share your talents and time with our Youth and with Campus Ministry. All of these ministries and more are a sign of your commitment to God and our faith community at LCH.

Beginning in the last two weeks of September and continuing over the first few weeks of October, we will be examining ten principles of stewardship (PDF) that undergird our efforts to build a rainbow of giving. Members of the Church Council and others will be sharing two principles each week, and each of you will receive a slip of paper with that week’s principles printed on it. Each slip will be a different color, so you can combine them into a rainbow chain, and following Reformation Sunday (October 28th) we will link them all together for a great congregational rainbow in celebration of our loving God who makes all things new.

Also on Reformation Sunday, we will be distributing stewardship packets and challenging each of us to renew our commitment and ministry by promising to support God’s work through us at LCH. On the first Sunday of November, we will also have a quiet place set up for those of you who would like to complete a commitment card while you are at church and then can submit your pledge immediately.

In addition to these activities directed towards our commitments for 2013, the Stewardship Committee will also provide an opportunity for you to gather information from our local Thrivent representatives to assist you in considering a legacy gift in your estate planning.

As you build your own personal rainbow of giving, we ask you to accept the challenge and live genuinely, contribute regularly, commit intentionally, give proportionately, share abundantly, give willingly, sacrifice, obey and respond to God’s call to all of us to share the Gospel of God’s love for each of us with all the world.

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