Welcome to our Minister for Stewardship Development
by the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo, March 2008

In my January Mountain Echo column I spoke about entering the New Year with hope and about four matters that will be an important part of 2008 for us as a diocese and for me.

The first of those is the welcoming of the Reverend Angela Emerson as our new Minister for Stewardship Development. Angela began her ministry among us on February 1, and I thought it would be a good thing to offer her an opportunity to introduce herself and her ministry to us. So, I have invited her to use the balance of this space in the Mountain Echo to do just that. I do hope you will join me in welcoming Angela to Vermont and offer her the support she will need to be effective in her ministry.

Welcome Angela!

+Thomas

“I have come to think of giving as a spiritual discipline.”
by the Reverend Angela Emerson

In 1991, I volunteered to chair the fall stewardship campaign for my parish, St. Stephen’s in Milledgeville, Ga. Little did I know that the road to the fall campaign would lead me to experience God’s forgiveness and God’s generosity in a way that would change my life forever.

Through the years, (and many ups and downs and false starts) I have come to think of giving as a spiritual discipline. Through other spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, and reflection, I have grown spiritually in the discipline of giving. I am a tither. I tithe because giving of my money is a reminder that we worship a God who gives freely and unconditionally. I tithe because my giving allows me to affirm and reaffirm that all that I am and all that I have is gift from God. I tithe because every time I write a check I have the opportunity to choose what is at the center of my life—the creature comforts and pleasures of this world, or the God of love and abundance.

One of the things that I have learned about myself on this stewardship journey is that I need to be in contact with people whose lives are different from mine. More particularly, I need to be in contact with people who live on the margins of our culture. When I give a portion of my time to ministries that serve those on the margins—economically, physically, or mentally—I learn a great deal about thanksgiving and joy. I experience God in a new and different way. The experience makes me want to be a better steward of the gifts that God has given to me.

As I have walked this path of learning to be a steward of the mysteries and abundance of God, I have met many wonderful people who have shared their stories with me. Their stories of challenge and joy and their practices of giving and sharing have inspired me and moved me to explore new ways to give in support and furtherance of God’s work in the world. My exploration has now led me to the Diocese of Vermont.

In the coming months (and years) I hope that we will have many opportunities to share our anxieties and barriers about our lives as God’s stewards as well as opportunities to celebrate the joys that come from growing our ability to live in the image of a God who gives to us. I will be attending the Province I Stewardship and Evangelism conference in March and look forward to meeting many of you there. Slowly but surely I will make my way to each of the parishes, either for a social event, service project, or worship time.

As I begin this work among you I ask for your prayers, your suggestions, and your companionship along the way.

Go to index of Bishop Ely's Mountain Echo columns and letters to the diocese