WEEK 5—WHEREVER YOU ARE

by Amanda Davis

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here.

I have always loved these words, which we hear each week before coming together at God's table. They convey not only a feeling of welcome, but of recognition that both faith and life itself are journeys. There are times we feel great connection—to God and to our community, seeing God's abundance and joyfully participating in various ministries. At other times, we may find ourselves in a period of wilderness and struggle, when we need to rely on our community to lift us up. Wherever you are, you are seen, you are valued, and you are invited in.

This year's Stewardship theme is Pilgrims Together: Moving Forward in Faith. Pilgrimage provides an opportunity for active reflection and can transform our connections with God, with nature, with ourselves, and with each other. Walking the same paths as myriad pilgrims before us, it is both a deeply personal and incredibly communal act. This stewardship season, I invite you to reflect not only on where you, and Saint Mark's, are now, but ways we can be transformed together through the gifts we share.

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome at Saint Mark's, and we are grateful for your presence in this community.

WEEK 4—SACRED SPACES

by Peter Snyder

Pilgrimage is about seeking out sacred space. But sacred space can also be found close at hand. Week by week, as I worship and engage in ministry at Saint Mark’s Cathedral, I enter into a sacred space—a space where I encounter God in prayer and worship, in music, in the preaching of the Word, in the sacraments, and especially in the lives of those with whom I share this space. Yet the point of sacred space is not to hoard it for ourselves but to invite others in, and to take it with us as we are sent out: "Let us go forth in the name of Christ." This rhythm of gathering and sending is a pilgrimage in its own right that nourishes my soul.

I do not know how even to begin to put a value on all of that. What I do know is that I have never looked at what I give to the church in time or money in transactional terms. Rather, giving is a spiritual discipline that is nurtured by the community of faith and in turn builds up that community. It becomes swept up in the ceaseless tidal flow of sending forth and gathering in.

WEEK 3—PILGRIMAGE OF THE MIND

by Wayne Duncan

Pilgrimage can occur by walking, flying, climbing... and sometimes just by reading, thinking, and discussing. I have been grateful for the pilgrimages I have been able to take over the past six years through the Education for Ministry and Wisdom School offerings at Saint Mark’s.

The Education for Ministry program has led me to feel a connection to the University of the South even though I’ve never stepped foot on the campus, and their course of readings and small-group discussions have taken me to ancient Jerusalem as we studied the Hebrew Bible, to new understandings of the New Testament as we read and discussed John Collins’ book on Biblical values, and through the complex history of the Christian faith through Diarmaid MacCulloch’s challenging Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years, as well as current theological texts that challenge us to look at racism and the issues facing the church in new ways through the writings of Catherine Meeks and Stephanie Spellers.

This small group's weekly journey has been supplemented with the varied and engaging offerings from the Wisdom School, including Richard Rohr’s remote broadcasts of his CONSPIRE conferences from New Mexico, as well as Belden Lane’s lectures on the natural world and Mary Crist’s workshop on the Doctrine of Discovery in our own Bloedel Hall. These offerings have helped me deepen my faith and broaden my understanding of Christian faith and its history. They have helped shape my perspective on Christianity and how I reflect these values in my life. I’m grateful for these opportunities, and grateful too for the opportunity to support these faith formation programs through my annual financial commitment to Saint Mark’s.

WEEK 2—"EXTRA PROTECTION"

by Greg Simon

Our family’s annual pledge or financial commitment to Saint Mark’s comes directly from our bank account. That electronic transfer is very efficient, but it feels a little too impersonal. So my practice has been to make a plate offering of $5 or $10 cash each Sunday. During our pandemic virtual worship, my weekly plate offering also went virtual. As we watched the livestream from our living room, I made a virtual plate offering by Venmo. My pandemic-induced cashless habit has stuck with me, and the cash in my wallet is still left over from 2019. We’ve returned to in-person worship, and now I make my virtual plate offering using Venmo from my pew. A few months ago, a new Venmo feature started asking me if I wanted to “add extra protection to my purchase.” The app tells me that I can “get a full refund if something goes wrong.” I smile and decline. Many things are going right at Saint Mark’s, and I have much to be grateful for here. This community is one place where I don’t need any extra protection.