Trish Lawson's Blog

A little over the last month and a half ago, you have heard myself and a handful of us speak during Sunday service as to how being a part of First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso has enriched our lives. I have loved the way the raw and real emotions our stories have made ourselves and others feel, and I hope that this could be the start of an ongoing “lead-in” to Sunday services. Right now, we are in the midst of our annual Stewardship Campaign and my first one ever as part of the team. Once I agreed to join the team, I wanted to see what the definition of Stewardship was as it pertains to the church. I found a few different versions but this one was my favorite explanation by far!

Dave Brigg writes, "Stewardship is not just another term for giving money to support church ministries. Stewardship is simply the act of being a steward. A biblical steward is one who has been entrusted with the property of the owner and expected to manage it wisely as the owner himself would."

Three short sentences with so much packed into them, let's break it down:

1) Stewardship is not just another term for giving money to support church ministries: 100% correct! The term Stewardshipgets such a bad rap. There is so much more to it than its financial component. Do we need dollars? Of course. Do we need people to help put those dollars to work? Yes!

2) Stewardship is simply the act of being a steward: Ok, this sentence sounds like the answer I would have given my 3rd grade Theology teacher trying to pull one over on her! The next sentence really brings it home!

3) A biblical steward is one who has been entrusted with the property of the owner and expected to manage it wisely as the owner himself (or herself) would: We as a congregation (aka Biblical Stewards) have been entrusted with the property (aka the church) of the owner (aka God) and expected to manage it wisely as the owner (aka God) would.

After reading this, I realized I may just be the FPCV poster child of being an “overachieving” good steward! No, I am not “tooting my own horn;” but I have made a prayerful decision to allow God to be my guide to use my time, talents and even finances for the good of our church. I began as a teacher on the Faith Formation team a few years back and still enjoy my time teaching Sunday mornings. I accepted the call to be an Elder, which I feel was one of the best decisions I have made here. I am the moderator for Congregational Life and between myself and my amazing team we have put together some fantastic community building events! This year, I was moderator for the Elder & Deacon Nomination Committee where my team and I reached out to our congregation in hopes of them accepting the call to serve. Membership, Matthew 25, Stewardship, and the Capital Campaign (which is undergoing a name change) rounds out what I feel called to be a part of.

Now I am not saying “if I can do it”… nope, not even close! What I am saying is talk to the Elders, Deacons, and Pastor Kim, let God be your guide. There is a place for each one of us here. Imagine what we could do if we had ALL of us working together! We are not a dying church y’all. Our pulse is strong, we just need to get the blood flowing! Can I get an AMEN?!

~Trish Lawson~