The Deacon's View
Keeping our Faith Muscle Strong
A big part of being in the Body of Christ corporately is learning how to keep our corporate faith muscle strong.  To do this we need an established discipline of faith-exercise that keeps this muscle from growing slack or atrophying.  Almost three years ago, St. Paul’s took a big step in doing just this: it established an Outreach Fund, that would be funded by gifts from individuals, and whose purpose would be to enhance the outreach mission of St. Paul’s church.  No part of the Fund, or the income it generated, was to be used for the parish’s operating budget.  All money earned by the fund is given away annually: at least 50% is to be given locally, and at least 25% is to go beyond our local borders.  In the first year and a half, over $2,200 of earned income was given away.  In the next five months another $1,500 (figure approximate) will also be distributed.

There are two things that make all of this a faith-exercise:
St. Paul’s was already doing a lot in the area of outreach.  In fact, for a small church, what we were already doing was amazing!  We could have patted ourselves on the back and been satisfied with our good works.
Right now, we are in the process of searching for a new priest, and most of us are aware that money is tight, very tight.  It may seem irrational to be giving away money when we are also talking about needing money.

What makes the Outreach Fund a good example of a faith-exercise, is that it takes us beyond our own area of comfort, and confronts us with neighbors God has given us, neighbors that we often don’t even see.  Faith-exercises remind us that we all have a deep spiritual need to do “costly giving” as long as we journey to follow Christ.

Three ways to be actively involved in the Outreach Fund:

If you know of a worthy need, locally or far away, give the information to a member of the Outreach Committee.
At the annual meeting in January we will be electing two board members.  Are you interested in serving a three year term?  Let us know.
If you want to donate to the Fund (many do this in thanksgiving for or memory of a loved one), talk to Donna or Gay.  There is a Memory Book at the rear of the church that lists those who have given.

                              Gay Blundell, deacon