By Luann McIlvaine
I was asked, “Why do you pledge?”
In 1985, I was asked to read at a friend’s wedding and anyone who knows me knows I DO NOT read in front of others, but I could not say no to my friend. I remember everything about that moment, the nervous feeling, the number of pews I had to walk past, and the number of steps I had to climb on my way to the altar. As I walked, I made a deal with God. “God help me with this reading and I will go to church every Sunday”. God fulfilled his part of the deal, I read like a pro. God had answered my prayer that day but it took me ten years to live up to my end of the deal.
Over the next ten years I could count the number of times I went to church on two hands. I only went if I needed something from God, the baptism of our daughters, to ask that my dad and my mother in law would not die, or help me with taking care of my mom. I was raised in the Catholic Church, but every time I went to a Sunday mass, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of people that I had no connection with. I started “shopping” for a new church in 1995 and on a sunny September morning, I took Megan and Breese to St. James’ Episcopal Church because they were going to be in their cousin’s wedding in a few weeks and I wanted them to see the church. By the end of the service, I knew I had found my new church. There were signs that day that I belonged at St. James’; a name similar to my dad’s in the dedication in a prayer book where I was sitting, my mother in law’s first name used in a sermon. I can now count on two hands the number of times I have not been in church over the last nineteen years.
Not only did I find a spiritual home, I found friendships that will last a lifetime. I thank my St. James’ family for their friendship and support. I try to give back to St. James’ with my time and talent by teaching Sunday school, being a member of the altar guild, the Daughters of the King, and helping with various Sunday ministries. Pete and I give of our treasure by pledging each year.
Last year, Pete and I significantly increased our pledge. We had taken out a loan to remodel our kitchen and add an addition to our home. It struck me as I wrote the first check for the loan payment, if we can give this much to a bank we can surely give more to St. James’. So, we made the commitment to increase our pledge not only for the current year, but every year going forward. This takes me back to the question, “Why do you pledge”?
It is not about the building repairs, the bills that need to be paid, or any other financial need of the church. It is my need to thank God for what he gave me twenty nine years ago, the courage and faith to overcome fear and uncertainty, to put my life in His hands. It is my need to give back to God for leading me to St. James’ where He has taught me the miracle and power of prayer, the importance of friendship, the desire for a spiritual home, and the peace and grace of His understanding that I am not perfect. My journey has had many bumps, detours, and roadblocks, but through it all I know that God will always be by my side. That is why I pledge.
