Stewardship Update: “It comes in real handy down here.”

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by David Schowalter & Moira Rouse, Stewardship Team

Excerpt from “It’s a Wonderful Life,” when George meets Clarence, the angel:

  • George Bailey: Well, you look about the kind of angel I’d get. Sort of a fallen angel, aren’t you? What happened to your wings?
  • Clarence: I haven’t won my wings, yet. That’s why I’m called an Angel Second Class. I have to earn them. And you’ll help me will you?
  • George Bailey: [sarcastic] Sure, sure. How?
  • Clarence: By letting me help you.
  • George Bailey: I know one way you can help me. You don’t happen to have 8,000 bucks on you?
  • Clarence: No, we don’t use money in Heaven.
  • George Bailey: Well, it comes in real handy down here, bud!

As of this writing, our Wonderful Church has raised $160,544, or 71% of our goal of $226,000 for this year’s pledge drive towards next year’s church budget.  We are just beginning to contact those of you we haven’t heard from yet to wrap-up this process (and here is the link submitting your pledge).

You may wish “church” could somehow be above money, be more about spiritual things than tangled up with the earthly business of dollars, banks, invoices and investments. It is true that we lift each other up in the most spiritual ways in all that we do.  But we also get our hands dirty – particularly the Garden On team!  The many wonderful volunteers, lay-leaders and active participants contribute to what happens here.  But all the hours, efforts and plans still need money and none of it could happen without the devotion and diligence of UUCW’s staff -who need and deserve fair wages- and this building.

In the movie, we see all the ways that George uses his job, the mundane Building and Loan business, to support people in their quests for meaning and satisfaction.  His day-to-day worries are consumed by dollars and cents and keeping his business and family afloat, but his North Star guiding that light is the mission to help families have homes. All of our talk about money during church may seem distasteful. But we do need to get our hands dirty.  We must engage this messy world to fulfill our mission to inspire people to take on the challenges of a changing world.  

We sincerely thank all who have made your financial pledge already and who will do so in the next few weeks.  “It comes in real handy down here!”

The Stewardship Team

Moira Rouse
Dave Schowalter