In a Christian context, "stewardship" refers to the responsibility we have for the gifts that God has bestowed. In a Church setting, stewardship has been characterized as sharing our time, talent and treasure.
Pledging/financial offering is the primary way in which members and friends of UNMC share their treasure with our community of faith to fulfill stewardship obligations, but it is not the only way. We have a long-standing tradition in this Church of augmenting our budget by individual members quietly stepping forward to meet needs of the Church--whether by underwriting an unanticipated major building expense, in kind donations of unbudgeted-for office equipment, donating professional services that the Church otherwise could not afford, or the like. Newer members of our community may not be aware fully of this fact, and even long-time Church members may at times take for granted the often-unsung generosity that abides in this community.
Similarly, many members of the UNMC family quietly and tirelessly donate countless hours of their personal time and talents for the greater good of our community of faith. Those contributions
similarly risk getting lost in UNMC's often shy culture of quiet reserve.
There is always a risk when you give public thanks of leaving someone off the list, but a fear we might forget someone is no excuse for not publicly thanking anyone. Instead, let us just acknowledge up front this list is far from exhaustive. Consider this a "first installment," a way of getting the ball rolling in a concerted community effort to do a better job of letting each other know that we appreciate each other's many contributions to our community. This time of transition presents a real opportunity for our community of faith to step up ongoing efforts of purposeful self-examination and cultural modification and improvement.
The Board of Trustees will get us started this month by offering on behalf of the UNMC community special thanks, in no particular order, to the following individuals and groups:
Donna Simonton, for her recent generous donation of much-needed new curtains and drapes
David Skidmore, for his longstanding service as Leland Place coordinator Our Welcome and Membership Committee for its many ongoing efforts toward improving our hospitality, and particularly also to our greeters recruited as an important part of this effort
Al Templeton for reorganizing the Romaine-van Schaick kitchen space
Paul Hannah & Al Templeton for their ground-breaking service as Building Usage Coordinators
Jorn Dakin, for stepping up to chair the Building & Grounds Committee in its time of need
Rob Bertram & Richard Hurst for serving as our Worship Coordinators during this transition time, as well as our liturgists Richard Hurst, Sue Mosher, Jennifer Sandberg, and David Skidmore for continued high quality worship at UNMC
David Fox for representing UNMC at the inauguration of his brother and our minister emeritus Dr. William L. Fox as President of Culver-Stockton College in Missouri
Kimberly Durham Bates, our Administrator, for continued conscientious, good-natured service as the glue that holds UNMC's operations together
Donna Simonton for serving as impromptu "cantor,"leading us in hymns when the choir is not present
Kirk Denton, who somehow continues to make musical magic for us no matter what we or the Gottfried organ manage to throw his way
David Fox, who quietly plays various key roles in keeping things running smoothly for us Sundays
Sue Mosher and Richard Zierdt for transferring the Church to a new hosting service and updating it with current material as well as a growing sermon library
Brian Pepper and Clint McCully, who toil for us endlessly dealing with UNMC's many financial issues
Russell Chapman, who continues to share his background knowledge and counsel as "Verger Emeritus Extroardinaire" whenever we need him (despite his personal needs to step back and take a break)
Mary Simmons for taking over as Chancel Flower Coordinator, thereby easing Russell's burden
David Burton for his "think piece"suggesting a myriad of activities the Church can undertake to help it grow (several of which already have been acted upon)
Now, for what will become a monthly Anchor column, we encourage all parishioners to nominate similar items for public recognition and thanks, whether an item reflects your neighbor's contribution or your own. (And before you say, in typical quiet and reserved UNMC fashion "but how could I ever toot my own horn," just think about this: our UNMC community cannot thank you, if we aren't aware of what you've done.) Recognition may be for recent or past contributions--however the spirit moves you.
Posted by Kimberly Durham Bates at April 29, 2004 12:37 PM