Faith Stories: Growing Through Grace
When asked to speak on Stewardship, little did I know how the theme would make my head swim. I prayed to God and asked for help on how I should talk about Stewardship based on the theme, “Growing Through Grace.”
First of all, let’s establish what grace is in Christianity. You know there are many different meanings of the word. The Christian meaning of grace is the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in salvation of sins and the bestowal of blessings. After praying and pondering on the theme, “Growing Through Grace,” I heard God say, “Make it personal.”
If a person walks through the doors of St. John’s and does not feel welcomed and loved, they just might be in need of a heart transplant! I walked through those doors about five years ago with my sons Kevin and Devin. The first person I remember greeting us with a big hug and warm smile is Kathleen Adams. (Now mind you there were many others who greeted us that day.) She stands out because on the next Sunday, she remembered all of our names. She didn’t get the boys’ names mixed up. That’s impressive in my book!
As I continued to grow through grace here at St. John’s, I stumbled into the Seekers Sunday School class while Devin was with Mrs. Marilyn and Mrs. Sarah. They invited me to visit with them until I found a class I felt comfortable, as in, I’m not a visitor anymore! I’m family! That’s right FAMILY. Carol, Don, Mr. Guy, Sally, Buffie, Larry, Fran, John, Pam, Ms. Bev, Daphne, Belinda, David, Achilla, Ms. Grace and Jane are who I go to for advice, prayer and someone to pick Devin up from school. FAMILY!
I’ve grown through grace with the choir, thanks to a very talented and loving group of people (Carrie, Terry, Karen, Beleice, Diane, Catherine, Gay, Jimmy, Kathy, Susanna, Sally, Phil, John, Pat, Christine, Molly, Chester, Mr.Tom, Deidre, Ray, Bob (the judge), Mark and Troy). I’ve grown through grace in the puppet ministry. These are the most creative and talented people on the face of the earth! (Mr. Guy, Gay, Daphne, Bob and Jane, Devin and the other Jane) But that’s not all, St. John’s! I’ve grown through grace with my time and my money. As sure as I have grown, many of you have grown through grace too. It’s my prayer that we as a church continue to feed people both spiritually and physically by sharing our gifts through witness and service.
God bless you,
Darlene Dickson