Tracy Kugler

SUSTAINING OUR MISSION

11/03/24

A couple of years ago, I read Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, The Book of Longings. It’s an imaginative retelling of the life of Jesus and his early followers, told mostly from the perspective of Jesus’ wife. (I said it was imaginative!) Being immersed in the daily life of Jesus and those close to him made me realize at a deeper level than I ever had before that one reason Jesus identified so closely with society’s outcasts was because he was one himself. Not only was Jesus a Jew, a community oppressed under Roman rule, he was from a working-class family in a small town. Importantly, before the Christmas story was woven around them, the circumstances of his birth were highly questionable. No wonder he identified with prostitutes, cripples, and other “undesirables.”  This was the perspective from which Jesus imagined God’s kin-dom, a world where he and all those like him would be seen, loved, and encouraged to be their full selves.

Fast forward two thousand years, and I think it is important for us to recognize that we see the world from a very different place than Jesus did. As a predominantly white, mostly middle-class congregation in urban America, we are largely people of privilege. Of the characters in the gospel stories, we are probably most akin to the Roman citizens. Acknowledging that difference in perspective is an important first step in finding our path toward nurturing God’s kin-dom. I am grateful that St. Paul’s is doing that work, through efforts like our Land Acknowledgement, honest discussions around public safety, and conversations about white supremacy. 

For me, being a follower of Jesus means working with heart, mind, and soul to bring God’s kin-dom into being by seeking justice and building a world where every being in God’s creation can thrive. I know I can’t do that work alone. No one, not even Jesus, could. One of the reasons I love SPUCC is that seeking justice is more than just words in our mission statement, it truly is something we strive to live as a community. 

By supporting SPUCC financially and with my time and talents, I know my contributions are joined with yours and with the Spirit into something far greater than the sum of its parts. Like the boy whose five loaves and two fish fed a crowd of five thousand, I see my gifts multiplied far beyond reasonable expectations. Thank you for all you give that makes that miracle happen. I hope you are inspired to build on those gifts to not just sustain our mission, but to strive for the true transformation those in Jesus’s sandals so desperately need.

Mike Hotz

SUSTAINING OUR FAITH

10/27/24

It is good to share with you today as part of our stewardship campaign, Sustaining Our Souls. I want to thank the stewardship committee for this opportunity to share some of my story and how it connects to sustaining our faith. I also want to thank those of you who have been part of this community fordecades, for your hard work, soul-searching, and faithful giving. There is a biblical principle that there can be no harvest unless someone plants. And you’ve planted in a way that is reaping a beautiful harvest. It’s hard for me to believe, but 54 weeks ago was the first time, Ann, and I walked through the doors of St. Paul’s. At the time, we weren’t looking for a church to join, but rather, I was exploring what it might look like to transfer my ordination to the UCC. See, I had been in vocational ministry for nearly 27 years and came to the realization that my curious and expanding faith was being constrained by a denomination that was increasingly rigid and unwelcoming. For me, it was a moment to shake the dust from my shoes and stop supporting by association a theological interpretation that harms the dignity of others and doesn’t reflect the expansiveness of God’s love. But a funny thing happened that I just didn’t see coming when we walked through the doors of St. Paul’s. While I was looking for a denomination where my theology and faith could flourish and I could potentially serve, what I truly needed was a community where my faith could be healed and sustained and my soul not just sustained but renewed. I think I knew this deep down but had maybe forgotten that faith doesn’t happen in isolation; it can’t be sustained without community, and our souls can’t be made whole alone. So we came to St. Paul’s not knowing another person with the exception of Kelly Gallagher, whom I knew because of my vocational interest in the UCC; not really looking for community, but once we walked through the doors, it was like, “Oh yeah. That is what my soul is longing for!” So I look around the room today, seeing the faces not of strangers but of people I get to do life and faith with, and it is so good, and frankly, I’ve stopped my search because we belong here. Practically, we’ve experienced having our faith in God and community restored and sustained in a number of ways. We are pretty regular attendees of the Words on the Word and worship on Sunday mornings, Wednesday night dinners, Journey of Faith, and Thursday Faith Formation. We attended church camp where we just got to be and be recharged. We have enjoyed conversations filled with curiosity, dignity, and love about God’s ongoing work of liberation. These things sustain our faith. We live at a time when faith and trust in almost everything is eroding or being challenged, and our sense of community is fracturing. One of the reasons we give to St. Paul’s regularly is that we know firsthand the importance of finding a community that you can call home, where people are loved, and where faith in God and community can be renewed and sustained. A place where we can ask questions of faith with curiosity, free from judgment, and we can encounter the presence of God. St. Paul’s is an incredibly rare and special place where people are seen, faith is formed and sustained, and we want to make sure that St. Paul’s continues to be that kind of safe place today, tomorrow, and beyond for all who walk through those doors because in our hurting world and community, people need a place where they are seen and loved just as they are. So, we’re looking forward to making a pledge and adding our resources to yours so that our community can keep being a place where curiosity and faith can come together. Thank you.

Robyn & Reid Westrom

SUSTAINING OUR HOPE

10/20/24

It’s a privilege to give, and to have enough to share. Both of us grew up in churches that started to teach us about tithing early. A predictable part of Sunday School curriculum involved the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes and distributing the card stock coin banks, usually in the shape of a fish, to collect loose change and present at the altar on Stewardship Sunday. As a child, investing in the belief that part of my allowance or birthday dollars or babysitting money could be used to create a greater good, felt powerful. It was easier to give 10% of what I had when my parents were providing room and board and orthodontia and music lessons, etc. So as adults, our vision to share and to view ourselves and philanthropists, as Sarah described last week in her sermon, can have transformative power. When we prioritize our pledge to St. Paul’s, Reid and I choose to invest in the life of the church that is not merely surviving but thriving. We especially appreciate the opportunity, the wealth of opportunities to work and serve and discover alongside other people in this church through activities like Habitat for Humanity, The Monday dinners throughout St. Paul, working in the archives, etc.

We see our planning giving as a step made in hope and trust in as community that has welcomed us as new members and offered us opportunity to participate in the life and workings of the church. We see St. Paul’s welcoming people from so many different traditions, spiritual paths and identities. And for us. Our financial commitment is an acknowledgement of our hope in this community. By welcome we mean authentically welcome. I think we have seen places that have put out a sign that says all are welcome when in fact some are more welcome than others. We feel here, everyone is authentically welcome. There are so many spaces and places and opportunity to feel and participate in that hospitality. For us, one thing that we especially appreciate are discussion whether it’s about a book that the congregation is reading or whether it’s in the time called Words on the Word Sunday mornings before the service, where we get a chance to reflect on the scripture being preached on that day. We grew up in quite conservative churches where children were not encouraged to ask questions. The answers were very rigid, there were correct answers in the back of the book and we were encouraged to memorize them and regurgitate them. That continued into adulthood where questioning, offering ideas, exchanging, listening – when that is squelched, so is growth. We find that this is a community that really encourages everyone to make their voice heard, to listen to others and to grow together.

Hope is a positive view of the future. Regardless of the anxieties we may have about the future, our hope is that we always have a place to come back to, to feel that hospitality, and to share in it with you. We feel that that hope needs support, practically speaking. And so that goes back to our giving, because we know that the reality is we need to show our support and we need to show our gratitude for the leaders who make this community possible, that show us the hospitality that we so much love. Thank you.

Kathy Hull

SUSTAINING OUR SOULS

10/13/24

When this year’s Stewardship Committee took up the task of deciding a theme for this year’s pledge campaign, we considered several options but ultimately found ourselves drawn to the phrase “Sustaining our souls.” As I thought about some remarks for today, I reflected on the meaning of sustaining, of sustenance, and how it relates to our collective life here at St. Paul’s UCC. And I invite you to join me in reflecting on two important kinds of sustaining that happen here.

The first is how St. Paul’s sustains our souls. For some of us, a significant part of that sustenance comes from the weekly experience of worshiping together, sharing in meaningful words and beautiful music that touch our souls. We may also find our souls sustained by the pastoral care we receive, from our ministers, and sometimes from one another, in our times of greatest need. Sometimes our souls take sustenance from shared gatherings and activities, be it Journey of Faith, church camp, Sunday school, choir practice, or coffee hour. (By the way, I can’t tell you how many times I have caught myself or heard other congregants referring to coffee hour as happy hour – a slip of the tongue that is actually quite fitting.) One of the most emphatic lessons of the imposed isolation of the pandemic lockdowns was how very social we humans are, how much we rely on connecting with one another as food for our souls – soul food!

The second kind of sustaining I invite you to think about is the ways we sustain St. Paul’s – not just one another, but St. Paul’s itself as thriving sanctuary for our souls. I served as moderator before Rick, and the years spent in that role were truly eye-opening in terms of how a church operates: all the details that need to be taken care of, the bills to be paid, the services to be planned, the programs to be coordinated, the volunteer roles to be filled. It’s a lot! And we give our time, our ideas, our prayers, and yes, our money. But are we giving in proportion to the significance of St. Paul’s in our lives?

This past summer, my spouse Kate and I had a bit of a health scare with our beloved dog, Milo the miniature schnauzer. I’ll spare you the gory medical details, but within the span of a week he made two trips to urgent care, ended up hospitalized for two nights, had an ultrasound, and received multiple new medications. I’m happy to report that Milo is just fine. But once the immediate crisis was over, Kate and I reviewed all the vet bills, and the grand total was pretty daunting. Kate said something to me along the lines of “think of all the other ways we could have spent that money.” So, I did reflect on it, for about 30 seconds, and then I said, “But think about it – what else brings us as much joy in our life as Milo?” For me, it was a helpful way to reframe these large, unexpected expenditures.

Maybe this year, as you contemplate a pledge of financial support for 2025, you can ask a similar question. I invite you to reframe the way you think about your pledge. Instead of thinking about what you can spare for the church, ask yourself: What else in my life sustains my soul as much as being a member of this congregation? Is my level of giving commensurate with the importance of St. Paul’s UCC in my life? I thank you in advance for your generous participation in this year’s campaign, and for everything you do to help make St. Paul’s UCC the best place for soul food in the Twin Cities!