Stewardship Testimony given on 25 October 2015
My name is Megan Courtney, and I’ve been a member of All Saints parish since 2011. I was honored to be asked to speak to you today about how I share my treasures with All Saints. In preparing, I thought about the stewardships committee’s theme to “let your light shine.” And I realized that ASP is where I come to be ignited and to rediscover God’s light within me. All Saints has been the place where I have come time and time again to share my joys but also when my light has dimmed, when I have felt exhausted or even let my light burn out.
Some of you know that I’m in the field of social work and spend my days with families during some of their most difficult times. I am blessed to be in a career where I hear stories every day about the joys and challenges of raising children with mental health needs who may have experience trauma or other injustices such as poverty, homelessness, and domestic violence. In my field, we often talk about ways to prevent “burn out” when witnessing these stories. ASP has been a central part of my work in that it gives me hope and faith to keep my light shining in the world, in my community, and in the families I encounter daily.
There are many ministries offered at All Saints that I have been involved in and that ignite the light within me. Attending the familiar Episcopal worship of my childhood on Sunday mornings and listening to our beautiful choir brings me a sense of peace and connection with God. Reflecting on the readings and sermons, I am reminded of our Christian call for social justice and the hope of transformation. Serving as an intercessor for the prayers grounds me in this community. Sitting with other young adults in our 20s/30s group over dinner each month, I find great satisfaction in discussing everything from current events to racism to what it means to be a millennial with a Christian faith. Each year, I look forward to our unique tradition of giving a Spirituality and Justice award which has encouraged me to contemplate how other share their lights in the world and community. I was blessed to teach the middle school Sunday school class for the past three years and to be reminded of my own curiosity about God and Jesus through lively existential conversations that many of the youth brought up and eagerly discussed over donuts. I served as an intern at the Be Ready afterschool program in Roxbury and was filled with joy to share a Christmas party with under-privileged children, knowing it was funded by ASP.
I could go on and on. I am so grateful to ASP and the many opportunities for me to be involved in the community and ignite my light. And with most things that I am grateful for, I considered careful how I will care for the gift of this church and community. For me, part of taking care of this gift is contributing my time, talents, and a small amount of my income to give back to and invest in this building, ministers, and ministries which mean so much to me. I have found many ways to let my light shine in and outside of All Saints through sharing my time and treasurers here and I thank you for giving me the opportunity to share some of those with you today.