It is my hope that
all will give generously and without hesitation to this year’s annual Pledge
campaign. Our future depends on people
just like us!
Scott Hayman, Moderator
It is pure coincidence that this week happens to be my
turn to share a perspective on Stewardship only a few days after the 75th
anniversary of the 1938 Hurricane that blew through Worcester and, among many
other buildings, pulverized our very own sanctuary beyond recognition. Imagine! People reported that the recently renovated
steeple swayed back and forth in 100 mile an hour gale winds causing our Paul
Revere Bell to ring out and clang until finally the structure could not
withstand the fury. The roof of the church and the steeple imploded into the
sanctuary and the organ fell through the balcony floor to its destruction. Nothing but the front façade of the sanctuary
was left!
I n one day after
the crash the Prudential Committee met. In one week the Parish met. In one
month with no build up, the money needed, one hundred and fifty thousand
dollars, was pledged, not by a few but by hundreds and hundreds…One woman gave
up a trip planned for the following summer, another woman who could not afford
money sent in her old heirlooms.1
Sincerely,
Scott Hayman
Your Moderator
Scott Hayman, Moderator
It is pure coincidence that this week happens to be my
turn to share a perspective on Stewardship only a few days after the 75th
anniversary of the 1938 Hurricane that blew through Worcester and, among many
other buildings, pulverized our very own sanctuary beyond recognition. Imagine! People reported that the recently renovated
steeple swayed back and forth in 100 mile an hour gale winds causing our Paul
Revere Bell to ring out and clang until finally the structure could not
withstand the fury. The roof of the church and the steeple imploded into the
sanctuary and the organ fell through the balcony floor to its destruction. Nothing but the front façade of the sanctuary
was left!
But the remarkable point is what came next and how our
congregation rallied without hesitation to rebuild our church. Our minister at
the time, Dr. Savage, wrote the following in the Unitarian monthly
magazine:
The sanctuary, the very one we gather in now, was,
miraculously, rebuilt and rededicated only one year after the Hurricane hit on
September 17, 1939. During this same year Hitler’s Nazis were taking over
Czechoslovakia and invading Poland. Now
this is a very fine example of Stewardship at work in our congregation, during
very troubling times, and one we can all be very grateful for.
Of course the Pledge Campaign funds pay for the annual
program costs of the church, not for bricks and mortar. BUT (and everyone deserves to know this) if
we don’t pay for our program costs with our annual pledge campaign, then we
risk draining our endowment and not responsibly funding repairs, and
maintenance of the church.
If we don’t give more generously, and even increase our
annual giving, then we handcuff ourselves when it comes to offering attractive
and competitive compensation to our next settled minister. The list goes on. I realize this sounds negative but I am only
sharing facts.
So this year’s Pledge Campaign challenges us to share our
time, talent and treasure. And it challenges everyone to get involved
and take action without hesitation. I
know that I have shared a considerable amount of my time, some talent (because
I only have some) and over the years of our family’s membership, our treasure.
In fact, we have given larger portions of our annual earnings in recent years
in direct response to our better understanding of the program finances, and
also to our deeper appreciation for them. We are truly grateful!
It is my hope that all will give generously and without
hesitation to this year’s annual Pledge campaign. Our future depends on people just like us!
Sincerely,
Scott Hayman
Your Moderator
Footnote
1. From The Fruits of our Labors, Walter Donald Kring. Quote from the Christian Register, written by Dr.
Maxwell Savage.