In Genesis chapter One, we read: Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created humankind in God's  image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Dominion. When we hear that word we think of supremacy and dominance.  That is not what God intended for us to be or to do.  We are intended to be stewards of creation.  Stewards take care of something that belongs to someone else.  The earth and all that is in it, including ourselves,  belongs to God, to YHWH.  We have dominance over nothing.  Stewardship over everything.

Stewardship involves more than giving a 10% tithe of our income.  Stewardship involves our time and talents and our creation.  In an effort to be a better steward of my ¾ time as your pastor, I have regretfully discontinued our Saturday night service. The Saturday night service attendance has consistently been low and sporadic.  While numbers are not the name of the game, stewardship of time and talent is.  Other issues are involved as well.  Current literature asserts that a church not start a second service until one has filled 80% of their worship space on Sunday mornings.  We do not do so.  So, we need to get out there and bind up the broken hearted people who have left our church and those who have never been here.  Invite, invite, invite.

Stewardship also involves good use of our resources.  Until we get a better system, such as an overhead PowerPoint system, we need to be good stewards of our paper use.  I invite you to join me as we reacquaint ourselves with the LBW. Simply because we have the paper, doesn't mean we should create 20 page bulletins again.  The more paper we use, the more trees that are cut down, the less air we have to breath, the fewer homes our feathered and furry friends have to use.  We are all part of the web and should do what we can in our church and in our homes to keep the web of life healthy and connected.  I hope that you will join me in the effort of being the good stewards God created us to be.          Pastor Tina

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