Faith Amid Disaster: St. James Responds to Helene

A Note from David+ Dear sisters and brothers,

Oct. 27, 2024

Over the past two weeks, as we’ve emerged from the fog of disaster, more than one of my clergy colleagues has whispered to me, or I to them, “How in the world are we going to do stewardship this year?”

Sure we still have bills and salaries to pay, programs to fund, and a building to tend, but many of us are hurting and grieving, too. There is a certain amount of awkwardness, in the midst of so much need in our region, to remind folks to pledge.

So what do you say about stewardship to a people who have just lived through a disaster?

Perhaps there’s nothing much to say at all. Maybe we simply hold up who this parish has been for the past month, a beacon of hope, help, and healing in our community. Truthfully, since Helene ripped through our region, I have been a witness to the most powerful stewardship sermon unfolding at our parish. Rather than simply proclaiming a stewardship sermon from the pulpit, I have watched you preach the importance of stewardship with your lives, with your own hands, gifts, labor, dedication, and extraordinary generosity of time, talent, and treasure in the midst of the worst disaster in the history of Western North Carolina.

You have embodied stewardship—stewarding our resources for the good of others—and you have been bearers of the Gospel in the world.

And it felt transformative. The Spirit was alive and moving among us. I think most of us felt it.

We felt how transformative it was for us to give of ourselves, how it drew us closer to God and made us see the world in a different light. We felt how transformative it was to receive the gifts of others when we needed them, how it humbled us when someone made us a hot meal or checked on us to make sure we were okay.

In the midst of what felt like hell, we caught a glimpse of a world made right, the kingdom of God, where everyone had enough, no one wanted too much, and every stranger became a neighbor to love.

In some ways, the storm’s impact has highlighted just how critical a strong, stable, and energized parish is, not just for ourselves, but for our community as well. Because for generations we have stewarded this sacred space faithfully, we were able to leverage it to take in donated goods and get them to others in need. Because of our stewardship here, our staff was able to return to work and serve the parish within three days of the storm, knowing their jobs were secure. Because of your stewardship of your own life and faith, more than 100 members of our parish have been actively involved in relief efforts at St. James and untold more out in the community.

Still, it must be said that the storm might have impacted you personally and financially. If so, and giving isn’t a possibility this year or has limited your ability, please remember part of stewardship and faithfulness is accepting help when we need it just as much as giving it when we are able. Because of that, if you are able to give this year, your giving is especially important to maintain the vitality of this parish in the coming year of recovery.

Here is what I do know. More than anything else, I witnessed God’s abundance through the overflowing generosity of friends, neighbors, and parishes from around the region who showed up and said, “Let me help. Here am I. Send me!” Small gifts and simple gifts sometimes were the most meaningful and impacted people the most—a fresh bunch of bananas, a grocery run, a hot, homemade meal, a quick check or visit. Every offering mattered and every gift matters. After the past month, I trust, now more than ever, St. James will have everything we need to continue to walk in love and to do the work God has called us to in this world.

With awe and thanks,