Here we go, it’s pledge time again! Too blunt? Ok, how about this? It is time for parishioners to reevaluate whether they are fulfilling their responsibilities as Christians to be good stewards of what God has provided to them to manage for Him. I think I got the tone right this time.

Well, a couple of Sundays ago, and during the sermon, I started to think about Pohick Church’s needs - financial needs. For some reason this led me back to that day’s Gospel reading, Matthew 20:1 – 16, The Laborers in the Vineyard. This parable is not about stewardship nor would it normally cause even the most thoughtful reader to think about stewardship. What caught my eye was the beginning of the parable. A landlord went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into the vineyard.

As I sat there in church reflecting, I saw a correlation between the financial needs of Pohick Church and the biblical landlord who paid the usual daily wage. The correlation between the two is that Pohick Church has needs for which we must hire laborers. For example, Pohick possesses an excellent music program but needs to hire a new music director. I have learned that the usual yearly wage is about $27,000 more than we had been paying. As Treasurer, I know that we could not have paid that additional $27,000 this year without going into debt - a large debt.

If you have not yet reassessed how well you are performing your Christian stewardship mission, please consider the financial needs of Pohick Church. If you have already sent in your pledge card, please consider increasing your pledge. If you do not yet pledge, please consider becoming a pledger. Why the emphasis on pledging? Pledging is one important way each of us can transform our Christian stewardship responsibilities into reality!