STEWARDSHIP EPISTLE BY JACK MCLELLAN
FROM SERVICE ON OCTOBER 2, 2022
When I was asked to speak about one of our Stewardship themes this year, Lifelong Faith Journeys, I thought: on one hand, this makes sense. I’ve been coming to All Saints since I was nine years old, when my family moved to Brookline from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I grew up with church school, the Schola, youth group, and Rite 13, and here I still am today. It’s pretty much a literal lifelong journey. But on the other hand, thinking about it made me a little uncomfortable, and not just because it’s public speaking. A ‘lifelong faith journey’ sounds like something an especially faithful person would undertake, a kind of holy pilgrimage, and I’ve never felt like I’ve been that kind of especially faithful person.
When I started attending All Saints regularly again in 2018, after not attending church for a while during university, it was because I wanted to sing in the choir, not because I’d had some kind of spiritual awakening. When I attended church school and sang in the Schola, it was (at least in part) because that’s what my parents had me do. But in thinking about my journey here at All Saints, all the experiences I’ve had with others have been very meaningful to me, and they’re a part of my life that I never want to give up. My lifelong faith journey isn’t a solo trek: I’m traveling with everyone else here alongside me, getting through the same hardships and enjoying the same happiness together.
My faith, such as it is, isn’t strong because it stands up on its own. It’s strong because of the support of everyone else here, and I know that they can be strong because of the help of others as well. I’m very thankful to All Saints for being that kind of community. I hope you’ll join me in supporting our church community in this Stewardship season.