Why We Pledge

When asked “Why do I give to St. James?” the usual suspects came to mind:

• To support all the great work and programming that St. James carries out.

• Because scripture calls us to steward what we’ve been given to the glory of God.

• Because it seems like the right thing to do.

• Because I like having a nicer quality coffee-hour after church (oh yes — I really do!).

But while all of these are true, they don’t really get to the heart of it for me. 

I want to be the kind of person who brings light and love into the spaces I enter — to live a life that has capacity for joy. After many years of seeking happiness, I am finding that this pursuit doesn’t really satisfy. I am gradually learning that happiness is about me and my desires, whereas joy is this amazing and strange gift that comes when I can forget myself, however briefly, and let life flow through me on behalf of someone else.

Giving really is more blessed than receiving, and somehow I really do have to lose my life in order to find it.

I lose touch with this deep truth more or less on a daily basis — and often for days if not weeks at a time. I need a regular practice to bring me back to it; to remind me where real life is to be found.

The act of giving — of money, or time, or attention, or patience, or following through on a commitment — is the practice that brings me home. These movements of generosity can cost me some happiness — sometimes a lot of happiness — but it is precisely in that feeling of cost that I am reminded where my heart wants to be; that I am reminded of the invitation of Jesus to true life. I need that reminder.

My husband, Seldon, spent this morning running a kitchen to serve food to about 125 of our neighbors. The St. James Meals Ministry is a beautiful thing: We provide a scratch-cooked brunch or lunch in a place where people can reliably gather to help each other navigate the craziness of living in Chicago with extremely limited resources. This quite literal setting-of-the-table for love to occur is an enormous amount of work for the Meals team: In addition to multiple days of on-their-feet cooking, there is the menu-planning and ingredient-sourcing and pantry-organizing and logistics-managing (in a building with no parking!), alongside the constant surprise of finding that something has gone missing just when you are in crunch mode.

Yet when Seldon comes home from a full day of it, he glows — he actually glows! In our 30+ years of marriage, I have never seen him more fully alive, more content, more joyful. 

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

I give to St. James because I want my heart to be anchored in joy. 

As you consider your Pledge to participate in the life of this community, I invite you to do the same.

(Text adapted from the Stewardship Moment delivered by Kimberly Moreland at the 11am Eucharist on Sunday, October 20, 2024.)

Good morning! I’m Brandon Blazo, and I was asked to share a Stewardship Moment with you and speak to why I was compelled to make a Pledge for the 2025 Annual Pledge Drive.

I am one of the newer members of St. James and yet have come to recognize what a true treasure we have here.

I first ventured through the doors along Wabash shortly after I moved from Detroit for a new position in the Chicagoland area. I was sampling churches across the city and was first drawn to St. James by the sacred choral and organ music. Not only was I looking for a new spiritual home, but looking back I realize that I was also in need of a reboot of my spiritual life.

In the first few years I visited St. James, I was very much the casual observer. I would come to the Sunday services but did not participate more fully within this community. I later brought my now-partner, Todd, after we started dating. We come from different faith traditions, and St. James was not only neutral territory but was welcoming and offered us a sense of belonging.

One Sunday, after Provost Lisa encouraged visitors to complete a Welcome Card, I noticed that Todd was completing one and was pleased that he felt inspired to further solidify his connection to St. James. But on second glance, I realized he was filling out my information. I told him that I was quite confident that completing a Welcome Card on behalf of someone else is prohibited under canon law. Nonetheless, having been nudged, I completed my own Card because, on reflection, I realized that St. James was indeed becoming our spiritual home.

As we’ve evolved to become more full participants in this community of faith, the true multidimensional nature of St. James has been revealed. What continues to draw me back each week is not limited to the inspiring worship and proclamation of the gospel, but that we are all challenged as disciples to strive to live the gospel both within and beyond these church walls. And here, it’s not an individual endeavor — our spiritual journey is a true community effort. 

The Pledge Drive gives all of us the opportunity to further the mission of St. James. Financial Pledges are vital not just to sustain this community but to enable St. James to realize its full potential and to amplify its positive impact. This year, we are also encouraged to reflect on ways we can strengthen our personal spiritual lives and further enrich the ministries and outreach of the church.

How each of us responds to this call will be different. I encourage you to reflect on the impact St. James has had on your spiritual life and how we collectively can support this cathedral church for today, next year, and future generations.

Thank you.

(Text adapted from the Stewardship Moment delivered by Brandon Blazo at the 9am Family Eucharist on Sunday, October 27, 2024.)