Stewardship Season Kicks Off

As we dive head-first into the months of back-to-school routines, cooler weather, and the gearing up for what promises to be a very busy holiday season, we set foot on the COS campus on Sunday morning and prepare ourselves for a pause. We enter our beloved Sanctuary, are handed a bulletin, and find a seat. After another long week, we can finally get centered, focus and breathe. We close our eyes and begin to pray.

But what is prayer? Some would say prayer is meditation or a petition for help, others would say prayer is a time to self-reflect or is a guide on how to live one’s life. Prayer can also be said to be the origin of peace. In the most general of definitions, prayer is an act of communication by human beings with the sacred. St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) believed that everyone is called to a deeper relationship with God through prayer, and she wanted to help people on that journey.

A Spanish mystic canonized in 1622 and the first woman named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970, St. Teresa transformed the life of prayer within the church. She had no academic education but adhered to what she had personally lived through or had seen in the experience of others. Basing her teachings on first-hand knowledge, Teresa is known for the following quote:

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

If prayer is in our mouths and hearts then it is not only an act of worship, but also an act of love. Learning to live St. Teresa’s prayer means looking for opportunities to bring God’s love to others, with intent, using one’s own body, hands, and feet.

The theme of our 2026 Annual Giving Campaign is Growing In Faith Together (GIFT), which is what each and every one of us strives to do whenever we come together in worship. This GIFT giving season, your Stewardship Committee and I look forward to using the words of St. Teresa (above) as a guide, as we reflect on everyday experiences, prayer, and how each of us can be the body of Christ each day. We hope you will take the time to reflect and pray about your life at COS, how our time on earth, and the fellowship we have together at this wonderful parish is a gift. I encourage you to discern a pledge that is meaningful to you as we kickoff the 2026 campaign, by submitting your pledge card. Thank you.

Please contact me with any questions about stewardship or if you are interested in joining the Stewardship Committee at roseg@cosepiscopal.org or call x18.