Many of you know that our church building is famous in architectural circles.
It was designed by renowned architect, Joseph Salerno, who won the top prize from the American Institute of Architects back in 1963 for his design of our beautiful church. He truly was a man of great vision.
Over the years, our church has been featured in several prestigious architectural books and magazines, and various architectural groups come and tour our church each year.
Two weekends ago, an architectural group from Manhattan called DOCOMOMO came with a big bus full of people to tour and to photograph our church.
We were just one of six architecturally-significant places of worship they were touring that day.
I was so delighted to meet them, and to share the history of our church with them.
A few days after their visit, their director sent me a nice email stating that (on their bus ride back to Manhattan) the group shared that visiting the United Church of Rowayton was the highlight of their tour.
And, in his email, he said: “Your congregation is so blessed to be worshipping in such an awe-inspiring space. Please thank them for being such good stewards of an incredibly special landmark.”
And, I share that with you today, because you are good stewards and because today is “Stewardship Sunday” in the United Church of Christ.
Today, thousands of UCC churches around the country are giving thanks – not only for the good stewards that came before us, but also for the gift of stewardship that all of us have been invited to participate in.
The UCC’s theme this year for Stewardship Sunday is “Dreaming God’s Dream.” They created a poster for it, which reads: “Dreaming God’s Dream: No gift too small. No dream too big.”
And, it shows a newly-hatched chick looking up at a future vision of itself as a grand rooster.
Our church here, The United Church of Rowayton, was hatched by people who had such a grand vision for the future.
Our founding pastor, Rev. Don Emig, was a man who “Dreamed Big.” He was a visionary.
You know, in preparation for DOCOCMOMO’s visit a few weeks ago, I learned that our church was built in 1962 and that it cost over $300,000 at the time.
In 2025 money, that would be close to $4 million dollars!
That was a tremendous “ask” that Pastor Emig tasked the congregation with.
Now, mind you, Rowayton was not full of millionaires back then. They were just hard-working, working-class people. Many of you know that, because you were here back then or because your parents or grandparents were here.
That was a big ask at the time, and I’m sure there were people who thought Pastor Emig had completely lost his mind when he shared such a kooky-looking design for a church.
But, those good stewards took a leap of faith. They not only put faith in the vision, they invested in the vision. And that investment paid off big time!
We, my friends, are beneficiaries of the gift they left for us…not just the building, but the fellowship, the friendships, the baptisms and weddings. The Easters and Christmases and everything in between.
Now, it’s our turn. We now the responsibility and the privilege of being good stewards for the next generations of this Family of Faith.
But if all this is going to continue, we (like the men and women who came before us) need to have vision. We need to invest in that vision. And we need to “dream big.”
I wish I was a visionary like Pastor Emig. “Dreaming Big” does not come naturally to me.
I’ve shared with you before that I am child of immigrants who came of age during the Great Depression.
So, when I was growing up, my parents would say thing like: “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” “A penny saved is a penny earned” and “Charity begins at home.”
So, I believed in “lack and limitation” for a very long time…until I came to learn about the Spiritual Principles of Giving taught by Jesus of Nazareth.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus speaks of “dreams and vision,” of “abundance and prosperity,” of “sowing and reaping.”
He talked about having a “mustard seed” faith, where he explained that the mustard seed is the tiniest of all seeds, but it grows into the greatest of all trees.
And, he reminded us that “all things are possible when we believe.”
The disciples, however, were a lot like the younger me. They lived in lack and limitation.
You may remember when they panicked because they ran out of wine at the Wedding Feast at Cana. “Jesus, what are we going to do? We don’t have enough!”
Jesus didn’t see lack. He saw abundance, so he was able to transform water in wine.
That was his first miracle: a demonstration of abundance.
You may also remember when the disciples panicked because they only had 5 loaves of bread and two fish. It wasn’t enough to feed everyone in the crowd. “Jesus, what are we going to do?” “We don’t have enough!”
Again, Jesus didn’t see lack. He saw abundance. It said, “He gave thanks for what they had been given.”
And that “attitude of gratitude” and that “abundance mindset” caused the food to multiply. So much so, that it not only feed everyone in the crowd, but they went home with left-overs, too.
I share that with you on this Stewardship Sunday, because, sadly, in many of our churches today, there are people focused on lack. Lack of money. Lack of resources. Lack of volunteers. Lack of children.
But, Jesus said, “We reap what we sow.” Sow seeds of lack and limitation, and that is what we shall reap.
I am so grateful to this congregation for sowing seeds of abundance and prosperity this past year.
We are reaping what we have sown.
Since my arrival just last year, we have welcomed 27 new adult members and 13 teenager confirmands, for a total of 40 new people to our church.
We currently have 12 children in our Anchors Youth Group; 11 teenagers in our Confirmation Class; and 32 adults who attend our weekly Bible Study.
And this past year, more than 150 people have taken part in one of more of our new programs: be they yoga classes, meditation sessions, or book reads.
A large number of those who have joined in these new programs are members of the community who are not churchgoers, but who are eager for the opportunities and for the space we provide them to nurture their body, mind, and spirits.
And, thanks to the seeds you’ve planted, we were able to distribute more than $30,000 in funds to more than a dozen local charities and organizations, like Triangle Community Center in Norwalk; the Domestic Violence Crisis Center; and Open Door Shelter, to name just a few.
And, our YouTube channel has also grown this year from 6 to more than 360 weekly subscribers. I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge viewers David and Marilyn in South Carolina, who watch every week and recently sent us a very lovely card and generous donation….and to Derek, a young gay man who watches from rural Nebraska, because, he said, there isn’t an “Open & Affirming” church anywhere near where he lives.
Even though he’s never been here in person, Derek said he considers this to be his church.
As do the people at Challis Community Church in Idaho, a small congregation without a pastor. They gather each Sunday in front of a TV screen and, together, they watch our services each week.
My friends, the seeds that we are planting here are growing and spreading…out into the community…out into the world.
The investments that we have made here are showing return. We are seeing the fruits of our labor.
There are no limits to what we can do here, so let us “dream big” as the people who came before us did.
At our Congregational Meeting today, our church leaders are going to invite you to make a pledge for 2026.
A pledge is a promise…a commitment to invest of your time, your talents, and your treasure in service of the church.
Unlike other churches, we do not receive any money from a “Mother Church.” We are a congregational church, so it is we – the congregation – who are responsible for covering the costs of all of our expenses.
And, as the cost of living goes up, so do our expenses.
If you pledged last year, we ask that you please consider a 10 % increase in your pledge this year. The word “tithe” comes from the Bible. It means 10%.
And, if this is your first time pledging and have questions, one of our church leaders would be happy assist you.
Whether you’re a first-time or veteran pledger, we’ve made the process so easy for you. You can do it on your phone in 5 minutes.
In your program each Sunday there is a QR code you can scan. It’ll take you to a secure page where you can enter the amount of your pledge for 2026 and then select the frequency of installments, be they weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
Of course, if you’d like to do it the old-fashioned way, that’s fine, too. All church members will receive a letter in the mail this week with a pledge form to fill out and submit.
There will also be pledge forms in the back of the church, as well.
Thank you, as always, for your generous giving and support. We couldn’t do any of this without you.
There’s no gift too small and no dream too big.
As Jesus’s says about the poor woman in today’s gospel reading, who put just a few pennies in the collection plate: She gave more than anyone, because she gave from her ALL.
And in Luke 6:38, Jesus says, “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure running over will be poured into your lap. For the measure you give will be measured back to you.”
May it be so. Amen.
Questions for reflection and journal writing:
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Looking back at the faith and generosity of those who built our church, how might we continue their legacy by “dreaming big” for the future of our congregation and community?
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When have you experienced God transforming a sense of “not enough” into “more than enough” in your own life or in the life of this church?
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What specific gifts—of time, talent, or treasure—might God be calling you to offer this year as an act of stewardship and faith in what’s yet to come?