What Comes After Summer?

When I want to know something, I start with a question. What I want to know is this: how do

we mark the passage of time? How far do we look ahead to plan, especially since the outcome affects all of us? These questions deserve an answer, and the answer will come from all of us.

What happens after summer? It’s early fall, school has just started, or for college it will start soon. We look forward to football, the World Series, to soccer games. We know the “ber” months are on the calendar. In the church year, this is Ordinary Time, green at the altar, when we celebrate the harvest and begin to look forward to all that happens late in the year—holidays and then winter.

In the natural world, animals plan for winter as well. Squirrels collect nuts or acorns to feed on over winter, bears prepare to hibernate, and most mammals grow thick winter coats. Planning is universal.

For us, what comes after summer?  Although it’s not an official church season, Stewardship season comes directly after summer.

As soon as we know what income is pledged for Emmanuel’s growth and programs, we can continue our planning. What is ahead for us includes all of the Parish Family, because if we couldn’t count on your participation, we could not plan.

Preparing for winter, a bird also prepares on behalf of her nestlings. Thus, when we prepare for the coming year we should reserve a portion for our common fellowship. We may not be able to give all we want, but to pledge is to make a promise to our common life—to what brings us together.

I'm reminded of the candlelight dinner last November. We didn't have electricity, but we had what we needed. We had the excellent efforts of parishioners, especially in this case those of Margaret Philbrick. We had each other, and the commitment to gather together. If we can work together and make a memory as excellent as that dinner from last November, I believe we can bring together our time, our talent, and our treasure to renew our Emmanuel.

In 2026, Emmanuel will greet more change as we welcome a new priest-in-charge. We will continue to work with YTN and our other tenants and look forward to Emmanuel’s future in our changing world. That different future will require the same gathering together at which Emmanuelites have always excelled. It will require pledging. So, watch for more information as we approach the Stewardship drive, which begins in early October. We all need to “Just do it!”

Sandy Maloof and the Stewardship Committee