When my new friend John Seeley invited me to church in October 1992, it was "sure, why not?" At Memorial, I was welcomed, fed (at coffee hour), invited to lunch the day after my first visit, and said "yes" to serving on the Stewardship Committee and to serving as one of the money counters after church.
Like many other gay men of my generation, I had learned that the secret to professional success was to work harder than anyone else, to gladly accept a tenth of the credit due, and to have no visible social life. Memorial changed all that for me, and after 30 years, I remain very grateful for life's many riches that Memorial has given me, or "Fed me" if you will.
I am richer than I ever imagined from the love and friendships that I have been given by this community. Sunday worshippers know me from the altar where I am frequently the verger, a chalicist, a reader, a crucifer, or an acolyte. On Sunday nights, I am one of the three leaders in the Taizé service. Memorial paid staff know me as the one who handles payroll. Memorial pledgers and donors know me as the person who records donations, assists online donors to make Realm work for them, and provides reports as requested and year-end tax documents. The Vestry knows me as the Treasurer. And John and I will always be grateful to this community for the time when 200 Memorialites showed up at church on Sunday morning, the hottest day of the year, July 21, 2013, to witness and celebrate our wedding, less than two weeks after the law was changed (and we sent out no invitations!).
There are so many ways to give to Memorial. Volunteer service on Sunday morning, taking a walk with Anthony around West Baltimore, handing out Halloween candy on the church steps, and bringing a can of food for the basket on Sunday. Now is our Stewardship season and now is the time to think about how we can give, taking into consideration our available time and resources.
We value Memorial and want to help keep the lights on, the mechanical systems working, the roof patched, the staff and clergy salaries paid, and our outreach programs working. John and I will make a pledge to Memorial's 2023 Stewardship campaign so that we can continue to benefit from the riches offered by this community, because we know that we and the other members are the only ones who will provide that support.