Stewardship Reflection from Wilson Ford

Our 2022 Beginning Anew pledge campaign continues. Wilson Ford spoke on Sunday about what St. Thomas means to him. You can watch his message here or read below. Please turn in pledge cards by December 5. Learn more about our stewardship campaign and make your pledge online here. We will celebrate at our Carol Party on December 19 at 4 pm.

Hello everybody! For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Wilson Ford and I am the Acolyte Director here. I am what you would call a Cradle Episcopalian. I was baptized almost two months to the day after I was born. Saint Thomas has always been my home and will continue to stay that way no matter where I am or what I am doing.

I was reading an article that my grandmother had shown me about a church in Bath, North Carolina. This church was founded in 1696 and for almost 40 years the attendees met in homes of parishioners each Sunday to worship. Eventually, in 1734, a Nave was constructed which they still use to this day. As this congregation had mostly an English background, the church was originally Anglican. Soon after the American Revolution ended, it became an Episcopal church. This one church has been there since before the founding of the United States. We would be here all day if I were to list every single major event that occurred since this church was started. So many different types of people have been a part of this congregation. They came wearing knee breeches, buckskins, hoop skirts, Confederate uniforms, and the numerous styles of the 20th century from tweed suits to overly large shoulder pads. But still, each Sunday they prayed, sang, and worshipped for almost three centuries.

One of the reasons that this account stood out to me was not just because of its history or that it is an Episcopal church, but the name of this historic church, located in Bath, North Carolina, is Saint Thomas Episcopal Church. The way that their church has survived as a living church is due to the support from the congregation and the blessings of God.

Our Saint Thomas was founded in 1958 and it required the help of almost every member to make sure that the church would survive in its most vulnerable state. Sixty-three years later, we are a thriving church.
As we all sit here, either in the pews or at home, we consider ways that we can give and help where our support is needed most. There are many things happening at our church between the different classes, groups, and activities. Just looking at the monthly calendar amazes me. We are the church and everything we do to help enable our services and activities here at Saint Thomas. We all understand that the operation of our Saint Thomas requires financial support. We ask that you examine what you are able to provide and that you pledge. If you are not aware of how you go about setting up your pledge, a member of the stewardship committee will be glad to explain.

All of this is important if Saint Thomas, Columbus is to grow. I would love to see our Saint Thomas filled with people, still coming to worship, in 2058. But why stop there? Why not in 2158, or 2258…you get my point. The only way we can see that happening is by giving to the church so that necessary items, like the roof can be replaced or maintained, along with providing the opportunity for more people to join us and bring their talents. This could help us succeed even more. Please join us in our stewardship efforts and here’s to many more years at Saint Thomas. Thank you