Year-Round Stewardship Testimonial: Georgia Noble
I have been privileged to be able to give Trinity a lot of my time, talent, and treasure over the years, and that giving has returned to me a thousandfold.
I arrived at Trinity 25 years ago with my 8-year-old gay son in the middle of a painful divorce, longing to fill the hole in my soul uncovered by my mid-life crises. I needed God, authentic connection, and community to fill the empty place where this man had been. Church planters say, “Give a newcomer a friend and something to do, and they will stick around.” And that is what happened to me. I remember spending the first year here just sitting in the pew and weeping; new friends listened, invited, and befriended me. I found community and a sense of belonging.
Getting involved, being of service, and tithing helped fill that hole in my soul and made me feel more connected. I’ve been part of many different ministries over the years, settling in on prayers, flowers, formation, and now my service on the vestry.
My life here at Trinity has been a way to make my inward commitment to following Jesus real . . loving God, my neighbor as myself, and then trying to figure out what that means for my life. I take seriously this idea that through our Baptismal Covenant, we are all called to the priesthood – we are called to discover and grow our gifts; – we give to the world and develop ourselves in the process. Our service brings things out in us: creativity, beauty, and compassion. We become different people than we would have been without it.
All my volunteering has grown me and my soul. When I first arrived, all I could see was my own navel. God is not done with me yet, but there is no question that I am more loving, compassionate, and connected to the world.
Finally, being part of something bigger than myself has been an enormous gift. Especially in these very dark times. What we are trying to accomplish here by being a good church, a living, breathing, loving community of faith matters. In the words of Jim Wallis, “The greatest need of our time is . . . the call to be church, to offer our lives for the sake of the world. The community of faith incarnates a whole new order, offers a visible and concrete alternative, and issues a basic challenge to the world as it is.” We get to practice making the Kingdom of God real.
I hope you will join me, with God’s help, in making Trinity “a visible, concrete alternative that issues a challenge to the world as it is” in whatever way that makes sense to you at this time. And that brings us to the Ministry Fair.
The purpose of the Ministry Fair is twofold. First and foremost is to lift up and celebrate all the ministries and life-giving care that goes into making our church what it is. So please take your time, stroll around, ask questions, be curious and appreciate. The second is to offer opportunities for greater involvement. There will be no hard sell. It is not our way. This is invitational. This is not about guilting anyone into signing up to fill slots. This is all about your Call . . . so pay attention. Do you feel the pull to get a little more involved? And if the answer is yes, what might that look like?
Trinity needs you, needs all of us, to step up. So we can be that light in the world. I’ll see you after the service, out on the labyrinth! Thank you for listening.
Click here to watch and listen to Georgia.
