President's Blog

Not long after my wife and I joined our church here in New York City (now nearly 18 years ago), I remember being stunned during the annual stewardship campaign when fellow members came to the lectern to give personal, and many times emotional, testimonials about how giving transformed their lives.

My wife, who was raised as a Baptist, reacted along the lines of “It’s about time!”  My own upbringing as a cradle Episcopalian—and I mean this literally, as I was baptized at Episcopal Divinity School where my father was a seminarian—had not prepared me for the open conversation about money.  I just looked at my shoes.

One Sunday, a tall and beautiful member of our parish stepped to the lectern to speak.  I didn’t know the woman well, but I’d certainly noticed her (who wouldn’t have?).  I decided this time I wouldn’t look at my shoes.

She told a very affecting story of how giving to our church had transformed her life and ended with this line: “Don’t just give until it hurts, give until it doesn’t hurt anymore.” 

That sentence has stayed with me ever since, because it gets at a fundamental truth about giving.  The more you give (and I don’t mean necessarily money), the better you will feel.

It turns out that science backs this up.  An article in the Health section of the New York Times on Tuesday describes how helping others actually leads to biological changes that increase emotional and physical well being:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/health/01well.html?emc=eta1

It ends with a wonderful quote from Dr. Stephen Post:  “To rid yourself of negative emotional states you need to push them aside with positive emotional states.  And the simplest way to do that is to just go out and lend a helping hand to somebody.”

In what ways are you sharing your gifts with others during this season of giving? How is it making a difference in your life?

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I’ve invited my colleagues in Donor Services to offer some reflections on the thanks that we give. In particular, we are grateful for our supporters, who care for those in need by giving to our work faithfully, with joy and often sacrificially.

This time of year is definitely a busy season for Episcopal Relief & Development’s Donor Services staff.  You may not know this, but about 40% of our donor correspondence and communication occurs in the final eight weeks of the year.  Answering program inquiries, sending out Gifts for Life cards, processing end-of-year contributions – some days feel very hectic indeed.

And yet, to be honest, this is also the most enjoyable time of year for us.  Not too many people can say that they smile every time they open the mail, but it’s true for us.  Every day brings us good tidings of great joy, in packages big and small – for example, the results of a successful Alternative Gift Market or a photo of a young boy’s personal fund-raising project.  We are truly touched by the grandmother who chooses her grandchildren’s Christmas presents from the Gifts for Life catalog.  And over and over again, we recognize the names of donors who have supported us year after year.  We really do get to open our holiday presents every day.

Recently, after sifting through the day’s mail, we talked about the quiet, heartfelt support we receive from Episcopalians, no matter where they live or the level of their income. Every month, we look forward to the arrival of a clean white envelope with three crisp $100 bills – no name, no address, no request for acknowledgment, just a thoughtful anonymous contribution to help those in need.  And we are struck by the humility of donors who apologize that their donations can’t be larger – knowing full well that for some of our supporters, a check for $5 or $10 is a tremendous sacrifice.

Lately, the phrase “hallowthanksmas” has been popping up in the media – a description of the period from Halloween through New Year’s Day that, in many ways, has turned into one long party, but not much of a celebration.  Yet at Episcopal Relief & Development, every day is Thanksgiving Day – and we’re happy to celebrate it with you.

Thanks from all of us in Donor Services – Xerxes, Adrienne, Theresa, John and Esther