As many of you know, the month of October is the beginning of our Annual Canvass, or Pledge Drive. We will begin with a worship service tomorrow and delicious lunch, where our Treasurer will discuss some of the financial realities of our congregation and the building we use.
Some of my colleagues dread the annual “Sermon on the Amount” but having started my adult career in business, I have no problem talking about money.
According to Yuval Noah Harari, author of the highly enjoyable and provocative Sapiens (the subtitle of which is A Brief History of Humankind), money is one of the great unifying forces in history. Before we used money, we had to barter, and that became very complicated, as the service or material you wanted, demanded a service or material you couldn’t deliver! The invention of money saved us from having to deliver large and cumbersome quantities of goods, and that’s when we were lucky enough to have what the other person wanted.
Indeed, Mr Harari claims that “money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.” (p. 180).
He explains this further: “…Money is the apogee of human tolerance. Money is more open-minded than language and state laws…Money is the only trust system created by humans that can bridge almost any cultural gap, and that does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race, age or sexual orientation.” (p. 186)
Let’s hear it for money!
Seriously, you know that our beloved religious community needs money to function well. We are raising money to put our values to work, and to share the wisdom of our faith with our children and the greater community.
We raise money to maintain the building that has been our home for almost 200 years. (I think our stove is original to the building).
Thank you so much for your generous and consistent giving!
See you at 4 Cleaves Street!   Rev Susan