Let me suggest a modest proposal which, I believe, can help solve the financial problems of the Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson. The proposal is this: take this congregation off of your “charity” list! Do I have your attention yet? If not, I beg you! Remove this congregation from the list of causes and services you support, it doesn’t belong there. The organizations that appear on your “charity” list do compelling work, I am sure. They may include those that year in and out struggle to bring justice to the world, protect and restore our environment, shelter the homeless, protect women and children from abuse. They may include organizations that promote democracy and human rights. I assume these organizations are important to you and financially supporting them reflects your values. Why remove your religious congregation from such a list? The reason is simple. Your congregation is an institution of a different nature. It, unlike all the causes you support, best reflects the multidimensional values of who you are and who you wish to become. It challenges you to discover the true you and nurtures the growth of that person, it comforts you through hard times and calls you to return the favor to others. It witness publicly to your belief in the worth and dignity of every person regardless of their beliefs, the color of their skin, their ethnicity, or their sexual orientation. Giving yourself and your financial resources to your religious congregation is not, therefore, charity. It is an offering of thanksgiving for all it has given you. It is a way of saying thanks for how it challenges you, how it supports you, how it works to get things done in the world that cannot be done alone. A little over a decade ago JoAnn and I were belowaverage givers to our congregations (there were two at the time). At the time we were giving a little over 1% of our income to our churches (the national average for church goers is about 2.5% with Catholics and UUs at the bottom giving about 1%). We began asking ourselves some hard questions about what we valued and what we want to give to our religious communities. At the time two of our children were small and the other in college. When we talked about all our religion was giving to us, all the things we were thankful for, it became clear it was not another charity to put on our list. We now have our church and a separate list of charities. Within four or five years we moved our giving from 1% to 5%. We have fallen off the mark a few times because of financial challenges-college tuitions and financial uncertainties. Yet, we feel better for the effort. There is no boasting in this statement, for we are humbled by those of our friends and acquaintances who give 10%; some of these good folks have much less than we do. In the coming weeks you will be asked to make your financial commitment to our congregation. I hope that you will give it the thanks it deserves. Blessings, Stephen