I have been a Presbyterian for my entire life and a member of St. Andrew’s for about 58 years. I learned to participate at an early age and, at age 13, was playing cello with the one tenor in the adult choir of my small church.
As an adult, I continued to find ways to become more deeply involved with the functioning of my church. Bill and I and three small children joined St. Andrew’s shortly after moving to Santa Barbara in 1962. It was not more than two years later that I was elected and ordained as a ruling elder. I have since served repeat terms as elder. I have also served as treasurer, financial secretary, mission chair, church-school teacher, choir member and more.
Worship and Bible Study have always been important to me but involvement in these other activities have greatly added to my growth in faith as well as fellowship as a Christian. I highly recommend getting involved in some area of participation that piques your interest. The handling of money seems to be my most long-lasting interest. I have been counting and recording offering receipts here for at least 30 years.
Carole Shapiro was recently elected to become Financial Secretary. She has two people who share the task of counting and recording the weekly receipts. This is done in teams of two. Right now, I am filling in to make a fourth counter. I will never stop participating completely but my self-assigned final task before I retire is to find and train the fourth counter.
Would you like to consider joining this team? It involves two mornings a month. Come talk to me at coffee hour on Sunday. I am the lady putting the offering in a pouch after worship to put into the safe on Sunday mornings.
Mona Wise