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Stewardship Renewal
2007-2008 Stewardship Introduction and Renewal Program in our Parishes will begin on the weekend of Nov. 10/11 a1nd finish on the weekend of Nov. 24/25. Sunday Nov. 10/11 - Introduction to the Stewardship with a focus on the stewardship of time. Sunday Nov. 17/18 - Stewardship of Talent and Ministry Fair Sunday Nov. 24/25 - Stewardship of Treasure Guest Speakers Monday Nov. 26 - Mailing of the Parish Stewardship Guide and Pledge Cards. Resources and Materials: - First Letter and Brochures (available soon) - Second Letter Inviting to Stewardship Educational Conference (available soon) - Third Letter with a Brochure and a Pledge Card (available soon)
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This is a call to
young Catholics
everywhere to renew the
face of the Earth. This
is a call to listen to
the voice of the Spirit
speaking of gratitude
and responsibility.
This is an invitation to
Catholic stewardship.
The Gifts of God Think of God's gifts in broader terms, not simply the material goods or security you may enjoy. These are gifts, too:
Jesus Is the Steward It begins with remembering our Baptism, when we became followers of Jesus Christ. From this call flows the commitment to Christ that makes stewardship possible—and deeply rewarding. However, this is a commitment to a lifetime of action, and it requires sacrifice. Through following Christ, we have the benefit of the role model of sacrifice for the greater good, a model of self-giving and loving service. Hearing and Responding to the Call Everyone has a calling, which is another way of saying that your walk with God is personal. When you hear the call to gratitude and responsibility—in your friendships and family, in your work, wherever you go—then taking the next step to answer that call is where Catholic stewardship may be clearly seen. And in our faith, that response happens in a wonderfully rich, vibrant community of diverse and talented individuals. We are all encouraged to consider responding generously to God's call to a priestly or religious vocation, as well as to the single or married life. What Does a Catholic Steward Look Like? Catholic stewards take care of the world around us, including embracing the social teaching of the Church.
The Challenges and Rewards of Stewardship It is an incredible challenge to live in imitation of the life of Christ. We all face obstacles, opportunities, and challenges, living in a fast-paced environment with many responsibilities. Our spiritual hunger does not always get a chance to be nourished through prayer and action. However, a clear sense of purpose—nourished by the Eucharist and our rich Catholic tradition—opens the door for us to actively commit to a life of gratitude and responsibility; to thank God for his endless gifts, and then to decide what we can do to help the world. The rewards include:
We invite you to speak with your pastor and parish leaders. Read our pastoral letter Stewardship: A Disciple's Response,. You may also want to go to your diocesan website or the International Catholic Stewardship Council. Look for new opportunities to discuss stewardship with others. And keep listening to the stirrings of your own heart. We look forward to journeying together. Reflection Questions
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What is Stewardship?
The Lord’s way is not a way of comfortable living or of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in The Cost of Discipleship, scornfully calls “cheap grace.” This is not real grace but an illusion. It is what happens when people approach the following of Christ as a way to pleasant experiences and feeling good. Bonhoeffer contrasts this with “costly” grace. It is costly because it calls us to follow, and grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it requires a disciple for Jesus’ sake to put aside the craving for domination, possession, and control, and grace because it confers true liberation and eternal life. It is costly, finally, because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. But all this is very general. To understand and practice this way of life, people need models to imitate. These exist in abundance in the holy women and men who have gone before us in the faith; while our supreme source of guidance is found in the person and teaching of Jesus. Jesus sometimes describes a disciple’s life in terms of stewardship (cf. Mt 25:14-30; Lk 12:42-48), not because being a steward is the whole of it but because this role sheds a certain light on it. An oikonomos or steward is one to whom the owner of a household turns over responsibility for caring for the property, managing affairs, making resources yield as much as possible, and sharing the resources with others. The position involves trust and accountability. A parable near the end of Matthew’s Gospel (cf. Mt 25:14-30) gives insight into Jesus’ thinking about stewards and stewardship. It is the story of “a man who was going on a journey,” and who left his wealth in silver pieces to be tended by three servants. Two of them respond wisely by investing the money and making a handsome profit. Upon returning, the master commends them warmly and rewards them richly. But the third behaves foolishly, with anxious pettiness, squirreling away the master’s wealth and earning nothing; he is rebuked and punished. The silver pieces of this story stand for a great deal besides money. All temporal and spiritual goods are created by and come from God. That is true of everything human beings have: spiritual gifts like faith, hope, and love; talents of body and brain; cherished relationships with family and friends; material goods; the achievements of human genius and skill; the world itself. One day God will require an accounting of the use each person has made of the particular portion of these goods entrusted to him or her. Each will be measured by the standard of his or her individual vocation. Each has received a different “sum”—a unique mix of talents, opportunities, challenges, weaknesses and strengths, potential modes of service and response—on which the Master expects a return. He will judge individuals according to what they have done with what they were given. Who is a Christian steward?
What identifies a steward? Safeguarding material and human resources and using them responsibly are one answer; so is generous giving of time, talent, and treasure. But being a Christian steward means more. As Christian stewards, we receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord. The definition, rooted in biblical and church tradition, corresponds with Almighty God’s decision to entrust to humanity the universe God had created (Gn 1:26-31) and with Jesus Christ’s famous parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-36). For disciples of Christ—everyone who responds to Jesus’ invitation, “Come, follow me”—Christian stewardship is an obligation, not an option. Correctly and fully understood, Christian stewardship holds every individual accountable to God for personal care of the universe. At the time of judgment, God will have the right to ask: “What did you do with my world?” Christian stewardship, therefore, applies to everything—all personal talents, abilities, and wealth; the local, national, and worldwide environment; all human and natural resources wherever they are; the economic order; governmental affairs; and even outer space. This stewardship does not tolerate indifference to anything important in God’s world. —Excerpts from Stewardship: A
Disciple's Response, Pastoral Letter on
Stewardship of the Bishops of the United
States, 1992 |
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The Strategic Plan of the Archdiocese of St. Louis calls for all parishes to have parish stewardship committees "as an active and integral part of parish councils." At the International Catholic Stewardship Conference, Mark Blanchard, Director of Development for the Diocese of Baton Rouge where every parish practices total stewardship, stated, "Stewardship committees are the biggest key to success of stewardship in the parishes." No matter what the financial situation is in the parish, every parish can be enlivened and enriched through the work of a stewardship committee. An effective stewardship committee should work throughout the year to find ways to: 1. Share the Gospel call for all of us to live as God’s stewards — in service to one another and the Church. 2. Challenge and enable parishioners to more fully connect with the parish, sharing their gifts freely with the parish community. 3. Recognize the gifts that parishioners do give to the community. The benefits of having a structured stewardship committee are many. · Research shows that some parishioners may tune out a stewardship message that they only hear in conjunction with a plea for increased financial giving. Yet, the same research has found that if they hear the stewardship message in a variety of ways throughout the year they are much more receptive. A stewardship committee can work to integrate the stewardship message into all parish activities and communications. · In our fast-paced, consumer-oriented society, it can be a real challenge to teach a stewardship way of life that calls for us to put God before our own endless wants. One or two parishioners working alone in this area can quickly become frustrated, tired and burned-out. On the other hand a stewardship committee of several members can support one another, share tasks and literally make stewardship education a fun and rewarding activity. · In many parishes a stewardship committee can take on stewardship-related tasks that were once done by the pastor or parish staff. · Unlike other organizations that often have restricted membership, a stewardship committee provides an opportunity for any and all parishioners to work for the good of the parish. Husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, parents and adult children can all work together on a stewardship committee. The secrets to forming a successful stewardship committee include: · Pray for God’s help in bringing the right people together in your parish for this important work. · Don’t wait for individuals to volunteer. Ask the people that you want to be involved. · Look for spiritual people who actively live out their faith through prayer, Eucharist and service. · Set regular meeting dates where the committee can evaluate the stewardship efforts of the parish, determine a vision and a plan of action and then carry out their plans.
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Stewardship is A Way of Life! Good Stewards have an "Attitude of Gratitude!" RESOURCES TAKEN FROM: Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York
Stewardship is about the many gifts our gracious God has given us. It helps us to reflect upon our giftedness; all that we have which constitutes our treasure: Our families, friends, time, talents, skills, material possessions, finances. Stewardship is about reflecting on our faith and on the way we live and act as disciples of Jesus. Stewardship is about caring for all of God’s creation.
As Christians Stewards, we: What is Stewardship?It is a lifestyle, a life of total accountability and responsibility. It is the acknowledging of God as the Creator and Owner of all. Christian Stewards see themselves as the caretakers of all Gods’ gifts. Gratitude for these many gifts is expressed in prayer, worship, offering and action. Stewardship is a way of life. It is a way of thanking God for all our blessings by returning to God a portion of the many gifts (everything we have, for instance, our time, talent and treasure) that we have been given. It involves the intentional, planned and proportionate giving of all we have. Finally, stewardship encourages everyone to participate in the task of building the Kingdom of God. When we explain that God has given each of us certain things, that these gifts are our responsibility to care for, and that we are accountable for what we do with these gifts, then there is no doubt that everyone should be involved. Stewardship rejects the notion that we must "have it all" and instead, demonstrates the value of giving in love, in service and in justice. Stewardship is based on the spiritual principles of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus Christ. "Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, yours are the eyes through which he is go about doing good, yours are the hands with which he is to bless people now…" (St. Teresa of Avila) What difference will Stewardship make in my life? The difference is the motivation for giving. It is so easy to put our lives on hold and with it all of our good intentions. "Someday when I have more time" or "When I’ve reached my goals" or "I’ll give my share of time, talent and treasure but not right now." What will we tell those in need of prayer, in need of a kind ear or the hundreds of other acts of stewardship that will go undone and the gifts that the Lord has given us that will go unshared if we all were to think that way? Stewardship acknowledges that God is the source of all of our gifts and talents, and we are the caretakers of these gifts. Effective stewardship education and formation relies on leadership by example. Stewardship encourages us to make a difference and to become involved.
Where stewardship has been implemented, both givers' and receivers’ lives have been changed. True conversion has taken place in the hearts and minds of many who embrace Stewardship as a way of life. "Boast not of tomorrow, for you know not what any day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1) What does intentional, planned and proportionate giving mean?Two times a year in the parish, Stewardship committee ask people of faith to renew their commitment to living as Stewards of God's gifts. In the Fall, people are asked to prayerfully plan their sharing of financial resources and to "Take-A-Step" in their level of giving to the parish and other charities. In the Spring, folks are asked to pray and reflect and to "Take-A-Step" in the ways gifts of time and talent are shared at home, in the workplace, in the community, and in the parish. We do these things annually because as responsible, faith-filled Catholics:
Good stewards become very conscious of living as disciples of Jesus each moment of each day. Jesus made it clear in the scriptures that being stewards of all the gifts God has given us (like our time, talent and treasure) is part of the will of God. "Put your gifts at the service of one another, each in the measure he has received… Thus in all of you God is to be glorified." (1 Peter 4:10, 11) What is meant by giving of one's time, talent, and material possessions?Our time, our talents, and our material possessions constitute just some of the treasures we have been given by our very generous God. Sharing these gifts involves being with God in prayer and worship, using our gifts to help build God's Kingdom among our family and friends, our workplace, and our communities and parishes. It means becoming ministers of the Gospel in our communities and parishes in new (and perhaps not-so-new) ways! "Men do not light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket. They set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, your light must shine before men so that they may see goodness in your acts and give praise to your heavenly father." (Mark 5:14-16) Am I expected to give all I have been given to the church?No. The church teaches that the primary vocation of the laity is to transform the world to Christ. We do this best when we share and use the gifts our generous God has given us in love and justice first at home, then in the workplace, then in our communities and parishes. Certainly, however, the parish is a focal point for coming together as disciples of Jesus. It is in the parish that we join with one another to celebrate our faith, share in the Eucharist, and become empowered to be Eucharist (the Body of Christ) in the world. Our parish is central to our gathering for prayer and worship, celebrating the Sacraments, meeting for and planning together the work of the church, and celebrating the gift of each other. We have an important responsibility to our parish to plan ways we can use and share our gifts there, but we must remember that our sense of stewardship needs to be kept broad and holistic. The life of a Christian steward models the life of Jesus. It is challenging and even difficult, in many respects, yet intense joy comes to those who take the risk to live as Christian stewards. Women and men who seek to live as stewards learn that. "All things work for good for those who love God." (Rom. 8: 28) What's the difference between Stewardship and fund raising?Throughout the New Testament, Jesus specifically talks about how God wants us to live our lives to help build God's Kingdom. Scripture talks about what we should be doing with the gifts that God has given us. Stewardship is based on Jesus’ challenge to live as God has planned, not on the monetary needs of our parish. Stewardship is based on our need to give out of gratitude to our most generous God, not on the church’s (or any other charity's) need to receive. There will always be needs of a parish or any other charity or institution. Fund raising efforts are built around institutional or charitable needs (a new roof, a new boiler, renovated buildings, etc.) Good stewards respond to the needs that fund raising efforts address, but they always focus on the primary fact that, as disciples of Jesus who have been gifted by a most generous God, we need to give!
From the "Stewardship and Development in Catholic Dioceses and
Parishes" Resource Manual, page 9: "Development and fund-raising programs sponsored by dioceses, parishes, schools, and other church-related organizations should complement effective stewardship programs. No development activity should conflict with stewardship efforts in the diocese or parish. Instead, as a result of careful planning, there will be new opportunities for people to practice good stewardship by participating in the mission and ministries of the church." "Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving." (Acts 20:35) |
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Stewardship is
an attitude toward life Each of us is unique, created by God. We possess talents and abilities (gifts) that help to make a unique contribution to the world in which we live. These gifts are easier to see in others, but are sometimes difficult to see in ourselves. These gifts are what make us who we are, our personality type, interests, motivations, life experiences, our hopes and dreams, etc… When we look at it that way, how many people do we know who are exactly like us? Then, if there is no one else exactly like us, who else can bring those unique gifts to our Community? The Stewardship Committee can help you match your gifts with a ministry in our parish. They help our pastor to educate parishioners and to implement the values of Stewardship as a Way of Life. Can you help in this endeavor? Please call our Stewardship Chairman Make a difference. Share your God-given gifts. |
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My
Stewardship Journey Stewardship is commonly misunderstood and
associated with the concept of tithing, the practice of donating
10% of one's income. While the Second Vatican Council never
created an official church law on tithing, it reiterated the
importance of supporting the Church stating that Christians have
a duty and an honor to give back to God a portion of their
gifts. In 1992, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
expanded on this principle when they published a Pastoral Letter
entitled Stewardship: A Disciple's Response. Their definition of
stewardship reached far beyond financial contributions and
encouraged Catholics to live their lives as disciples of Jesus.
Equipped with this knowledge, we have the "power to change how
we understand and live out our lives." (Stewardship:
A Disciple's Response) The time given to us as stewards of this earth is a precious gift, which God wants us to use wisely. We must never forget that Jesus was born “in the fullness of time” and saved us in human history. We are born in time, Baptized in time and invited to live lives of faith within the precious gift of time. Time is a consumable but non-renewable gift. Therefore, the faithful and responsible celebration of time is a vital part of Christian stewardship. “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10 TALENT God gives us many gifts – our faith, the love and affection of friends and family, our possessions – to name but a few. As good stewards, as good Catholics, we need to discover more and better ways to express our gratitude. As individuals and as members of the community of faith, we have been blessed with many talents. Stewardship invites us to offer our gifts and talents to our parish in order to build up the kingdom of God on earth. Some are able to organize, some are teachers, still others have the ability to visit the sick and listen with great care. Talents are not better or worse, talents are just different. Together we can always do more than when we act alone. We are not called to be passive beneficiaries but active doers of the work of God.“There are different kinds of gifts but the same spirit: there are different forms of service but the same Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:4 TREASURE We have all been blessed with riches. We live in a land of plenty and reap the benefits. Stewardship invites us to recognize how God blesses our efforts and enriches our lives. W hen we recognize God’s part in our lives and His part in our success, we will be eager to make a return to God for all He gives us. It is not enough to just thank God; we must make a return to God from our possessions. True stewardship of treasure should flow from our need to give and not be tempered by a response to a proven need. Responding to a proven need is charity. Charity is important, but far less than true stewardship. True stewardship is much more than charity because it responds to a need in our hearts more than the need in our world.“It is in giving that we receive…” Prayer of Saint Francis
Stewardship: A
Disciple’s Response | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Diocese
of Green Bay Stewardship Resources...
