Stewardship
What is Stewardship?
Stewardship comes from the Greek word "oikonomia", or economy, which means management of the house or household. In the New Testament, it means man's management of his whole life in response to God's love. Man is a steward, a manager of the "time", "talents" and "treasures" that God has given to him. God as Creator gives us time by granting us life, our very existence. God as Giver of all gifts, grants us our abilities and talents. God as Maintainer, provides for our needs by affording us opportunities to earn a living. If I believe that God is the Giver, the Owner and I the manager, then it follows that a Steward trusts the Bible's directions on how to manage God's gifts. God expects us to give Him thanks by managing our gifts of "time", "talent" and "treasure" according to His will.
The essence of Stewardship is that we first give ourselves to God and then seek to do His will as his servants. Unless our hearts are in Christ, then we will find it difficult to do His will. We can only become His servants, by accepting His lordship over our lives. We can give our "time" to the Lord by our daily devotion, reading his Word, by attending Church services and by assisting others in need. We can use our "talents' in response to God's love by serving God as a Sunday School teacher, a Choir member, a Parish Councilman, a Philoptochos member, by cooking, cleaning and responding to the call of service to others. We use our "treasures", our income, God's gift to us to glorify his name. By sharing our "treasures" with the Lord, we become co-workers with Him in His work of salvation. Stewardship, as the management of God's gifts to us, is the method by which Christians should support their Church. We are to return a portion of what God has given to us back again to God.
Stewardship is a matter of our personal faith in God and He keeps his promises. St. Paul writes: "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
2012 Stewardship Pledge Drive
Making commitments is a fact of life. Some require more thought and consideration than others do, but each of us commit to things on a regular basis.
Yet, one type of commitment seems difficult for many of us. It is giving a specific amount to the Lord's work on a regular basis. Often, as our wants become confused with needs, we devote ourselves to the pursuit of things with no eternal value. We forget that the way we live our lives is a testimony of what we believe about God.
Personal commitment based on love for Christ is definite and visible. What we do is what really reveals what we are, and how we are personally related to our Lord. Throughout the New Testament, we see evidence of committed Christians giving regularly to the work of God. The generous support of early Christians enabled the Apostles to "turn the world upside down." (Acts 17:6)
Our church's desire is to encourage among our members the same spirit of giving that gave rise to early Christianity. After all, what other commitment can we make, or goal can we set that has such profound significance as giving a portion of our income to further the Lord's work?
The annual stewardship emphasis in our church is upon us. At Saint Katherine, we have always emphasized that a deep commitment to God is the best way to approach life. All the things we do are oriented toward lining up our heart and our actions. Please join us in making a financial commitment for 2012 to make sure that God's work through our church is done.
Below is a link to our stewardship pledge card which you can download and record your commitment for 2012. Please fill this out and either mail this to the church or email a copy to pappademos@saintkatherine.org. Remember, at its heart, stewardship is a spiritual expression of our faith.
Stewardship Resources
Parish members and guests can send in their donations through PayPal. There is no need to have a PayPal account. The site will also take all major credit cards. Click on the link below to make your stewardship payment.