STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN
Time to unlock your time, treasure, & talent !
Message 13 (and last) from our Stewardship Committee
A heartfelt "Thank You" to all who have pledged so generously!
As of December 3, 91 Parish families have pledged over $199,000. Included among those who pledged are 40 families who increased their pledge over last year, and 7 new families. These numbers are almost identical to the pledge tallies at this time in 2006. While St. Stephen's is truly blessed by the generous pledges received to date, we have nonetheless only achieved 75% of our pledge goal for 2008.
For those of you who have not yet had an opportunity to pledge, we hope and pray that you will be inspired during this season of celebration and thanksgiving to commit to helping support St. Stephen's important ministries during the upcoming year. The Vestry will meet on December 17th to finalize the 2008 budget. We need as many pledge commitments as possible in order for the Vestry to make informed and responsible fiscal decisions. Please consider making your pledge by Sunday, December 16th.
If you need a pledge card or have any questions regarding pledging, please call or drop by the Parish Office.
May the Holy Spirit be with all of us at St. Stephen's this holiday season.
Message 12 from our Stewardship Committee
Where Gracious Giving Begins
The end of Paul's doxology (Romans 11:36) makes it abundantly clear: God not only owns everything, he also directs the ebb and flow of the cosmic economy, "For from him and through him and to him are all things." Nothing exists outside of this reality.
Stewardship is a lifestyle based on the biblical belief that God is the rightful owner of everything and that we are stewards (i.e. caretakers) of his stuff, responsible to do with it what he wants done. So the stewardship question is: "What does God want me to do with his stuff?" Well, simply put, we are all urged to give "according to the grace given us." Romans 12:6
Someone wisely said, "Do your giving while you're living, so you're knowing where it's going." Someone else said, "You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving." We ought to be storing up a wealth of treasure in heaven by faithful giving here. Remember Paul's words, "For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either." 1 Timothy 6:7
Regardless of our gifts, when we bring the full tithe, He brings His full blessing. Let's begin today, perhaps for the first time, or as a renewal of our commitment, to surrender all we have and are to Him: our time, our talent and even our treasure. Full surrender to Him.
The Holy Spirit will move those opened to being moved. "It will happen", and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. Giving is infectious. Giving brings joy found nowhere else. Giving of oneself, unconditionally is what we are suppose to do with all "God's Stuff."
That's where gracious giving begins..........
Message 11 from our Stewardship Committee
The linkage between Stewardship, Outreach, and Ministry is a strong one at St. Stephen's. This past week we observed a great example of how the Holy Spirit brings the entire Parish together to achieve great things in God's name. The Middle School students led St. Stephen's participation in the Anne Arundel Holiday Sharing program. St. Stephen's is sponsoring eight families this holiday season, providing food for the Thanksgiving holiday and food and presents at Christmas. And while the Middle School may have been the event drivers, the entire Parish contributed to this great effort. Dozens of Parishioners donated food goods and grocery gift cards; eight families volunteered to deliver the meals, and the entire Church School helped sort and pack the food for deliverty this past Sunday. Thanks to all!
Message 10 from our Stewardship Committee
Since Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, the following passage seems an appropriate message for the week:
You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God.
As of this week, St. Stephen's has received 80 pledges totaling over $189,000. This represents 71% of our 2008 goal. Thank you to all who have pledged. For those still contemplating your pledge, please consider doing so this week in thanksgiving to God for all with which he blessed us.
Message 9 from our Stewardship Committee
A heartfelt thanks to those of you who have made your pledge for 2008. To date, we have received 73 pledges. This is an excellant start, but in truth, we are asking for each parish household to make a pledge. For those of you who are still considering your pledge, please prayerfully reflect on how your pledge will contribute to our common goal of proclaiming by word and example the Good News of God in Jesus Christ.
Message 8 from our Stewardship Committee
Through stewardship we learn to live as Jesus Christ taught us.
For you know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
Christ sacrificed everything for us, so that we could live with the grace of GOD. What small sacrifices can we make in His name?
Message 7 from our Stewardship Committee
Sunday, October 28, is "Pledge Sunday" and we have all been asked - as a show of our early commitment to helping St. Stephen's meet its many internal and external financial obligations for 2008 - to bring our filled-out 2008 pledge card and have it collected during the offering. If this is a typical Pledge Sunday, chances are pretty good that many of you: 1) have been too busy to fill it out, or 2) filled it out but left it home, or (most likely) 3) have not been too busy, but are still undecided about how much to pledge. If you fall into any of these categories, that's no problem...turning them in anytime before November 1 will still allow the Vestry to make up a timely 2008 budget with the firm knowledge that they will have an adequate income to balance the expected outgo.
But remember that Stewardship is not just about providing your "treasure" but also your time and talent. Opportunities abound for giving of these latter two in the form of such worthwhile activities as helping out on November 3rd with either the Fall Dinner or Bazaar, or merely attending the Service of Remembrance on November 9th, or - for a slightly longer commitment - signing up to be a lector, usher, or teller!
We encourage you to reflect on the blessings that God, working through St. Stephen's Church, provides in your lives and, with loving and grateful hearts, decide how you can best offer up your Stewardship talents.
And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, and some thirty. Matthew 13:23
Message 6 from our Stewardship Committee
IMAGINE THAT....
I remember the day I saw the Grand Canyon for my first and only time.
It was a cold, clear, perfectly sunny day in early November. The horizon stretched forever, the clouds were sailing, time stood still, and grace was in abundance.
I could see the silver, shimmering thread of the Colorado River far, far below. I stood on the rim - as close as my fear of heights would allow - mesmerized by the dance of shadow and light along the walls. I knew with certainty that I was seeing the face of GOD; nothing less than a miracle.
Where do you seek GOD's grace?
What do you see when you imagine the face of GOD?
How can we push our boundaries to incorporate the stranger? How can we welcome those that may see the world through lenses different than those we wear? How can we work to spread the Gospel of Good News?
Most see rock and water. I saw GOD. Imagine that....
...for I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.
Genesis 32:30
Message 5 from our Stewardship Committee
"For you know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor; so that by his poverty you might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9
Jesus Christ sacrificed everything he had for us so that we might live to know the grace of God. Jesus does not ask us to give up everything we earn or own, but He does call us to prayerfully consider meaningful sacrifices.
In two weeks (October 28), each of us will be asked to make a commitment to sacrifice through our annual pledge of support to St. Stephen's. As members of the Parish, each of our pledges is an important element of our collective responsibility to operate and maintain St. Stephen's Church. More importantly, each of our pledges is a testament to how well we are listening to God's call to serve him through Christ. As you determine what you can pledge for 2008, please consider that through sacrifice and generosity we learn to walk with Jesus.
Message 4 from our Stewardship Committee
Stewardship is using the gifts God has given us, to do the work God has given us to do. Our giving is a thankful response to all that God has given us. Our lives and the manner in which we use our resources should reflect our belief that "All things come of Thee, oh God."
Gifts in the form of time and talent are equally as important as our treasure. Establishing and maintaining a healthy stewardship balance is a challenge we will continue to face. It may be one of God's tests to all his churches.
Our different gifts enable us to meet the many special and diverse needs of our church and surrounding community. Whether you have committed to making lunches and sleeping bags for homeless in Baltimore, or delivering them, you are sharing your gifts.
If you choose to fill a much needed teaching position for Sunday School or volunteer for the nursery while Meredith is out on maternity leave, you are stewarding God's people.
Many calls for service will be made through the seasons here at St. Stephen's. When those calls are made, "Listen, and pray hard" for the strength to serve. God is speaking to all of us. Each of us can do a little more, but together, our results are boundless.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which the compassion
of Christ is to look out on a hurting world.
Yours are the feet with which
He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands
with which he is to bless now.
St. Teresa of Avila, 16th cent.
Message 3 from our Stewardship Committee
I have some good news for you. Listen...
GOOD NEWS!
What a world of promise is held in those two simple words.
You're not going to be blind-sided. You can breathe a sigh of relief.
Go ahead, relax that knot you maintain - the one right between your shoulder blades.
Unbind your armor. Listen...
The GOOD holds peace, comfort, assurance, and outstretched hands ready to cradle.
The NEWS is always fresh, ever-present, never predictable, and life-transforming.
The GOOD is the joy of teaching our children the power of GOD's love.
The NEWS is that it never gets old.
Join us in the GOOD NEWS.
Allow the gifts of your stewardship to bring all ages the wisdom
and beauty of our Lord and Savior.
Join us the the GOOD NEWS.
Allow the gifts of your stewardship to reflect His light for all to experience.
Join us in the GOOD NEWS.
Allow the gifts of your stewardship to open creative doors
and right pathways for every child of God.
Message 2 from our Stewardship Committee
The Episcopal Church's Stewardship website defines Stewardship as, "Using the gifts God has given us to do the work that God is calling us to do." This starts with being good stewards of the entire planet Earth and its peoples and extends all the way down to our family, community and church. As mentioned in last week's message, Stewardship is not focused simply in money (treasure) but also addresses the challenge to give graciously and abundantly of our time and talents.
Ever stop to think how many jobs need to get done to make St. Stephen's run smoothly? Ever noticed that the same faces show up again and again? Ever thought how maybe YOU could join in these various "ministries" that your fellow parishioners are embarked on? Not only would you derive a lot of personal joy from helping out but also you would be "sharing the load" as well as getting to better know some of your fellow parishioners.
Maybe join the choir (rehearse on Wednesday night), volunteer to be a teller (1 hour after church to count the collection and then deposit it in our bank), sign up to be an usher or lector (only about once a month), or even start a new ministry that no one is doing at the moment (book discussion groups?).
Don't have much time? Then simply show up for the "A Life Worth Living" series (Thursdays 7 p.m.), or a "Women of the Bible" study (Monday 12:30 p.m.), or the once a month "Foyer Group." The possibilities are many but the choice is yours!
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
(1 Corinthians 4:1)
Message 1 from our Stewardship Committee
As we start the new program year it is once again time to begin our annual Stewardship Campaign.
We begin with the age-old question: What is Stewardship? Although funding of the Church's mission activities always seems to be the focus of "stewardship campaigns", perhaps a better answer to that question is that Stewardship is the practice of celebrating and responding to God's love. In this light, Stewardship is not focused simply on money (treasure), but also addresses the challenge to give graciously and abundantly of our time and talents. We invite you to consider how you can use your time and talents to make The Good News visible in our community. Some suggestions:
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. (1 Timothy 1:12)