Stewardship

OUR STEWARDSHIP MISSION: Orthodox Christian Stewardship is a way of life, which acknowledges accountability, reverence, and responsibility before God. A primary goal of Stewardship is to promote spiritual growth and strengthen faith. Becoming a Steward begins when we believe in God, to whom we give our love, loyalty and trust and act on those beliefs. As Stewards, we affirm that every aspect of our lives comes as a gift from Him. Stewardship calls on the faithful to cheerfully offer back to God a portion of the gifts with which they have been blessed.

“I chose and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.” John 15:16

One of the blessings we enjoy at the beginning of each new calendar year is the rich array of commemorations on the Church’s calendar. Saints Basil, Anthony, Athanasius, Ephraim, John Chrysostom and both Gregories are among those with feast days in January. Through the Holy Tradition of the Church, the lives and words of these Fathers continue to hold meaning for us today.

When it comes to stewardship, the Fathers offer a simple but compelling message. Per St. John Chrysostom, “our money is the Lord’s,” just as are all of the gifts we receive from God. Of course, it is not what we receive from God that marks us as Christians, but what we do with those gifts. As St. Gregory Nanzianzen asks, “Is it not God who asks you now in your turn to show yourself generous? Will we not be ashamed to refuse him this one thing only, our generosity?”

The Stewardship Committee asks you to reflect at this time on your generosity with regards to our Parish. Through the funding of our various ministries, our community seeks to put individual gifts to collective use for the glory of God. What better way is there to employ our gifts, which come from God and after all belong to God, than to show our service through his Church? If you have not made your stewardship pledge for 2013 as yet, we ask you to be generous in doing so now.

Stewardship is caring for the needs of others. Stewardship is offering one’s self to God as He offered Himself to us. Stewardship is what a person does after saying “I believe...” as proof of that belief.

Williams and McKibben in Oriented Leadership