Stewardship
"The key to stewardship and sacraficial giving is to build community in the parish. When you offer people a sense of prayer, hospitality, belonging, and community, then they'll be ready to hear the call for responsibility and service."
- Monsignor Thomas McGread, St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Wichita, Kansas
Stewardship and Evangelization: A Disciple's ResponseWhat is Stewardship?
A Christian steward is one who receives God's gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord. Stewards see everything as a gift from God, safeguard and care for material and human resources, and use resources wisely and responsibly.
Each member of the Church shares in responsibility for its mission; each is called to practice Stewardship of the Church. Christians are also called to look outward and to place themselves at the service of the entire human community, especially those who are most in need.
To practice Christian Stewardship, we must share with others, both people and institutions, by giving them our God-given time, talent, and treasure as an act of thanks to God for all His gifts to us. Our parish - our local Christian community - provides one focal point where we can express our faith in worship and through acts of charity. The parish is more than just a church building or a geographic boundary. It is a community of faith and action, where we can see the face of Jesus in the face of a neighbor. That neighbor might be a toddler or a senior citizen, and immigrant or a fifth-generation American, a preschooler learning to count or an adult learning to read. But, whatever their situation, we are called to give to them in gratitude for what the Father has given to us.
Stewardship Brochures
These brochures, created by the Annunciation Stewardship Ministry Committee are available here for you to view and print.
Stewardship Committment
Stewardship of Time, Talent, and Treasure
Stewardship involves intentional, planned and proportionate giving of our time, talent, and treasure. Stewardship is:
- Intentional - A deliberate decision is made to live out the Christian life in a certain way. That way is to thank God for all His blessings by returning Him a portion of our time, talent, and treasure.
- Planned - At the beginning of every year, each Catholic household should plan to make stewardship of time and talent part of daily lifestyle and stewardship of treasure a part of an annual budget.
- Proportionate - A decision is made to give a certain percentage of one's time and income to the church and other charities.
Giving of time involves being with God in prayer and worship, sharing our love with family and friends, and volunteering our time in church and community activities that help others and promote justice. Sharing our talents arises from the fact that God has given each of us the ability and gifts to do certain things well, and we are to develop those talents for the good of others. Many individuals commit a certain number of hours each week to prayer and charitable activities.
Giving of our treasure is equally as important as giving of our time and talent. Since God does not hold back on any area of His giving, so we should not hold back on any area of our giving, especially in the crucial areas of supporting our parish, diocese, Catholic schools, community causes, and charitable organizations.
Development - Empowering Others
Future generations will long realize the sacrifices for our Church. The seeking of financial gifts is so very important for the way it inspires God's people to holiness through self-giving and for the way it enables the mission of the Church by sustaining and expanding the many ministries to which we are committed for the building of His Kingdom.
Living as a Community
- Jesus taught us to love our neigbor as ourselves.
- He told us to pray, "Our Father..."
- He assured us, "Wherever two or three are gathered in My name, I will be with them."
In these and many other ways, God tells us that we are part of a community, one body of faith.
If we use our gifts only for ourselves, we would not be loving our neighbor as ourselves. God intends that we use our gifts by sharing them for the good of all. When we help others advance toward God, we help assure our own salvation.
No one can do everything, and God asks no more of us than our gifts make possible. But when we do use our gifts of time, talent, and treasure to make our families healthy, our parish vibrant, our community a better place to live, then we are bringing the Kingdom of God to earth and ushering in the second coming of Christ.
As people come to see their faith as something they hold in common, they want to share it with others. Those who are looking for a spiritual home will be attracted to this faith.
Christian descipleship is both personal and communal. We grow in grace together. We nourish our hearts while we nourish the hearts of others.
Bishop Burbidge Encourages Faithful to Read "Charity in Truth"
Pope Benedict has consistently placed environmental ethics at the center of his social teaching. In Chapter Four of the encyclical, he brings forth that concern calling for environmental justice and solidarity. "The environment is God's gift to everyone, and in our use of it we have a responsibility towards the poor, towards future generations and towards humanity as a whole," Pope Benedict said.
"In nature, the believer recognizes the wonderful result of God's creative activity," he continues, "which we may use responsibly to satisfy our legitimate needs, material or otherwise, while respecting the intrinsic balance of creation."
