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God Gives it All and then Calls Us to Share
Everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God. Stewardship is the ability to share our gifts of life, time, talent, and treasure with
others – with no strings attached and no conditions. We share these gifts out of our love for God and gratitude to Him.“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mat 6:23)
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another “As each on as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (Peter 4:10)What is Stewardship?
Stewardship is the term that Catholics use to describe a way of life that recognizes that God is the creator, owner, and giver of all things. Faithful stewards engage in
responsible management of our God-given resources of time, talent, and treasure. Through stewardship, our relationships with God and one another are strengthened. Stewardship is living out a commitment to be Christ-centered rather than self-centered and involves a conversion of the heart. Like faith development, stewardship is a lifelong journey.“Make it your practice instead to store up heavenly treasure,
which neither moths nor rust corrode nor thieves break in and steal.
Remember, where your treasure is, there your heart is also.”
(Mat 6: 20, 21)Stewardship is not just a program, a fund-raising scheme, or about money and donations. Although, stewardship can have some programmatic elements. For example, every year our parish asks for pledges for giving to the Church.
What is a Christian Steward?
- Receives God’s gifts gratefully
- Cherishes and tends our gifts in a responsible, accountable manner
- Shares them in justice and love with others
- Returns them with increase to the Lord
Five Principles of Stewardship Giving- Planned — We spend time in thought and prayer when deciding what to give, rather than merely giving what we happen to have left at the end of the week.
- Proportionate — Our giving is proportionate to what God has given us. We give in proportion to the gifts we have received.
- Sacrificial — We give back to God from our substance, rather than our abundance. Grateful ~ Our offering is a grateful response to the immense love God has for us.
- A Gift — What we give is a gift, given without reservation or condition.
“Let me say this much: He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly,
and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Everyone must give according to what he has decided; not sadly, not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver. God can multiply His favors among you so that you may always have enough of everything and even a surplus for good works.” (II Cor 9: 6-8)“Therefore, through Jesus, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which acknowledge His name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Heb 13:15, 16)
What We Ask
At Our Lady of the Assumption, we ask parishioners to prayerfully discern and reflect on how much of their time, talents, and treasure they can commit to our parish for a year. There are many opportunities to give of one’s time, talent, and treasure at Our Lady of the Assumption. Please volunteer for a ministry and our visit “Giving” page to give financial support to our parish. Our pastor and parish staff are available to help you discern your involvement. We thank you for your support!
“Now, our God, we give You thanks, and praise Your glorious name!”
(1 Chro 29:13)Electronic Funds Transfer
Electronic Giving is a convenient way to provide consistent financial support to our church. Please contact the Parish Office to learn how you can participate.