Reflections
Stewardship
"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen
by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven…But when
you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father
who sees in secret will himself reward you openly" (Matt. 6:1-4).
For as we have many members in one body, but all members do not have the
same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually
members of one another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let
us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or
ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he
who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads,
with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. - Romans 12:4-8
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP
Christian
Stewardship is a life-style, which acknowledges accountability and
responsibility before God. Becoming a Steward begins when we say we believe
in God, to whom we give our love, loyalty and trust. We affirm that every
aspect of our lives comes as a gift from Him. Stewards are motivated as
recipients of God's abundant love, to respond by participating and
supporting His plan of salvation and the ministries of the Church, which
make salvation possible for them and for others.
In the Bible,
the Steward is depicted as a person who is given the responsibility of
managing something that belongs to the Owner, God. The Steward as the
manager is thus accountable to the Owner for all that he possesses and is
responsible to return to the Lord his or her fair share in gratitude and
thanksgiving. As God has been generous to us, He expects us to be generous
toward the work of Christ and His Church. Our Stewardship Commitment is the
tool of ministry, salvation and healing for us and for others. Christian
Stewardship is the privilege and honor of directly supporting God's work on
earth through the Church.
A flourishing
parish Christian Stewardship Program can be compared to a river, which
overflows into many tributaries and reaches out in many directions to share
with others our rich and profound spiritual inheritance. Success on the
local level emanates to greater support and outreach on all levels of
ministry: local, national and international. Christian Stewardship offers
each person the means to become an active proponent in disseminating the
Greek Orthodox Faith through fair and generous giving to support the Parish,
Metropolis and Archdiocesan or National Ministries.
The Department
of Stewardship and Pastoral Resources is tasked with preparing Christian
Stewardship material to assist the parishes of our Archdiocese in achieving
a successful and hopefully vibrant Stewardship program.
THE TOTAL
COMMITMENT PROGRAM
"On the first
day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as
he may prosper, so that contributions need not be made when I come." (1
Corinthians 16:2)
Saint Paul
instructed the Corinthians to offer their support for the Church of
Jerusalem on a regular and consistent schedule. Total Commitment represents
the parishes' support for the National Ministries of the Archdiocese. The
support, according to St. Paul, which should be made on the "first day of
every week," has two meanings for us.
The parish
Total Commitment to the Archdiocese is to be made from the first fruits,
meaning that it should be that portion of the parish's income, which should
be designated for the Archdiocese, and not the local parish. St. Paul, knew
that it was easier to give on a regular basis, than to wait until we have
enough to meet our spiritual and financial obligation. Therefore he reminds
us that the parish is to contribute regularly, monthly so that the
Archdiocese, depending on the regular Total Commitment income, may execute
its manifold ministries to the parishes and the faithful of our Church.
Secondly, the
parish's Total Commitment directly impacts on the National Church's ability
to maintain and augment the necessary programs for the Archdiocese,
Metropolises and Parishes. The Archdiocese is sustained by the Total
Commitment, which is the lifeblood pumping vitality throughout the entire
Body of Christ, which we call the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
The support
rendered by the local parish is the means by which the Archdiocese is able
to support the ministries required of a Major Faith such as ours. These
ministries include: the Ecumenical Patriarchate, our Mother Church: the
Metropolis Offices and Programs on a regional level; Hellenic College and
Holy Cross School of Theology, the source of future Priests and Lay
Ministries; Youth Ministry and Religious Education, the present and future
of our Church; Internet Ministries and the "Orthodox Observer" for keeping
in touch; Saint Basil Academy, for our children in need; Orthodox Christian
Missions, for sharing our Faith with others; Greek Language Education for
maintaining our Culture. These are some of the obvious ministries, if we
were to list all, as Saint John wrote about Jesus: were every one of them to
be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that
would be written. (John 21:25)
2008
Stewardship Pledge Card -
click here to print
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