Stewardship Talk for St. Mary of the Valley
(November 5-6, 2016)
Introduction – Three Parts of Stewardship
My name is ______. With me is my wife ______. We have been members of St. Mary of the Valley since ______. Fr. Bloom has asked us to speak to you about Stewardship of Treasure. Stewardship has three parts: Time, Talent and Treasure. This weekend we focus on Treasure - financial Stewardship.
How Parish Stewardship is Different from Annual Catholic Appeal
Parish Stewardship is different from the Annual Catholic Appeal which is taken up in May to support the work of the Archdiocese of Seattle to which we belong under Archbishop Sartain. Parish Stewardship enables us to carry out the mission of our parish:
Blessed to live in this beautiful valley, we are Christians, in union with Pope Francis and Archbishop Sartain, who strive to lift up Jesus, love one another and make disciples.
Where Stewardship Donations Go
Financial Stewardship maintains our parish staff, programs, buildings and grounds – in a word everything involved in carrying out our mission. Your generosity enables us to grow our parish.
Why Give
Today we hear St. Paul say, “The Lord is faithful.” Then he adds, “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God.” Stewardship expresses our love of God. God has given us everything: our time, our abilities, our families and our parish. By Stewardship we make a return to him. The Bible speaks about the blessings that come from Stewardship. We have experienced them in our lives.
Stewardship Card Side One – A Disciple’s Response
I now ask you to take your green Stewardship of Treasure card. On one side it says, “From a heart of gratitude we give our treasure.” In the middle is a quote from Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response: “The authentic disciple regards all he or she is and possesses as gifts and blessings and realizes the need to share those gifts and blessing with other for the sake of the kingdom of God.” One of the top three priorities of our parish is to make disciples. Stewardship is a disciple’s response.
Card Side Two – 4 Characteristics of Stewardship
Now please turn to the other side. On the top it has the four characteristics of Stewardship: Planned, Proportionate, Sacrificial and Thankful:
· Planning helps to ensure that we give of the “first fruits”—that is, we put God’s priorities first, rather than giving some amount left over after other obligations are satisfied.
· Proportionate: This is the “how much” question. Some people use the biblical concept of the tithe, a tenth (5% to Church and 5% to other charities) as a guide. Our giving should be in proportion to how greatly God has blessed us.
· Sacrificial: We ought to give more than just what is left over after taking care of all our need and wants.
· Thankful: Our offering should be a grateful response to the immense love God has shown for us.
Three Thoughts to Consider
Here are some thoughts to consider in making a planned, proportionate, sacrificial and thankful gift:
1. If you have never pledged before, would you consider a pledge of $5 per week?
2. Could you take a step by pledging one day a month of your daily wages?
3. If God has blessed you, would you consider increasing your pledge by 5%, 10% or more?
How to Make a Pledge
If you are ready to make a pledge, I ask you to fill in one of the three boxes. You can make a weekly, monthly or some other pledge. Then fill in your name, address, phone and email. This information is important so that Fr. Bloom and the parish staff can be in communication with you. You can place your card in the collection or take it home to fill out and return next weekend.
Methods of Giving
On the bottom we have methods of giving. Currently we have about 25 parishioners who give electronically. They provide stability for our parish. With a voided check or savings account number Anita can sign you up for EFT: Electronic Fund Transfer. You can also give by Credit Card or by yourself accessing Online Giving at our parish website.
Help Next Weekend
Next weekend Anita Maceda will be available after all Masses for parishioners who would like to sign up for electronic giving or to find out more about it.
Envelopes
Of course most parishioners use weekly envelopes. Even if you give electronically we can send you envelopes to place in the collection basket and to have personalized envelopes for special collections such as Mission Sunday, Peters Pence and Parish Capital Improvements.
Conclusion
______and I are happy to belong to St. Mary of the Valley Parish. We have found friends and a spiritual home here – and we are convinced that together our parish has a good future. Thank you.