Loading...Until the late twentieth century, "stewardship" was equated with something called The Every Member Canvass. The Every Member Canvass was often called "the Stewardship Campaign." Stewardship meant giving to the church, giving money. The tithe was the word used to describe what someone gave to the church, whatever the amount. Stewardship, tithe, every member canvass, all pointed to the same thing: money to the local church.
But sometime in the 1980's, a corrective movement hit the wider church, helping us to see that "stewardship" was about a whole lot more than money. Simply put, Stewardship came to be understood as "all that we have, and all we do, all the time." It is rooted in the belief that who we are and what we have and the life we live, and the world in which we live is all a gift from God, or even that it all belongs to God: "The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it," says the Psalmist. We are stewards of it all.
A steward is a manager, a person who has charge of the household or possessions of another. In our case, we are the stewards of God's household, God's possessions, whether nature, children, buildings, time, talent, or money. If we realize that all the stuff of our world belongs to God, and we see ourselves as stewards of it, then we will mindfully use it as God would have us use it. . . . All of it!
During the month of November, you are being asked to pray about your finances and what you feel called to offer in a pledge representing your love for God and your desire to pursue the mission Jesus has given us. Your commitment is a vital part of your spiritual life and necessary if we are to make a difference in our community.
Soon you will receive a pledge card in the mail. Pray about it, then make a commitment. Every gift is important.
Fr. Tom
(Excerpts from an article by Lisa Fischbeck)
