Christian
Stewardship is ...
grateful
and responsible use of God's gifts in the light of
God's purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ. Christian
stewards, empowered by the Holy Spirit, commit themselves
to conscious, purposeful decisions.
Stewardship
is lived out in: living
and telling the Good News;
-
sharing
with God in seeking justice, peace, and the integrity
of creation in an interdependent universe;
-
wisely
employing God-given human resources, abilities,
and relationships;
-
sharing
the material resources we hold and giving them in
service, justice, and compassion;
-
providing
for future generations;
-
sharing
in the life, worship, and responsible stewardship
of the Church and of its mission.
Both
for the individual and for the community, stewardship
is a joyful act for the sake of God's world. This
definition comes from the Standing Rules of the Ecumenical
Stewardship Center. The Episcopal Church is a founding
member of this group and remains active in its continuing
work. You can find out more about ESC at their website, www.stewardshipresources.org.
The
Department of Stewardship is...
created
and receives its authority through The Constitution
and Canons of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas
Canon 5.
"Section
6. The Department of Stewardship
It shall be the duty of the Department
of Stewardship to maintain a continuous program of
education activity to confront the members of the
diocese with the larger meaning of Christian stewardship,
and to lead them to accept their responsibility as
stewards of God' gifts; to confer with clergy, vestries,
and bishop's committees on the development of a strong
and continuous Christian stewardship emphasis in their
congregation; to hold periodic conferences on stewardship,
and to distribute literature setting forth God's claim
on our time, talents and treasure; and to organize
a speakers' bureau which will offer qualified persons,
especially lay members, who will be ready to visit
throughout the Diocese for a presentation of Christian
stewardship as a way of life, and as a practical program
in the Diocese."
Our
Mission is...
Provide
the tools for churches to develop the financial resources
that under gird their own mission and ministry.
Thinking not in term of what we can afford, but in
terms of what we need!
Remind
the people who are the Diocese of West Texas, that
all that we are and all that we have belongs to God.
Everything is a gift from God and we are the stewards
- not only of our financial resources, but also of
this created earth, our time, our talents, our families,
our relationships, life itself, but most importantly
God's word.
The
Department of Stewardship is...
divided
into four divisions to more fully embrace all the
facets of Christian Stewardship.
-
Annual
Giving
- Capital Giving
- Legacy Giving
- Missionary Giving
more...
Our
Website...
focuses
on the Gifts of Time, Talent and Treasure.
- Gift of
Time - The Great
Commission is the normative mission statement for
the church. "Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you."
(Matthew 28:19-20a RSV). It is through
our Missionary giving of time that we can make the
Christ known to those who know Him not.
- Gift of
Talent
- Christian stewardship is using the gifts God has
given us, to do the work God is calling us to do.
Discerning and carrying out God's purpose is the
primary purpose of our lives. The primary
role of the church is to guide individuals in discernment
of the mission for their lives and the use of their
resources in accomplishing it. Do you hear
a call to be truer to your Christian beliefs?
- Gift of
Treasure - How we
use money says more about our value system than
anything we say or do. Some would think that
the way we handle our money is a window into our
souls. In funding ministry there are three
faces of financial stewardship. Annual
giving (ordinary stewardship)
is the regular practice of returning to God a portion
of all that God has given us. Capital
giving (extraordinary stewardship)
involves the special occasions that arise in the
life of Christian communities that call us to give
beyond our ordinary habit. Legacy
giving (legacy stewardship)
is the way in which we address the matter of disposing
of the accumulations of our lifetime.
With
this website the Department of Stewardship hopes to
provide an electronic source of ideas, programs, resources
and inspiration to encourage visitors (while helping
congregations encourage members) to experience the
joy of giving and embrace a lifestyle of generosity
according to God's Word and Christ's example.
|
