|
 What
is Stewardship?
A steward is someone
who has been entrusted with another's property and charged with the responsibility of managing it in the
owner's best interest. Stewardship is the act of lovingly returning to God a
portion of His many gifts with which He has blessed each of us. Stewardship is a ministry that enables us to respond to
Christ’s love by perpetuating His Church’s mission. Our giving of time, talent and treasure enables St. Paul’s
parish to do Christ’s work here on Earth through our many ministries,
services and outreach programs.
Stewardship is the foundation for all we do at
St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church. Many new spiritual programs and support services are added each
year. St. Paul’s has a
rich tradition of stewardship that the founding families and long-time
members of our parish have built since 1978. Today, each of us has a responsibility to Christ and to one
another, to continue growing our stewardship that enables us to spread
the Good News of Jesus Christ.
What Does Scripture Say?
The Bible repeatedly challenges us to give
generously! As St. Paul
writes, “Just as you excel in everything else…in
faith, in speech, in knowledge, in earnestness, and in love…see that
you also excel in the grace of giving”
(2 Corinthians 8:7). These
words still challenge us today!
We focus on the “treasure” or financial
element of stewardship for two main reasons: First, there is a vital link between our wealth and possessions,
and the health of our souls. Seventeen
of the Lord Jesus’ thirty-eight parables are about wealth and
possessions. His message is
consistent and clear. How we
handle our many blessings from Him, especially our money, defines how we
are doing with what is really important—Faith, Hope and Love. Where we invest our treasure on Earth speaks volumes about where
our “hearts” are. The
second reason we focus on financial stewardship is that it costs money
to operate, maintain and grow St. Paul’s parish. Dollars fund the many ministries and services provided to
parishioners and our local community.
Where is Money Needed?
We fulfill the
Mission of Christ’s Church by providing the many ministries and
services offered in St. Paul’s parish. Most, if not all, bear a financial expense.
A partial list of these include: Divine Liturgy and Sacraments; Choir; Church School; several
Bible Study classes; Parish Office; Parish Council, Philoptochos, and
Foundation; GOYA, Jr. GOYA, JOY, OCF, College and Careers (YAL),
Orthodox Parents (OPA); Spiritual Odyssey, Marriage Encounter, and Guest
Speakers; St. Paul’s library and bookstore; St. Innocent’s Orphanage
and Project Mexico; Seminarians, OCMC; Alcoholics Anonymous and local
shelters; Communications like Ambassador, Sunday Bulletin, Website;
Facilities Maintenance and Insurance.
Where
Does It Go?
St. Paul’s current operating budget is
approximately $800,000. It
costs over $15,000 each week to open the doors of St. Paul’s. Below is a breakdown of expenses.
 Stewardship
Goal
The ultimate goal of St. Paul’s Stewardship
Program is to fund 100% of the operating budget through stewardship
contributions. This will
enable the use of funds generated from special events to be directed
toward building of new facilities, new vital ministries, and new
outreach programs to further Christ’s work through St. Paul’s
parish.
Stewardship Program: 3%
Giving
St. Paul’s
3% Stewardship Program focuses
on the treasure or financial element of stewardship. It provides respectful guidance for giving based on teachings
from the Bible. It seeks to
have stewardship contributions fund 100% of St. Paul’s operating,
ministry, and services expenses. It
strives to encourage and motivate purposeful “giving from the
heart.”
The objective of
3% Giving
is to move all of St. Paul’s families to pledge 3% of gross household income.
Many members currently give at the 3% level; some parishioners
pledge in excess of 3%. We
pray that all St. Paul’s members will
be at a 3% giving level. The
Old Testament established a standard tithe (one-tenth) of income as the
proportionate amount to be given back to God. In the end, the question is not
“How much should I give?”,
but rather “Am I giving all I can?”
How
Do I Make a Stewardship Commitment?
Stewardship pledges
are made for a calendar year
by completing and signing a Stewardship Pledge Form. Parishioners are asked to fulfill their pledges by December 31st
of the year in which they pledge. Please
complete, sign and return a St. Paul’s Stewardship Pledge Form (back
side of this form) to the parish office or drop it in the Sunday
offering basket. If you need to revise your pledge during the year for
any reason, you may send a note or place a call to the parish office .
Confidentiality
Pledge
amounts and contributions are held in the strictest of confidence.
Only the priest, office administrator and bookkeeper review this
information.
Stewardship
Giving Options
Contributions toward a pledge can be made
weekly, monthly, quarterly or on an annual basis. Stewardship envelopes are provided for weekly offerings.
The ParishPay option is an easy, convenient, and secure
method that electronically transfers monthly stewardship from a checking
account, savings account or most major credit cards automatically (www.parishpay.com).
On a quarterly basis, the parish office will
provide a year-to-date update to help you keep track of your pledge
fulfillment. A detailed
document is provided at year-end for tax purposes.
Stewardship
Mission Statement
The aim and purpose
of St. Paul’s Stewardship Committee is to actively engage people to
help people by nurturing a passion within each individual parishioner to
contribute his or her finances, time and talent that enables St.
Paul’s to fulfill its ongoing operating, program and service needs.
Thank
You!
Thank you for your
participation and financial support of the important Stewardship
Ministry of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church. Together, we can continue Christ’s mission for us here on
Earth… to spread the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
(click
for formatted version of this article)
Consider "Parish Pay"
We
found an easier way for good stewards to give to our Church. Sign
up now to have your donations to St. Paul's automatically deducted each
month. It's automatic and it helps St. Paul's maintain a regular
and expected pattern of financial support! click
here to: Sign up with Parish Pay
1)
Click on Donors & Parishioners
2) Search for St. Paul's
by zip code = 92604
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Why
We Use Parish Pay to Support St. Paul's
by Lara Callas
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