Current Stewardship Board
From left: Phil Martin, Debbie DeGrave, Doug DeGrave, Marie Le, John Le,
Fr. Vincent, Abe Ledesma, Norma Villanueva, Sandra Even, Kathy Manulkin, Kim Wilcox
Principles of Catholic Stewardship Of Time, Talent and Treasure
"As each one has received a gift,
use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace."
(1 Peter 4:10)
The word "Stewardship" refers to the gifts that God has bestowed upon us. Look only to the life of Jesus for guidance in living as Christian stewards. Stewardship is living out a commitment to be:
- Christ-centered rather than self-centered.
- Full of profound gratitude, justice and love - the fundamental motives for giving back to God
- Sharers of our time, talent and treasure to build up the Church and make our world a better place.
The Church needs you and God has chosen you to go out into the entire world. Every Christian is to take an active part in the life of the Church and to share the gifts of salvation. Mature disciples make a conscious, firm decision, carried out in action, to be followers of Jesus Christ, no matter the cost to themselves, by:
- Reciving God's gifts gratefully
- Cultivating them responsibly
- Sharing them lovingly in justice with others
- Returning them with increase to the Lord
Did you know that there are eight days in a week? Who added this 8th day to the week? We've all heard of Monday through Sunday. But when did Someday sneak into the week? Yet it seems like the very most important things in life are reserved for this special day called "Someday."
- Someday, I'll visit my sick friend.
- Someday I'll offer my singing voice to the church choir.
- Someday I will teach my faith to the children of my parish.
We all know that Someday never comes, and many important things in our church never get done, because so many good people are waiting for that "8th day of the week" to show up.
Now is the time to make your commitment to Christ. What gift of time and talent will you make to see that Christ's work is done on the SEVEN days of the week, instead of on "Someday."
Make Stewardship your way of life.
WHAT IS CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP?
A steward is someone who takes care of what belongs to someone else, like an administrator or trustee, not an owner. Christian stewards recognize that everything really belongs to God - everything we are and everything we have - and that God will hold us accountable for how we use the many gifts He entrusted to our care. If we truly believe this and experience a conversion of heart, we can't help but respond with profound gratitude. This gratitude is expressed in our celebration of the Eucharist (the very word means thanks) and in the way we live our everyday lives.
Gifts from God are not meant to be hoarded or kept only for our own use, but to be shared with others so everyone has a share in God's abundant graces.
