Responding Sheltering. Renewing. Visiting. Office of Parish Stewardship, Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY. Happy Advent! Stay Awake!

Transcription

1 Giving Feeding Praying Discovering Thanking Clothing Comforting Celebrating Caring Loving Sharing Responding Sheltering Building Inviting Praising Stewardship Renewing Visiting Forgiving Deciding Evangelizing Creating Nurturing Growing Forming Serving Office of Parish Stewardship, Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY Happy Advent! Stay Awake! Advent, 2017 Back by popular demand - Adapted from original printing, Connections 2007 A wise person once told me that if you try hard enough, you can connect anything. Well, you don t need to try very hard to connect Advent and Stewardship. Advent challenges us to focus on doing something that we, as Americans in the year 2017, do not do very well wait. Think of all the things we wait for and how uncomfortable and seemingly unnatural that is. For a society that abhors waiting, we do an awful lot of it - though granted, not as much as in the past. We wait for the mail or a phone call; we wait for a friend or colleague to be ready, for test results or a webpage to load; we wait in traffic, in lines at stores, for parking spaces, for Christ? yes, we wait for Christ. God promised us that Jesus would come again on the last day and we will celebrate His coming with joy! In the Gospel reading of Mark for the First Sunday of Advent, Jesus tells us to Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and Yes, we wait, places his servants in however, we charge, each with his must also own work watch! celebrate How appropriate for Christ here the lives of stewards! and now We are the servants, each with our own work to do; not for us, but for God and we await the coming once again. Always alert and always ready. Yes, we wait, however, we must also celebrate Christ here and now - that is our promise to God at Baptism and that is our life as Christian stewards. It is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of not only the holiday season, but of life in general. Many people joke that they are least likely to see something that is right in front of them! This is true for many of us. We sleep-walk through life. What are we missing?? Advent reminds us to listen for His voice

2 in the crowds and carolers at the Every moment mall; to see His of every day is face in the gratefully lived, stranger who just conscious of our snatched the last faith and our purple sweater responsibility as from the rack; and, Christian to recognize Him stewards. in our family when we visit. We can see and hear Christ in the cards we send and receive, the gatherings we attend and especially in the quiet of our hearts and minds when we lay down to rest. This state of being awake and ready culminates in the joyous celebration of Christmas! What the seasons of Advent and Christmas have brought to the fore in our minds, is then sustained through the spirituality and practice of stewardship. Stewardship challenges us to remain awake, alert and ready. Every moment of every day is gratefully lived, conscious of our faith and our responsibility as Christian stewards. We are not only called to see and hear Christ in the everyday, but to be Christ in the everyday. Sound familiar? We are His eyes, ears, voice, heart and His hands. Let us prepare well for this awesome gift of Christ that has been entrusted to us all! In the beginning was the Word. And then the Word became flesh. We thank you, oh God for your greatest gift - the gift of your presence among us through your Son, Jesus Christ! As grateful stewards, created in your image, we rejoice and celebrate by sharing with others what you have shared with us! Best wishes for a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! WELCOME We re Glad You re Here! Really!! Christmas is one of those times when we see many parishioners who may only visit with us during certain seasons. As we prepare to welcome Jesus into our hearts and homes once again, we should also prepare to welcome our distant family members back to our parish. This planning and preparation is not just for parish leadership, but for the parish as a whole. Here are some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing! Beginning asap, offer gentle reminders to everyone involved in your parish of how important it is to be welcoming. One of the pillars of stewardship and of your community should be to truly make visitors feel welcome. Give a little extra attention when planning your Christmas liturgy and choosing your bulletin articles. Use a tone in your writing that is invitational and welcoming. You might choose a few highlights from the year that show the exciting ways the shared gifts of the community are being used. Communicate upcoming events and publicize your web page. When people visit, whether online or in person, invite feedback and encourage questions. Make information about registering at the parish or events for new families available and easy to find. Create a welcoming environment, perhaps through a children s gift or something for everyone, a special card, a welcome note or packet, etc. Do what you do so well...even better! This is a perfect opportunity to reach out to these parishioners and maybe, just maybe, you ll bring them home not just for Christmas, but for always!

3 Flashback! Stewardship - Our Way of Life! DO YOU REMEMBER ALL NINE THEMES?? Welcome to the Vineyard! The vineyard can be messy and we may be part of that messiness, but we need to remember who we are and what we are called to do. This vineyard is from God and for God We are workers, co-workers in the vineyard friends, we are stewards on a journey to give generously of our First Fruits as Gifted and Called people of God invited each moment by Jesus to Come, Follow Me and when we do, we are Renewed in Christ. Renewed to once again ask What Shall I Return to the Lord? We are ever strengthened by our Faith and New Works and as We Walk by Faith, though sometimes lost or in darkness we exclaim, Christ Be Our Light! And as steadfast Stewards of God s Gifts we strive each day to give witness to our call to serve. We are the Hands of Christ in today s world we are each members of the One Family in Christ working to Belong More Deeply to Him and His Church thereby evermore Believing with Joy that good and God will lead us to the kingdom. Stewardship is Our Way of Life! AMEN. Two Additional Posters! Our newest theme, Stewardship - Our Way of Life has two additional mini-posters (12x16) that can be displayed all year long and with any theme! Simply call or us to place your order. Posters are available in English and Spanish and all materials are free of charge. Call x297 or stewardship@drvc.org today! Stewardship Word Cloud Four Points of Stewardship

4 With Sincere Gratitude... My dear friends in Stewardship, On a more personal note, I would like to share with you that after more than 19 years in the Office of Parish Stewardship, the Holy Spirit is calling me to something new. As I write, I am filled with a mix of emotions mainly; excitement for the opportunity that lies ahead of me; sadness in leaving a position that has brought me great joy at times and sincere gratitude. I am so very grateful to have served the parishes of our diocese and elsewhere for so many years. For me, Stewardship isn t simply a job it is who I am, actually, who I have become. Originally, I was hired to help parish leaders with their computing needs and to develop training opportunities. Looking back, I didn t even know what Stewardship was! With grace, you embraced me and gave me one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive - the gift of discovering myself through Jesus Christ and the spirituality of Stewardship. Throughout the years I have been blessed with opportunities, experiences, places, moments, insights and, most importantly, the witness of faith-filled people like yourselves. I could not have asked for anything more! After much prayer and discernment though, this servant is listening. As of this moment, God s plan for me has not been revealed with certainty, but when that next chapter is revealed, I will know that s where God wants me to be! Thank you, every one of you, who have helped to shape my life and ministry in this great diocese and beyond. A special thanks to George steadfast and true, faithful and faith-filled you helped make the impossible possible! In the words of one of my best friends, mentor and the one who helped launch this awesome ride for me, Rob C., Onward to the Kingdom! St. Paul says it best the time has come for me to depart. I have run the race to the finish (2 Tim 7: 6-7). Farewell to you all and please stay in touch. Here are just some memories!! ICSC Awards for Excellence in Stewardship Materials! Spiritual Retreats! Children s Activities Published! Countless Workshops! n Our ow ip dsh Stewar! Song A Wa y o f L i f e Office of Parish Stewardship, Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY 12/17

5 ICSC ! Special Early Bird Member Discount! Register now for $399. Offer good through January 2, 2018 Call Georgena in the Office of Parish Stewardship for details! (x297)

6 Liturgical Resources We hope you enjoy and utilize these Liturgical Resources for your Bulletin, Announcements and General Intercessions. Please know that they are also available on our website at Weekly News/Resources For the Weekend of... (Note: Bulletin Reflections are taken from Stewardship By the Book, author Sharon Hueckel) AT-A-GLANCE.JANUARY S Stewardship Resources for Liturgy January 7 - The Epiphany of the Lord Bulletin Reflection: The three wise men who came from the East to pay homage to the infant Jesus brought Him rich gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as part of their worship. What gifts have I brought to this celebration to offer to the newborn Savior? Living Stewardship: We are grateful this week for all stewards in our parish who develop their talents and use them to care for the poor, console the sorrowful and teach the young. General Intercession for Mass: That as wise stewards of God s gifts, we seek to bring our gifts, both in offering as well as celebration, to our newborn Savior, we pray to the Lord... January 14-2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin Reflection: In today s reading we hear Samuel respond eagerly, Here I am! each time the Lord calls him. May we, too, be listening for the call of God in our lives and be ready to say like the Psalmist, Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. Living Stewardship: We are grateful this week for all stewards in our parish who answer their call to service by assisting Catholic Charities Housing Program to provide safe and affordable community facilities for the well-being of their residents. General Intercession for Mass: That as steward disciples, we stand ready to accept, share and cultivate our gifts to serve all our neighbors in the wider community, we pray to the Lord... January 21-3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin Reflection: There is a certain urgency in today s Gospel as Jesus calls His first disciples Andrew and Simon, James and John. Each one follows Jesus immediately, unhesitatingly abandoning nets and boat and father and fellow-workers. To what is Jesus calling me - at this moment, in these circumstances? What will I need to abandon in order to follow Him? Living Stewardship: We are grateful this week for all stewards in our parish who work in parishbased advocacy groups to bring Gospel values and Catholic social teaching to the wider community. General Intercession for Mass: That as listening stewards, we strive to hear what Jesus is calling us to at this moment and in these circumstances, we pray to the Lord... January 28-4th Sunday in Ordinary Time Bulletin Reflection: Moses told the people, A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen. God still provides among His people the gifts and talents necessary to continue the work of His Church. What gifts are yours to share? Living Stewardship: We are grateful this week for all stewards in our parish who set aside time with the Sunday Readings throughout the week so as to be better prepared to hear the Word of God and act on it. General Intercession for Mass: That as confident stewards, we will tell others about Jesus, the Living Word of God, without fear or hesitation, we pray to the Lord...