Stewardship July 2013 News Christian Stewardship and the Need for Recreation By Effie Caldarola Article from the July 2011 issue of the ICSC e-bulletin Is there such a thing as a stewardship of recreation? Some people might dismiss the thought. But they d be wrong. In his book, The Gift of the Jews, author Thomas Cahill observes that, in receiving the Ten Commandments, the ancient Hebrews did something no other ancient society had ever done: they established a day of rest. The God who made the universe and rested bids us to do the same, calling us to a weekly restoration of prayer, study, and recreation (or re-creation). For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere at least, probably no other month bids us to relax as the month of July does. Backyard barbecues, days at the pool or the beach, a recreational outing or simply the lazy idleness of a mid-year Sunday afternoon invite us to slow down. And this invitation should be heeded. Sometimes, our society induces in us a sense of guilt if we re not doing. But turning off the computer and the phone and spending quality time with those around us, or finding time for our own interior lives, is stewardship of our time which leads to the place where God dwells. It s a good example for our kids as well: July presents a wonderful time to rest from all the electronic screens and busyness that dominate their young lives. July is also the month when U.S. citizens celebrate the proclamation of their freedom. When the Hebrew people first received the Ten Commandments, they too had just received their freedom from the Egyptians after a sojourn in the wilderness. Cahill thinks it s no coincidence that a people recently liberated were in need of a directive to rest and reflect. Leisure, he writes, is the necessary ground of creativity, and a free people are free to imitate the creativity of God. Christian Stewardship and the Need for Recreation Have you been counting down the days until your summer vacation begins or are you in the midst of one now? Is there such a thing as a stewardship of recreation? This article discusses how important your stewardship of recreation (or re-creation ) is. Define Stewardship This article discusses various definitions of stewardship and challenges us with how we talk about stewardship in our Church or home. Does it sound more like the Google definitions or what we find in the Bible? Exercising Good Stewardship During Summer This article from ICSC discusses how for Christian stewards, there s no summer vacation from nurturing their spiritual lives. Instead, summer provides plenty of opportunities to explore prayer, giving and parish involvement in new ways. HOLD the date The 2013 annual conference of the International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) will be held in Dallas, Texas September 22-25. The ICSC annual conference is a good opportunity to join fellow Catholics from throughout the country to share ideas and practices that foster and develop the spirituality of Christian stewardship. What Will God Ask Us? A short thought provoking article listing 10 things God won t ask us on that day. In the process of listing the 10 things that won t be asked, the author lists 10 things that God might ask us on that day. The intent of the article is to help us realize that God constantly gives us so many gifts and living stewardship as a way of life helps us to share what we ve been given by God. Stewardship Thoughts: For Your Bulletin Sometimes short and simple is more effective in building awareness and understanding. Here are some simple one- and two-sentence stewardship thoughts to include in your weekly bulletin to help educate parishioners on how to live out stewardship. A Summer Stewardship Prayer A short prayer for summertime reminding us not to take a break from our personal stewardship and to regularly give thanks to God for all the wonderful generosity bestowed upon us. Finding a Quiet Place Stewardship of Time We live such fast-paced lives that there does not seem to be enough time to do all that we need to get done. Jesus had very busy days also and showed us how to handle the pressure. So, the next time you feel guilty about a quiet, reflective time of doing nothing remember that recreation also means recreation and that to be a truly creative person, a steward of our interior resources, we must honor our need to rest, relax, be with others, read and play.
July 2013 Stewardship News Page 2 Define Stewardship By Mark L. Vincent - a Senior Design Partner of Design Group International TM, an organizational development firm that has developed extensive stewardship education resources. Here is a discussion starter for small groups, Sunday school classes, church boards and even families: If we subscribe to a Google RSS feed related to the word Stewardship, we will find the following definitions in their current order of frequency: 1. Taking responsibility to care for the environment 2. Being careful with a financial investment 3. Providing good management for an enterprise 4. Raising money for a church 5. Caring for one s life - managing money, time and health Compare this to the following order of frequency for the word Stewardship in the Bible: Ooops! The word cannot be found. Instead, the word, Steward (oikonomos) can be found in both the teachings of Jesus and in some of the New Testament letters, referring to the office one is given to care for the affairs of one s master. Stewardship, by definition, is the actions of the Steward. is encapsulated in a parable of Jesus, such as the servants who must invite people to the wedding feast the Master wants to host. But in all cases, the central idea remains the same. God, in Christ Jesus, is doing something that renews, redeems, saves and makes whole. God wants people to receive this good news of mercy and grace. And God wants those who receive this good news to manage this Gospel message well so that others can hear it and share the joy. Here then are some key reflection questions: 1. When we talk stewardship in our Church or home, does it sound more like the Google list or what we find in the Bible? 2. How might we recover a stronger sense of our role as a Steward of the Gospel message? 3. How does our use of income, relationships, bodily health and our care for the environment connect to the life of the Steward the Bible asks of us? So, if we search for the various uses of the word Steward instead, here are the definitions we find in their order of frequency: Taking care of the Gospel for God Sometimes, the Gospel is referred to as the manifold grace of God (I Peter 4:8). Sometimes the Gospel Reflecting deeply on these matters, one learns that being a Steward means I organize life for God. Money, talent, relationships, environmental care, and my chosen vocation get connected to my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. The definition need not be complicated. Exercising Good Stewardship During the Summer Excerpt from an article from July 2012 ICSC e-newsletter For most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, July is the heart of a hot, languid summer. It s vacation time for many, time to rev up the grill or skip out to the swimming pool. We shed heavy clothes in favor of hot weather informality. Even our reading material changes with the heat and light: that heavy biography becomes an easy-on-the beach thriller. So it s probably true that our approach to stewardship changes with the seasons as well it changes but doesn t disappear. In fact, July can be a wonderful time to reexamine our own attitude towards our faith and our stewardship commitments. Sunday Mass and an occasional weekday liturgy are just as important as ever. But we are freer in the summer, especially if you have kids in Sunday faith formation classes in the winter, to try different Mass times, visit a neighboring parish or experience a new parish while on vacation. Get out of your pew and experience the Church from a different perspective.
July 2013 Stewardship News Page 3 But remember that summer offers a parish no respite from its bills. Our parish needs our consistent commitment of support. Does your parish offer electronic giving? Signing up for this efficient means of contributing not only ensures that we continue to give dependably during the summer, it helps our parish to budget throughout the year. For Christian stewards, there s no summer vacation from nurturing their spiritual lives. But there are plenty of opportunities to explore prayer, giving, and parish involvement in new ways. Click here to read the full article. http://catholicstewardship.com/parishes/parish-enewsletter-archive/cat_view/27-parish-ebulletin/29-english-version Called. Transformed. Sent to Serve! Hold the date: September 22-25 The 2013 Annual Stewardship Conference will be held in Dallas, Texas from September 22-25. How are we called by Christ? Transformed by the Holy Spirit? Sent to serve? These are fundamental questions for Christians and we yearn for the answers and desire to truly embrace Christ s presence in our lives. Christian stewardship helps us on this journey of encounter. The theme for the ICSC 2013 conference is; Called. Transformed. Sent to Serve! The conference provides opportunities to learn about Christian stewardship and how it can help us hear Christ s call. The conference begins with opening prayer at 3:30 pm on Sunday, September 22, and concludes at 11:30 am on Wednesday, September 25, following the celebration of the Eucharist. The Sunday Keynote Speaker is The Most Reverend Kevin J. Farrell Bishop of the diocese of Dallas, Texas. Wednesday Plenary Speakers are The Reverend Michael White and Mr. Thomas Corcoran, co-authors of the book, Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, Making Church Matter. Click on the link for more conference information including registration and the conference brochure. http://catholicstewardship.com/programs-a-events/annual-conference
July 2013 Stewardship News We all get e-mails forwarded to us from family and friends from time to time. The jokes, videos, photos and sometimes inspirational messages oftentimes give us something to think about. I once received a PowerPoint e-mail from a priest What Will God Ask Us? By Fr. Michael Troha - Copyright www.catholicsteward.com Page 4 friend who is a retired Air Force chaplain, and it relates perfectly to what living the stewardship way of life is all about. We will leave out the pictures and leave you with the words from 10 Things God Won t Ask You on That Day. 1. God won t ask you what kind of car you drove. He ll ask you how many people you drove who didn t have transportation. 2. God won t ask the square footage of your house. He ll ask you how many people you welcomed into your home. 3. God won t ask you about the clothes you had in your closet. He ll ask you how many people you helped clothe. 4. God won t ask you what your highest salary was. He ll ask you if you compromised your character to obtain it. 5. God won t ask you what your job title was. He ll ask you if you performed your job to the best of your ability. 6. God won t ask you how many friends you had. He ll ask you how many people you befriended. 7. God won t ask you in what neighborhood you lived. He ll ask you how you treated your neighbors. 8. God won t ask you about the color of your skin. He ll ask you about the content of your character. 9. God won t ask you why it took you so long to seek salvation. He ll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven. 10. God won t have to ask you how many people you spread this message to. He ll already know. God constantly gives us so many gifts. Living stewardship as a way of life helps us to share what we ve been given by God. Stewardship Thoughts: For Your Bulletin By David Baranowski; Stewardship Education Director - Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO Here are some simple one- and two-sentence stewardship thoughts to include in weekly bulletins that will help educate parishioners on how to live out stewardship. Ask yourself, Do I give only from my excess or am I a good steward who is willing to sacrifice in order to help others? Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today is a Gift that s why it s called the present. Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. If you can t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. Mother Teresa Gift of Time we all have heard the 3 T s of Stewardship (time, talent and treasure). One reminder: When we talk about the gifts of time and talent, many people use them as if they are the same. However, time refers to the time we spend with God, not the time we spend participating in our parish ministries. Gift of Time, continued We ve all heard complaints about dull or routine Masses even though everyone is doing their best. The quality of the Mass has little to do with the performance of others and has everything to do with how ready and eager you are to meet God and participate in the Mass. If you think it s dull or routine, look at yourself first. When Christian lifestyle is more characterized by enforcing rules than showing compassion, we ve gained nothing. Wealth can make people feel arrogant and replace reliance on God with dependence on money.
July 2013 Stewardship News Page 5 Important as money is, it cannot solve all our problems. In fact, it can blind us to things that are really important. You cannot buy your way out of death; only God is our hope. So, you must prepare yourself less dependence on money and more trust in God. With all the advances in science and technology, one drawback is that we begin to think we are in control of everything and forget to trust God. We believe we re in complete control and no longer dependent upon God for our daily food and forget to thank Him for our daily bread. Our affluent society makes us feel we are self-sufficient and weakens our dependence on God. When things are going smoothly, we tend to forget our dependence on God. Only during times of hardship, illness, suffering and death do we place our trust in God. Lord, You give us the gift of summer, not as a break from you or stewardship of your gifts, but as challenge for us to be stewards of your gifts in a different way. As we enjoy the gifts of longer days and nice weather, help us to consider how we might use those gifts to further build up your kingdom, and to regularly give you thanks for all your wonderful generosity! We ask this in your name. Amen. A Summer Stewardship Prayer Catholic Diocese of Boise July/August 2010 E-Newsletter Finding a Quiet Place Stewardship of Time Adapted; by Karen Slusser (Ebenezer UMC Stewardship Committee, Berwick, PA) First read Mark 1:35-39 Don t you find it interesting that in this day and age when we have all these time-saving devices that we find ourselves with so little free time? We live such fast-paced lives that there does not seem like there is time to do all that we need to get done. Our to-do lists never seem to end, and our calendars are always filled up. As a result our stress levels have reached an all-time high! In Mark 1:35-39, Jesus was pretty busy also. He left the synagogue where he had been teaching. He healed Simon Peter s mother-in-law. He then healed many sick people and drove demons out of others. The scripture says that the whole town showed up at the door. Talk about stress levels! How did Jesus handle the pressure? He got up very early the next morning, left the house, and found a solitary place where he could pray. Jesus knew that he had to connect with his Father in heaven if he was to keep going at the pace that he had been. By praying to God, he could make sure that he was doing God s will. He could ask for guidance, direction and strength. We need to do the same. Find a quiet place each day, and spend some time talking to God. Pour out your heart to him. Seek his wisdom and direction for the day ahead. Ask for strength. He wants to be by your side as you go about your day. Spending time in prayer will also change the way you respond to situations throughout your day. You will find yourself calmer and more peaceful. You will be less likely to let your emotions get the best of you. Find that quiet place! Prayer: Our most gracious heavenly Father, we praise You for all the things that You do for us. We live in such a fastpaced world, but You remind us that we need to slow down and spend time with You. Help us to find that quiet place where we can seek Your direction for our day ahead just as Your son Jesus did. Amen