Stewardship

“The fundamental reason for all acts of stewardship - gratitude for the abundance we have been given.”
                                                                                                                         - Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I write this letter summer is past and parish life is in full swing as are the other activities in our lives that take a pause over the summer. I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. And with the start of fall, it is time to turn our attention to stewardship for 2012.

Stewardship is a funny word. Many people hear it and think, “How much am I expected to give?” I hear it and think of the things that have been entrusted to our care and what will be my part of caring for those things. I think of the buildings we own, the property that surrounds them, the church school, youth group, choir, altar supplies, to name a few. We, the parish of St. Francis, have been entrusted with the care of these things by God and for God. We are entrusted to use these things wisely to further God’s work in the world.

To do continue the work we have been faithfully doing for over 50 years, the stewardship committee asks that everyone prayerfully consider what your contribution to God’s plan for our life at St. Francis will be for 2012. Over the past 10 years that I have been on the committee and the last 5 that I have been chair, the commitment from the parish to continue our work has been truly awe-inspiring. To paraphrase Rich from his Little Portion piece this month, despite the economic times, the parish continues to be generous and our pledge totals grow and not only do we take care of our properties, church school, youth group, choir but we are still able to send money out the door to those less fortunate than ourselves. You are truly a faithful group of people and I am blessed to be a part of you.

 

Peace,

Laura Caswell

For the Stewardship Committee

 

»A Practical Guide To Giving

Email your pledge to stfrancisholden.stewardship@gmail.com

If you are one of the many people who pay bills online, consider adding St. Francis to your online bill pay. Set up automatic payments for your pledge and the church will receive them in a timely fashion. No worries about getting behind in your pledge if you miss church a few weeks in a row. It’s especially handy in the summer.

Stewardship thoughts from Leigh & Phil King:

 

From our first visit to St. Francis in the fall of 2007, we were immediately impressed with what an active parish it is. We quickly realized that St. Francis is committed not only to serve the people who worship here, but to serve as “instruments of God’s peace” to a much larger population.  As the years have passed, we have tried to give an increasing amount of time to what we consider a wonderful and special Christian community.  In return, we believe our family has grown spiritually and come to a clearer understanding of the mission of our church and its positive impact within the community.  As we have come to understand this mission, we have also developed an increasing awareness of the importance of our annual donation to St. Francis.

Like many, we struggle to keep a healthy balance between taking care of our family, work and social obligations, and our spiritual life.  Although we often feel that we don’t commit enough of our time or money toward causes that are important to us, we are always secure in the fact that our yearly donation to St. Francis will serve two purposes.  First, it supports the church itself: from the mundane details, such as heating bills and building maintenance, to the church school and youth programs that provide so much to our children.  Secondly, it supports the church’s commitment to the community both here in Central Massachusetts and the global community as well.  As we strive to donate more of our time, we also feel that it is extremely important to make a larger pledge than we did in the previous year.  We feel blessed and proud to be a part of the St. Francis family.