To Be A Christian Steward Stewardship at Saint Helen's Time.  Talent. Treasure.  Putting God First?

Q. What is Stewardship?
A. Stewardship is based on the spiritual principles of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus; and where it has been implemented, both givers' and receivers' lives have been changed. Stewardship is a way of life, a way of thanking God for all His blessings by returning a portion of the time, talent and treasure allotted to us. Stewardship engenders a spirituality that deepens our relationship with the Lord. Stewardship involves intentional, planned and proportionate giving of our time, talent and treasure.  Stewardship addresses both individual parishioners as well as parishes themselves.

Q. What difference will Stewardship make in our lives?
A. The difference can be seen in several areas of our lives:  First, the difference is in the focus of giving. Instead of focusing on the needs of the group to whom we're giving financial support or helping with our time and talent, the focus is primarily on God and our relationship with Him and also on us and our need to give.
Second, the difference is in the motivation for giving. Stewardship is an integral part of our spiritual life and we give in that context because we are grateful to God for what He has already given us. We give freely because we want to, not because we have to.  Third, the difference is in the result of the giving.  As we practice Stewardship, we find that we   grow spiritually and that our faith is deepened. In fact, we find that our lives are changed for the good.

Q.  How are we to return our time, talent and treasure?
A.  Stewardship involves intentional, planned and proportionate giving of our time, talent and treasure. Following are some comments that further explain what we mean by intentional, planned and proportionate giving:
Intentional - A well thought out deliberate discussion is made to live out the Christian life in a certain way. That way is to thank God for all His blessings by returning to Him a portion of the time, talent and treasure allotted to us.  Planned - Every year, each Catholic household in the Archdiocese would plan and make Stewardship of time and talent a part of their lifestyle and Stewardship of treasure a part of their budget.  Proportionate - A decision is made to give a certain percentage of one's time and one's income to the church and other charities.

Q. What do you mean by Stewardship of time and talent and how important is it?
A. Giving of time involves being with God in prayer and worship, sharing our love with family and friends, and volunteering our time in church and community activities that help others and promote justice. Sharing our talents arises from the fact that God has given each of us the ability and gifts to do certain things well and we are to develop those talents for the good of others.  Just as in Stewardship of treasure, it is important that the giving of time and talent be intentional, planned and proportionate. Many individuals commit a certain number of hours each week to prayer and charitable activities.  Giving of our time and talent is just as important as giving of our treasure. God does not hold back on any area of His giving, so we are not to hold back on any area of our giving.

Q. What portion of my time, talent and treasure should I return to God?
A. Returning our time, talent and treasure mainly involves a change of attitude about giving. It's important to think in terms of giving in gratitude to God, of considering how blessed you are, of using your gifts and talents for the good of others. Once you have this change of attitude, you will be able to more readily determine, through prayer and thought, the portion of your time, talent and treasure that you will give. In the area of time and talent, many individuals commit a certain number of hours each week to prayer; and charitable activities can include working in your parish. with various community agencies or with an individual in need.  In the area of treasure, the biblical norm is giving 10% of one's income. Our guide is 5% to the parish, 5% to other charities including the Archbishop's Annual Appeal. Some, because of circumstances, give more than that.

Q. What if we don't have enough time to volunteer to help in church or community activities?
A. The immediate, almost natural reaction of most people to the prospect of volunteering to help in a church or community activity is "I don't have the time." For some of us that may be a valid excuse, but for the large majority of us it's not a question of having the time but of using the time we have.  Why not keep a record for one week and see where all your time goes. How much time is spent in volunteering in church and community activities?

Q. What is Stewardship of Treasure?
A. Stewardship of Treasure is a spiritually motivated way for us to carry out the giving of our treasure-our money-based on four principles:
1. In gratitude to God we return a first portion of our income.
2. Our gift should be a sacrifice.
3. We should give on a planned basis by using envelopes.
4. Use the biblical tithe - 10% of income (5% to the parish, 5% to other charities including the Archbishop's Annual Appeal) as a guide for giving.

Q. Is the CHURCH trying to tell us what to do? How much to return to God?
A. No! Stewardship is an invitation to be thoughtful and generous in using God's gifts. No one can tell you what to do - how to use your gifts of time or talent or your treasure. Your act of tithing is a statement of trust in God. God deserves the first and best that we can offer. God's love for us will not be outdone in generosity. Our corurnitment provides an opportunity to renew our confidence in God's care. God will always be there for us, to make sure we have what we need to be the people God wants us to be. The choice is yours. Please give it prayerful thought.

Q. How important is it for children to be taught about Stewardship of time, talent and treasure?
A. It is very important and the earlier we can begin teaching them, the better. We teach children while they are very young about Jesus, about prayer and about love. We take them to church every week. These are all important parts of the Christian life.  Giving of ourselves is just as important a part of our Christian life and we need to start teaching children the meaning of giving while they are young. More and more churches are encouraging children to return a percentage of their allowance or other income by putting a children's envelope into the collection basket. More and more parents are visiting parish shut-ins or people in nursing homes and taking a child along with them when they visit. More religious education programs or youth groups are organizing efforts for their children to mail cards to sick parishioners or make food baskets for the poor.

Q. How can I commit to Stewardship of my talents if I don't have any talents?
A. It would be difficult if you indeed had no talents, but the truth is every one has at least one talent. Most people in fact have several talents and a few people have many talents. Some people have musical or artistic talents. Others are good at teaching, cooking, organizing things or encouraging others. Some people work well with children or the elderly while others are good writers or good listeners.  The number of talents we have is not the important thing. What is important is that we take time to discover the talents we have, develop those talents and use them for the benefit of others.  In looking at our talents it is important not to confuse having a talent with excelling in a specific area. For example, you don't have to have the best voice to join the choir.

Q. I already give to the parish, so what's different about Stewardship?
A. Stewardship is God's plan for giving. The difference lies primarily in the motivation for giving. Most of us were brought up with parish or school needs and fund-raisers. We responded to specific requests. In contrast, Stewardship is an extension of our spiritual life whereby we give a healthy percentage of our income to the Church and to charity in thanksgiving to God for what we have already received. This is partly as an expression of our detachment from material possessions and partly as worship of our God and Creator. People who practice Stewardship find that they are filled with joy and peace and that they grow spiritually. They also find that their faith is deepened. God will bless them abundantly.

Q. What approach do you suggest if the ten percent figure is unrealistic for me at this time?
A. Begin with a lower percentage that will be both sacrificial and yet possible. Then gradually raise your giving level until you reach 10% or beyond. In this way you are making a decision for the Lord first and only afterward considering your own needs and wants.

Q. What difference will it make in my life if I am a Good Steward of my Treasure?
A. You will experience a certain peacefulness about money-an acute awareness of the critical and growing needs of less fortunate people in our own communities and throughout the world, a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and the need to become a sharer of time and talent. Finally, it will amaze you to see how easily one can do with a little less after the Church and charities have been taken care of.

Q. How can I provide for my family if I give all this money to the Church and charity?
A. Your first responsibility is to take care of the needs of your family-not necessarily all their wants. Stewardship of Treasure asks that you give a percentage of your income-something that you decide in prayer and after due consideration of family needs.

Q. Doesn't the Church have all it needs?
A. No. The Church will never have all the financial resources it needs to do its work. Christ said that the poor will always be with us. God's plan of salvation involves our participation. Through the Church, our contributions are best used to serve the needs of the giver and the needs of the receiver. Stewardship teaches that the individual's need to give is far more important than the Church's need to receive.  Stewards give to their church a percentage of their income based on their knowledge that God has given them everything they have. Stewards give freely, joyously and responsibly and believe that God is worthy of their trust.

Q. What if my income decreases?
A. If you give a percentage of your income to Church and to charity and your income decreases, the  amount of your contribution would also decrease. Obviously, if your income increases, your contribution would increase accordingly.

Q. Why should I use offertory envelopes?
A. Using an envelope has many advantages:
1. It helps us to make a conscious decision about what we are going to contribute.
2. Its use communicates to your children and other parishioners that giving to the Church is a priority for you and that you are a supportive member of the parish. In other words, you belong to this parish.
3. It is and expression of giving of ourselves in the offering of the Mass.
4. It makes the ongoing budgeting process easier for the parish.

Q. Why should we give more, since our parish doesn't seem to need money?
A. Even though your parish may appear to be in excellent financial condition, inflation continues on.  Moreover, your church leaders probably could expand programs and services if more funds were available. Finally, and most important, the needs of the poor at home and abroad demand that we as an affluent, richly blessed country share more and more with hurting people.  A growing number of parishes are tithing on their Sunday collections and distributing a percentage of the money to the needy of the community and the world. Your increased gift makes you a part of that reaching out effort.

Q. How does this affect me since I increase my giving every few years by a few extra dollars?
A. Every year you should re-evaluate your level of giving. Are you earning more? Did you receive a raise or additional income? Then increase your gift to the Lord. Are you earning less? Are you retired or unemployed or cut back in work? Then reduce your contribution correspondingly.

Q. Is Stewardship of treasure only a gimmick for raising more money for the Church?
A. No, not even close! First, Stewardship is based on the spiritual principles of the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The Bible has dozens of references to Stewardship and Jesus specifically talks about Stewardship in a number of His parables. He made it very clear how He wanted His followers to live out their Christian life by becoming involved with others and share with them what we have, not only our treasure, but our time and special talents as well. So, Stewardship is based on God's Word not on fundrai sing to meet the needs of the Church.  Second, Stewardship is based on the individual's need to give, not on the Church's need to receive. Stewardship is based on the premise that all that we have and all that we are comes from God, and as a way to thank God for all His blessings, we return a portion of the time, talent and treasure allotted to us. So, a person's decision to give of their time, talent and treasure is based on their need to give. For example, in the area of treasure, a person would give the same amount of money whether their parish was $200,000 in debt or had $200,000 saved in the bank, because he or she gives in gratitude to God.  Third, giving of time, talent and treasure is not limited to the Church. Some people will give some of their time and talent as volunteers to community agencies in addition to volunteering in their parish. Some will give money to other community organizations in addition to supporting their parish. Stewardship is certainly not a fundraising gimmick but a way of life based on spiritual principles.

Q. How can we make our fellow parishioners and our families more aware of Stewardship?
A. In your parish you can use the church bulletin and parish newsletter, if you have one, to publish the Stewardship Thought, Questions and Answers, and Stewardship Profiles. You can use the same means to highlight the many volunteer activities that are available in the parish.  You can become actively involved in community service as a parish group or as an individual volunteer - working at a Homeless Shelter, Crop Walk, etc. You can ask your Parish Finance Council to give regular reports on your parish Stewardship of Treasure. Banners, bulletin boards and materials in the book rack are additional means of reinforcing the Stewardship message. In your family, you may want to look at your life style, at your accumulation of ~things", and at the time you spend with your family and for other people. This could mean taking an inventory of all of the ~stuff" each member of your family possesses. It could mean taking your personal calendars and looking at where your time is being spent. Or, it could be as simple as going through your checkbook and seeing where your money goes. Someone once asked the question: Could a person who found your lost checkbook, tell whether or not you were a Christian?  Doing one or all of these things could lead to some hard questions. The answers to which could lead us to truly become better stewards of the gifts we have been given.  We must constantly, whether on the parish or family level, be aware that all we have is the gift of a generous and loving God. He asks that we use His gifts wisely and return them generously for the benefit of one another. This awareness is something we must work at. We belong to a very materialistic and consumer oriented society. A society that tells us that we should put ourselves first; that we've worked hard for what we have and it is ours to use for our own pleasure. The message of Stewardship, however, is very different.

Q. Doesn't the Church talk about money too much?
A. Individual churches may or may not talk about money too much, but the reality is that God's work requires money. In fact, it is a duty of the Church to ask for money, not only for its work but for the work that is done by charitable organizations in the community. The Church sees so much suffering and so many needs to be addressed and has a responsibility to address that suffering and those needs.  Even Jesus' apostles had a treasurer who kept track of their expenses and we read in the Bible of certain wealthy women who followed Jesus and His disciples, helping to support them out of their own means. The Apostle Paul, on a number of occasions, urged churches to give money to help those in need. The Church, today, is focusing itself much more on Stewardship than on 'talking about money". Stewardship is based on the individual's need to give, not on the Church's need to receive. Stewardship is based on the premise that all that we have and all that we are comes from God and, as a way to thank God for all His blessings, we return a portion of the time, talent and treasure allotted to us.

Q. Am I expected to give all of my time, talent and treasure to the church?
A. No, giving of time, talent and treasure is not limited to the church. Many people give of their time and talent as volunteers to human service agencie~ in the community in addition to volunteering in the church. That volunteer work in the community can still be done in conjunction with the church such as when a group of parishioners volunteer their time at a homeless shelter, or it can be done separate and apart from the church. such as when an individual serves on an agency board.  Many people will give money to other community groups in addition to supporting the church. Some may give 80% of their Stewardship of treasure to church related causes and 20% to community groups, such as a soup kitchen. Others may give 50% to the church and 50% to groups in the community.

Q. In the area of Stewardship of treasure, don't Catholics already give more than other religious groups in this country?
A. In fact, they don't. Catholic giving lags behind other religious groups.  According to a Gallup Poll conducted for a study by Independent Sector, Catholic households contributed on average less money to the church and charities than members of all other religious groups in the United States.
CATHOLICS - $515 = 1.3% of annual income
PROTESTANTS - $842 = 2.4% of annual income
JEWS - $1,854 = 3.8% of annual income
ALL OTHER RELIGIONS - $1,075 = 2.7% of annual income

Q. What about all the people in my parish who give nothing at all?
A. The question is not '"What about them?" It is "What about me?" As we grow in our Christian faith, we learn to become more honest with ourselves before God. Rather than scrutinize those around us regarding their giving, we turn within ourselves and ask 'Is my giving enough? Am I truly giving to God from my first fruits, or am I giving God what is left over after all of my needs are met?"  While it is natural for us to compare what we do to what others do, our Christian faith calls us to consider how our actions conform to what God would have us do. In comparing ourselves to others we are missing the mark because as Christians we are called to be different than other people. Living a life committed to Stewardship is part of that different way of living.  Each of us can find in our own hearts the seeds of faults we spot so easily in others. Our giving should not be based on what others give. Giving, rather, involves a personal decision we must make for ourselves, and then we offer our gifts to our parish and the community.

Q. What if I can't afford to give of my treasure?
A. The message of Stewardship invites each of us to give our time, talent and treasure in gratitude to God for our abundant blessings. For some of us, giving of our time and talent goes without saying.  We recognize our giftedness and respond to the invitation to participate in the communitv of faith by sharing of ourselves.  Giving of our treasure may seem unfeasible for many faithful Catholics, especially during these trying times. One might ask "How can I give when I can't even make ends meet as it is?" This is where we are invited to an understanding that Stewardship involves trust.  With trust and confidence in God we respond to the challenge to give of our treasure and abandon ourselves to the providence of God. We accept that God is the controller of our lives. In trust and confidence we find that when we share, we shall be cared for in our needs; maybe not all of our wants, but certainly our needs.  Regardless of our circumstances, a life committed to Stewardship includes giving of our treasure as well as our time and talent. Our giving may begin small in size, and may be increased over time, but the key to our giving lies in our trust. When we give back to God from our "first fruits", we find that He will provide for our needs.

Q. I already support government programs through my taxes. Doesn't that count as part of my Stewardship?
A. Fulfilling your government obligation would not be considered an act of Stewardship for two reasons. First, a person committed to Stewardship is not motivated by laws and obligations. Rather, the person committed to Stewardship views giving as a gesture in gratitude to God for the blessings that he or she has received.  Second, the Bible clearly treats giving to the government as very different from giving to God through the church and other charities. One it treats as a civic obligation and the other it treats as a Christian responsibility. In fact, the Bible speaks of giving of our Tirst fruits" to God. This suggests that we give to God before we pay anyone or anything else, including the government.  Stewardship, then, asks us to give to church and other charities above and beyond what we give to the government through taxes.

Q. Isn't committing to Stewardship of time, talent and treasure asking a lot of us?
A. Yes it is. Committing to Stewardship of time, talent and treasure is an important part of living a Christian life and real Christian living asks a lot of us and is not easy.  Making a commitment to Stewardship is a particular challenge with the current emphasis on materialism, consumerism and leisure time. We realize that we are involved in a gradual conversion process. The process involves a conversion of heart, of mind, of values, of budget, of pocketbook, of calendar and of time. We are called upon to say 'yes" to God and to a way of life He has spelled out for us in the Bible. We are called upon to say "no" to the influences in our society that emphasize values and aims that are selfish, thoughtless and opposed to Stewardship as a way of life.

Q. How will the parishes benefit from the Stewardship Initiative?
A. All parishes will benefit from the "Time, Talent, Treasure. Putting God First?" Stewardship Initiative.  First and foremost, Stewardship can do wonderful things for a parish. It can produce a vitality, a vibrancy, that can breathe new life into a parish. A parish which has members who embody stewardship experience full pews, a renewed respect and yearning for the sacraments, flourishing ministries, willing lay ministers, improved offertories and deeper spirituality.  Additionally, all parishes will "Share the Fruits of Stewardship."  A permanently restricted stewardship endowment fund will be established for the benefit of parishes in need. As each parish begins stewardship, for an initial five year period, 70% of the parish's increase in offertory income will be retained by the parish. The remaining 30% of the increase will be established in a permanently restricted Archdiocesan stewardship endowment fund. This endowment fund will provide resources to viable and pastorally active parishes that are unable to meet their annual ordinary expenses. Also, 5% of the annual cash yield on this endowment principal will be reinvested to the fund principal as an inflation hedge; any and all realized investment gains will also be restricted to endowment principal.