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It’s time to bring back the Stewardship Committee

May 23, 2020 /

Years ago, nearly every church had a Stewardship Committee. The committee’s job was to support the various ministries of the church through raising capital. Translated: Fundraising. Always on the lookout for new and creative ways to increase the income side of the ledger. Hold on! Before you delete this message, give me a few more seconds. This is NOT what I am mean by bringing back the Stewardship Committee.

Stewardship is about the management of another’s resources according to their owner’s wishes and expectations. Christian stewardship recognizes all that we have, our occupations, our resources, even our very lives, belong to God. Therefore, we are stewards charged with managing God’s resources according to his wishes and expectations.

So why bring back the Stewardship Committee? To flip the committee on its head. Rather than looking for more ways to bring resources into the church. Let’s bring back the committee to look at the resources we have and use them well. To give rather than to receive.

In this time of social distancing and restricted gatherings, many of us are tempted to focus on the things we do not have. In my church, we long for the time when we might return to in-person worship. We are frustrated by the inability to have children’s programming. We wonder when we will be able to gather without face masks and social distancing. There are many things we have lost. While we are focused on the things we do not have, we can too easily miss the things we do have. The things God has given to us to manage, to steward, well.

What are some of the resources we have? I have debated whether to list actual ideas here. I want this post to be about giving people permission to dream and do rather than to do the ideas I have heard. Still in hopes that it might help us think about what I mean. Here are some things we have:

  • We have a large field. Community Garden? Outdoor movie?
  • We have property. Make and install a Blessing Box?
  • We have a building. Food distribution point?
  • We have wi-fi. Access point for online learning?
  • We have a Transmogrifier, several of them.
  • We have paper, markers, crayons. What could be done with them?
  • We have ____________. What could be used?

Someone once said, “If you want to kill a good idea, form a committee.” After all of that, maybe we don’t need a committee, we just need to look around and dream. What do you see?

It’s not just the church. Look around. What do you have? What have you been given? How are you managing the resources of God?

Blessings,
Stephen

Helping Each Other

April 14, 2020 /
In the next week, many of us are going to be receiving stimulus checks from the government. For some of us, this money could not come soon enough. For others of us, we, quite honestly, don’t need these extra resources. I want to talk with both groups and, I know, whenever a preacher starts talking about money, most of us check out and head for the hills. I wouldn’t blame you but stay with me for a bit.
 
First, if you part of the large group of people in our country that could really use this help at this time. Be grateful and use this money to support your family, meet your needs, and feel no guilt about doing so. Dave Ramsey frequently speaks of the need for all of us to maintain the four walls in our life: food, shelter, clothing, and transportation. I would add a fifth: your health. If right now because of reduction in hours, loss of work, or increased financial insecurity, these foundations in your life are threatened then please manage these extra resources well and keep your family safe. This is true both now and in the future. Maybe right now, your financial situation is looking okay, but you don’t know if this will still be true come May or even into the summer, then I would encourage you to take this money, put it into a bank account and hold it as an emergency fund. If come fall, the crisis never comes, then you can move onto the challenge I have below.
 
If you are part of another group in our country that doesn’t need this extra financial stimulus, then I want to challenge you to consider how you might bless your neighbor and our community at this time. I know it is tempting to want to use the money to buy a new flat screen T.V. or upgrade the lawnmower. Consider the possibility that you might have been blessed to bless others and think about how you might do that. Here are just a few ideas for you to consider:
 
  • There are many organizations in our community on the front lines helping. In Galesburg, the F.I.S.H. Food Pantry is not able to accept physical donations but are in need of financial gifts so they can buy food for those in need. The Salvation Army is still offering its food pantry. Safe Harbor is still serving families in the midst of domestic violence. The YMCA is serving in many ways. And I am sure you can probably think of many others.
  • What about your neighbor? Have they lost hours or lost their job entirely? Maybe you could help them out.
  • Do you know someone who is a first-responder or working in health care? Maybe you could buy them some gift cards to local restaurants, so they don’t have to cook a meal on top of the stress they are already feeling. Or call up a lawn care company and pay to have their yard mowed for them.
  • Are you still going to eat out? Consider giving that waitress or waiter an extra-large tip.
 
There are many different ways we can help. These are just a few. If you have other ideas, I would love to hear them.
 
Blessings,
Stephen

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