Stewardship Ministry






	Stewardship Ministry at Holy Cross “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:11 Click for HOLY CROSS CALENDAR	Re-Fresh Re-New Re-Dedicate “Christian Stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family, the church, in management of all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.” We are called to be stewards of all that God has given us. Being a steward has to do with managing, but it has more to do with lovingly managing, humbling managing all that God has given us. And so we manage what God has first given us... our time, our lives, our talents, our resources which includes our finances and our blessings. What can you give to the Lord for all his benefits to you? You can give him your self in praise, in prayer, in worship and in service to Him by serving others. Coming soon will be a Stewardship Fair. You’ll be able to take a look at the many ways we serve at HCLC and how you might be able to do just that... give some of your self to God’s mission and ministry right here at Holy Cross. Stewardship Thoughts We are Called to be Stewards of All that God has Given Us Being a steward has to do with managing, but it has more to do with lovingly managing, humbly managing all that God has given us. And so we manage what God has first given us... our time, our lives, our talents, our resources which includes our finances and our blessings. What can you give to the Lord for all his benefits to you? You can give Him your self in praise, in prayer, in worship and in service to Him by serving others... give some of your self to God’s mission and ministry right here at Holy Cross... this is your church home and your church family! Start Small... Be Ready to Take a Step I CAN... give two hours once a month I CAN... answer a telephone, make a telephone call I CAN... extend a warm handshake, be a welcomer, seat a person, give out a bulletin I CAN... sweep a floor, rake some leaves, dust the furniture I CAN... tidy up the papers in the pews I CAN... pick up the trash on the campus, do a little weeding I CAN... baby-sit, work a computer I CAN... sing with a group of fun people, lead worship I CAN... learn to work the computer, the multi-media I CAN... pray for others I CAN... visit those who cannot get out for worship I CAN... visit the elderly at the local adult facilities I CAN... Fill in the blank “It is God who is at work in you both to will and to work to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13 Some Places to Plug In... Altar Guild, Usher Team, Acolyte Team, Worship Choir, Bell Choir, Lake Shore Team, Children’s Choir, Multimedia Team, Sunday School Team, Confirmation Team, Vacation Bible Camp, Office Help, CrossWords & Gifts Team, Prayer Ministry, Writing Care Notes, WELCA Ministry, Youth Ministry Team, Creating Food Baskets, Christmas Fair, Lawn Sale, Glad Tidings delivery, Meal Madness, Food Drives, Hunger Weekend, Campus maintenance, Handy person work... and MUCH, MUCH, MORE! _____________________________ God owns everything and we are His managers... “Remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” Deuteronomy 8:18 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.’ ” Matthew 25:21. Jesus had a lot to say about money, possessions, etc. God is exceedingly generous... “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11 Giving is an antidote to greed... “Jesus looked at him and loved him, “one thing you lack, go and sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will treasure in heaven. Come, follow me.” Mark 10:2 Bob Lewis has stepped up and offered to head our Stewardship Ministry. Being a steward of God’s gifts means being a caregiver or manager of God’s gifts, all that we have been given by God. Thus, we give to God our talents and giftedness to be used by Him at Holy Cross or wherever we find ourselves. All that we have comes from God. How we use what he has given us is the way we honor him. It is our responsibility to use wisely what he has first given us. If you would like to join Bob and our other Stewardship members - Jo Williams, Arlene Tramazzo and Rich Roddin - in spearheading this important mission, please contact Bob Lewis through the church office at 631-588-9509. Stewardship Calendar Please check the calendar listings through the Calendar Icon to the left. Stewardship Ministry News STEWARDING OUR MINISTRY... you have all helped to make the ministry of HCLC one that honors God and reaches into the local community with his grace. We thank you for your time, talents and financial support to do God’s work. If you have brought in a can of food, an item of the month, set up for holy day services, walked at Light the Night, the Breast Cancer Walk, shaped the lives of young people and much more.....you have been stewarding God’s message of love. We thank everyone who has given to the ministry of Holy Cross to make it a very special place to grow deeper and to reach out more. Stewardship Meeting Minutes April 7, 2008... Attended: Bob Lewis, Arlene Tramazzo, Rich Roddin, Jo Williams On 4/15 the Stewardship Committee will be going to the Parish Resource Center for a meeting concerning Narrative Budgets. Volunteer Appreciation Sunday - June 1, 2008 - We would like to take this Sunday to thank all who have Volunteer at Holy Cross during the last year. Stewardship Committee will be hosting the Coffee Hour 6/1. We would like to run a Power Point explain what Stewardship is (asking Tom for help). From Council: Any ideas to make this Sunday Special. We would like to thank Pastor for including Stewardship Thoughts in the bulletin each week. Concern:Is it possible to get a heading “Stewardship Thoughts for The Week?” Stewardship Sunday - can it be combined with Rally Day? This would make it a very special Sunday. Ideas: Having a picnic or coffee hour outside. Each committee of the church would have a table to explain what they do. Pledge Cards - handing out in late October, early November with the budget. Members will be able to choose to put their names on the pledge cards or to remain anonymous. At least by filling one out, there is a commitment that they are making, either to the ministry or to themselves to be better stewards. Goals for the Stewardship Committee for this year: Focus on time and talent and 4th quarter focus on increased giving. We were concerned that the overload on financial giving due to FDT fundraising efforts and RPL. We wanted to pull back from talking finances right now and concentrate on getting more involvement from members with time and talents. STEWARDSHIP MEETING UPDATE... The meeting was a very positive one, reflecting on what stewardship is all about; not just money but time and talents too! They will be gathering information about giving units, work with Financial Development Team and Budget Review Team to implement ideas and get the word out. There will be times for Stewardship to provide information and education. They will use the Temple Talk approach for some of this. All agreed that these are exciting times in the ministry of HCLC. People are stepping into the breach, helping to meet the budget and pay for the unanticipated expenses, such as the phone system. They see people getting involved in the nuts and bolts of our ministry and they want to help to continue to shape all of this. Stewardship Ministry Opportunities Interested in being a more active steward?... Stewardship is more than just financial contributions. If you think of what a steward is, it is a person who takes care of things. It is about time and talent. Stewardship is really about taking care of the church for God. Our older members have been stewards by providing a link to the past and present. Our middle age members are keeping our church strong and educating our children in Christ. Our youth are learning how to take care of our church. And all of us together are stewards for Jesus Christ, keeping his message. We often only think of giving to church through our offerings. But there are other ways to give. What the Stewardship Committee wants to do is provide you with these other ways and ask you for your time and talent. Many of you already do this. We have talked about the church mice who help clean the pews. This is stewardship in action. Others have come to clean the grounds of the church. This is stewardship. Many have donated to the Red Wagon. These are all examples of stewardship helping our ministry grow. Are you interested in being a more active steward? Where might you help? How can you give back to God for all His blessings to you? (return to TOP of page)