|
|
GRACIOUS GOD,
You sent us St. Paul
to preach the Gospel,
inspire us in faith,
and show us the way
to be good stewards
of Your grace.
In our time together
show us how to be
fervent ambassadors
of Christ, Your Son.
Grant us the wisdom
to recognize that
through his gift of the Eucharist
there is one bread,
and we are one body.
Give us the courage
to proclaim the Good News
in word and deed.
And in the spirit of St. Paul
teach us to live,
no longer for ourselves,
but in Christ Jesus
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit
one God forever and ever.
Amen
2008 ICSC Conference Prayer
|
|
|
Stewardship is a way of life... It is a comprehensive concept, recognizing that
we respond to God's generosity, not because we have to, but because God's own goodness
draws us to respond. The Bible tells us: "The first of the fruits...shall you bring
unto the house of the Lord your God." (Ex. 23:19). It is really the Old Testament
concept of tithing. Every good thing we have - even our very lives - comes to us
from God. And it doesn't come in an unlimited fashion. The gifts we have received
are loans to us, from God, to be used according to His plan. If you doubt that,
take a moment to think about what "possessions" you are going to bring out of this
world with you!
Stewardship is emphatically NOT fund-raising - it extends to all facets of life:
how we care for and use our time and talents, how we care for and use the goods
of nature and how we care for and use the treasures we have been given, whatever
those treasures may be. Jesus reminds us that God will not be outdone in generosity
and that any sacrifice we make in His service will be rewarded 100-fold in this
life and eternal life in the next. So, Stewardship is part and parcel of our partnership
with Jesus in bringing salvation to ourselves and to our world - expressed in Holy
Spirit's parish mission statement as "making God's kingdom
present in our world."
In Holy Spirit we split up the Stewardship campaigns into two parts. In the spring
we focus on Time and Talent. That gives us the summer months to get all our volunteers
enlisted in the more than 125 ministries and activities in Holy Spirit. In the fall
months, we concentrate on Stewardship of Treasure because that is based on a calendar
year. The Bible speaks about tithing, which is 10%, divided as follows: 5% to Holy
Spirit, 1% to the Archdiocese in the Archbishop's Annual Appeal, and 4% to your
other charities. At Holy Spirit, we are asking that you contribute your additional
4% to the Capital Campaign over the next three years. Many people find it difficult
to consider the possibility of giving a percentage of their income to God through
charitable giving - and cringe at the idea of giving a full 10%. But, Scripture
tells us, "Where your heart is, so will be your treasure." (Mt. 6:21) So, we suggest
that if you can't bring yourself to take on the full program, you consider starting
with some percentage, even 1%, and see what happens. No one can give you a mathematical
formula for how this works because it is not a mathematical issue, it is a gospel
issue.
St. Peter says: "As generous distributors of God's manifold grace, put your gifts
at the service of one another, each in the measure he has received."
(1 Peter 4: 8-10). So, it becomes a leap of faith - and we invite you to take that
leap of faith.
|
|
Holy Spirit Catholic Church ● 4465 Northside Drive, NW ● Atlanta, GA 30327 ●
ph. 404-252-4513 ● fx. 404-252-1162
Copyright © 2007 Holy Spirit Catholic Church. All Rights Reserved.
|