|
Dear Fellow Steward of the Assumption Church:
Stewardship Season is again upon us. Our Lord asks
us annually to recommit ourselves
to his Holy Orthodox Church through the triad of “Time, Talent
and Treasury”.
The meaning of “time” and “talent” are self-evident. Teaching Sunday
School is Stewardship. Grilling souvlakia at the Labor Day Picnic is
Stewardship. Singing the liturgical hymns as
a member of the Choir is Stewardship. Serving on the Parish Council is
Stewardship.
Passivity is not an option for an Orthodox Christian. We thank all
Stewards for their service to Panagia and encourage all those not
actively participating in her ministries to step forward.
Please indicate on the enclosed Stewardship Commitment Card the
ministries in which you
wish to participate.
The third component of Stewardship – “treasury” –
is more difficult to conceptualize.
All of our worldly possessions have a price. We also value the love of
our children and the
love of our parents; for these there can be no price. For the welfare
of our family, we can –
and should – do everything within our power regardless of the cost. That
is the meaning of “sacrificial loving” and “sacrificial giving” and that
is the criteria that each of us should use to
evaluate our Stewardship Commitment.
Sacrificial giving is the essence of being an
Orthodox Christian. For countless Orthodox over
the centuries, the sacrifice meant life itself. Be it from the
persecution of first century Romans, fifteenth century Turks, or
twentieth century Communists, these martyrs exemplify the ultimate
sacrificial loving of Our Lord. Financial sacrificial giving is defined
in the Bible as tithing –
offering one-tenth of one’s possessions to the Church. Tithing was
first offered by Abraham (Genesis 14:20) and was practiced numerous
times thereafter in both the Old and New
Testaments. While certain evangelical groups (e.g. the Mormons) still
tithe, our Orthodox
Church struggles because so many of us have abandoned this tradition.
Several churches in
our Metropolis suggest a one-quarter tithe (2.5% of one’s gross income)
as an equitable
benchmark to evaluate one’s giving.
How much does it cost to operate the Assumption
Church? For 2006, we project the pro
rata cost to be $1,300 per Steward. Some of us will be able to give
more to offset those
unable to achieve that level of commitment. When we each consider the
Lord as Our Father, Panagia as Our Mother, and the parish of the
Assumption as Our Home, we will have achieved
the necessary sacrificial loving and sacrificial giving to achieve our
Stewardship goals.
In His Service,
Members of the Stewardship Committee
|
