Stewardship at United Church
"Let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God." Both offerings are important. We may share a special talent to enhance worship . . . bring a casserole for the Shelter . . . teach a church school class . . . or contribute money for mission.
One of the clear, specific, and counter cultural practices to which the church has invited us is significant financial giving. In a culture that glorifies material affluence, one of the ironies is the steady drumbeat of the choruses of scarcity and greed, "not enough, not enough." Some recognize this as the tempter's voice, and discover that one of the ways we win some measure of victory over these fears is, paradoxically, by giving wealth away.
We may also come to see our resources differently as we practice the discipline of offering. But this is not simply "giving." It is offering. It is ourselves we offer to God. Our gifts may be symbols of our daily labor and our weekday life brought to the altar on Sunday, but they are also symbols of ourselves, which we offer to God trusting that God will use us to serve and fulfill God's purposes.
In order to emphasize personal stewardship as an aspect of our journey of faith, the Board of Trustees formed a joint Stewardship Committee of representatives from each board. The Committee, chaired by Tim Zurliene, raises issues of stewardship throughout the year.
The Trustees are the stewards of the church -- managing both its properties and finances. Periodically, they involve the whole church in both responsibilities:
- Passing and financially supporting the annual budget.
- The Trustee are the stewards of the church, managing its finances. They involve the whole church in the responsibility of supporting in significant ways the church and its mission - primarily through developing an annual budget and conducting an annual pledge campaign. They also will be educating the congregation on the many ways for planned giving.