Spirited Times - February 2008

Stewardship

Continuing the work of Jesus Christ

Throw out everything you thought you knew about stewardship, says Martha Alvarez, since many people may think of monetary donations when they hear the word. Really, she says, stewardship is a disciple’s response to the call of Jesus.

She and Marie Semitekol, Church of the Holy Spirit parishioners involved in multiple ministries, worked with representatives from the Archdiocese of Chicago last fall to better understand and explain stewardship to others.

“We made an effort to connect the word stewardship with time and talent when we asked ministers in the major areas of parish life to come up for blessings in September,” explained Fr. Bill Tkachuk, pastor of Church of the Holy Spirit. “We want to help people to see that stewardship is not primarily about money,” Fr. Bill continued. That may require some changes in how and when we use the word stewardship.

The following are some other lessons learned.

Way beyond self: We are responsible for each other. That can be a life changing way of thinking about life, grounded in scripture. As we receive gifts, we use them to serve one another. This counters our self-centered world that focuses on personal consumption.

Giving time, talent, and treasure makes a difference as a responsibility of a disciple of Jesus. Without this, there is a gaping hole in who we are. The call to be a follower of Jesus Christ involves taking a closer, harder look at our commitment to the Lord, the origin of life. We are responsible as caretakers.

Stewards of creation: As stewards of creation, we appreciate nature and the environment, respect life, and develop the world respectfully.

Our vocation is a collective effort; we are stewards of the church, continuing the work of Jesus Christ, through children and/or the parish and the wider community.

At Church of the Holy Spirit, we’re realizing the vision that all are welcome in this parish. We need to sustain this stewardship. Country Fair and other fundraisers are examples of many vibrant efforts here. We continue working within this vital parish. We’re looking to define the goals (short-, mid-, and long-term) to be used in parish planning and ministries. We’re looking at how to transform weaknesses into strengths.

Like no other: Archdiocesan representatives say that no other parish currently has a dual-language effort like ours. If stewardship focuses only on treasure, we miss the point. Stewardship of time, talent, and treasure requires a balance – a message that needs to be communicated to all of us.

Movement among us: Members of the Stewardship Committee are going out two by two to various ministries to help support their efforts. We’re trying to help everyone see their ministry through the lens of stewardship – a very different view. A day of refection with Fr. Matt Foley provided some ideas about how to carry this out.

Those interested in helping expand this way of thinking about life within the parish and beyond can contact the parish office 847-882-7580 and leave contact information for those involved with the Stewardship Committee.

 --Edited by Mark T. Hoske from a related Parish Town Hall meeting discussion on Nov. 17, 2007.