A Prayer for Good Stewardship

 Gracious God, giver of all we have and hold as stewards; grant the people of this church a deep and abiding awareness that all things come from you -- our health, our incomes, our jobs, our talents and our generous impulse. Send your Holy Spirit to help us as we swim against the rising tides of materialism, envy, individualism and greed in our culture. When we are tempted to think of money as a private matter, remind us that you have asked for part of what we are given, to be returned to you as a symbol of our awareness that you give all we have. And further, help us to help each other in this grace of giving, for you are the lover of our souls and call us to nothing less than transformation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 - A Collect for Stewardship (from September 2007 Voice)

Stewardship is defined as being in a "right relationship" with God, with others, our possessions, and the earth. To be in a "right relationship" is to accept responsibility for the gifts we have been given. The concept of the role of stewards as co-creators with God brings stewardship quickly and boldly into focus. We are given generous gifts from God and have the obligation to cherish them and tend them responsibly, share them in justice and love with all and return them with increases to God. The purpose of the Stewardship Committee is to assist in developing within the Parish a sense of stewardship, which is about using our time, talent and treasure to live out our responsibility, as Christian stewards, to God and all creation and to participate in the mission of the St. Stephen's Community. Christian stewardship is Christian Living. God has entrusted life and life's resources to us and given us the privilege of responsibility in managing them for him. Christian stewardship is not a solo performance but is lived out within a community of faith to the benefit of the world.

Stewards do four things:

Receive God's gifts gratefully
Nurture God's gifts responsibly
Share God's gifts justly and charitably
Return the gifts to God abundantly