Stewardship at St Mary's

[by Nick Mendham,
Parish Stewardship Promoter, St Mary of Bethany Finance Team,
October 2011]

At St Mary of Bethany we aim to be a 'mission-driven' Church and therefore through our Stewardship we resource the mission and the means to deliver the mission. We want to expand the reach of our Church. In doing this our purpose in responsible Stewardship is not specifically to balance the books, but rather to maintain reserves at a level to cover 3 months' liabilities.

What is Stewardship?

Stewardship in the Christian context goes beyond finance and money. It is a way of life in which we consider all that we have to be God-given. We are the custodians of these resources: our lives, our time, our talents and yes, our financial resources too. Our activity is not primarily about 'making ends meet'. Our ability to deliver our mission though depends upon this.

'A Personal Stewardship Prayer'

Source: anon

All that I am, all that I can be,
all that I have, all that is me,
accept and use Lord, as you would choose Lord,
right now today!
Take every passion, every skill,
take all my dreams and bend them to your will
May all I give Lord, for you I'll live Lord;
come what may.

Giving

If we believe that everything we have comes from God, it is logical to assume that He also puts enough money in our pockets to do everything that He wants us to do.

This is a great encouragement to each of us to give proportionate to our means and individual circumstances, be they large or small. It should also encourage us to give systematically, so as to allow the Church to plan in advance and for us to spread the distribution of our annual giving.

Verses to provide a framework for Generosity (Copyright: The Archbishops Council)

'Ifs...'

If I give nothing... I cast only a vote in favour of closing my local church
If I give only to local support... I vote to stop missionary activity
If I give proportionately... I will give something even if, of necessity, mine must be small
If I give systematically... I make it possible for my church to plan in advance and make it easier for myself
If I give sacrificially... I shall testify to the high value I place upon Christ and the Church in ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of suffering humanity

'Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also' (Luke 12.34)

Read more at Our Budget.

Mount Hermon Rd 

Woking 

Surrey 

GU22 7UH