| 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76133 Phone: 817-926-8277 -- Fax: 817-926-8278 Preschool: 817-923-2040 email: st.christophers@att.net |
St. Christopher Episcopal Church
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To Know Christ and Make Him Known
| Stewardship at St. Christopher |
Stewardship is the money we give, the time we share, and the skills we use in our church
and our daily lives. We strive to practice the biblical tithe and return to God a tenth of all
that we earn, but we avoid judging ourselves and others for success or failure in meeting
this goal. In whatever ways we proclaim our intent to be stewards of God's wealth, it is
always our joy to be the people of God. We share what we have to thank God for acting in
our lives.
How Can We Support St. Christopher?
The Book of Common Prayer states on page 855 that "The Mission of the Church is to restore all
people to unity with God and with each other in Christ" and that "the Church carries out its
mission through the ministry of all its members."
Every member of St. Christopher can provide valuable support to the parish.
Prayer. Every member, young or old, strong or weak, can pray for St. Christopher. The prayer
For the Parish on page 817 of the Book of Common Prayer asks God to "Strengthen the
faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent."
We can also pray For the Right Use of God's Gifts, as stated on page 827, "Almighty God,
whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor
thee with our substance, and, remembering the account that we must one day give, may
be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Our prayers will help sustain St. Christopher.
Time and Talent. Within the life of St. Christopher, there are many opportunities for members to
contribute their time and talent. We might work with children, or the elderly. We might take a
leadership role in the parish. We might take part in worship, as an acolyte, lay reader or
eucharistic minister. We might sing in the choir, or help maintain the facilities. We might even
think of something that we're not doing today, and start a new program. The opportunities are
endless. Please review the Ministries Page and complete the Time and Talent Form to let us know
where you want to be involved at St. Christopher.
Financial Support. St. Christopher also needs our financial support. St. Christopher depends on
the voluntary offerings of its membership to maintain the facilities, pay the staff and carry out the
mission and ministries of the parish. Our contribution, large or small, helps keep the parish going.
Members of the parish offer financial contributions in different ways. Some members give once a
year; most give weekly or monthly. Some members mail in their offerings; most add them to the
plate on Sunday morning. Some direct their gifts to special purposes - the Flower Fund or the
Rector's Discretionary Fund; most contribute to the Operating Fund of the Parish. Some
members contribute anonymously, by putting cash in the plate on Sunday. Most write a check or
identify their gift in other ways. How and how much each choose to contribute to St. Christopher
is up to each of us . Our support, though, is very valuable.
St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NRSV: "The point is this: the one who sows sparingly
will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you
must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by
always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work."
Should I Pledge to St. Christopher?
Only you can answer this question. Our pledge is a serious commitment to the parish: a promise
that we intend to provide a certain level of financial support in the next year. We might feel that
our situation makes it impossible to commit to a specific level of giving. On the other hand, our
pledge is vital to St. Christopher, because we depend on it to plan for the future.
Every autumn, the Finance Committee develops a budget for the upcoming year for Vestry
approval. During the budget-making process, the plans and goals for the year are balanced against
the expected income. Our pledge is the most important building block of the budget - at St.
Christopher, pledges account for about 90% of the budgeted operating income. Our pledge is
important! Please fill out and return the Pledge Card and place it in the offering plate or mail it to
the Parish Office.
The following links provide more readings on Stewardship.
and our daily lives. We strive to practice the biblical tithe and return to God a tenth of all
that we earn, but we avoid judging ourselves and others for success or failure in meeting
this goal. In whatever ways we proclaim our intent to be stewards of God's wealth, it is
always our joy to be the people of God. We share what we have to thank God for acting in
our lives.
How Can We Support St. Christopher?
The Book of Common Prayer states on page 855 that "The Mission of the Church is to restore all
people to unity with God and with each other in Christ" and that "the Church carries out its
mission through the ministry of all its members."
Every member of St. Christopher can provide valuable support to the parish.
Prayer. Every member, young or old, strong or weak, can pray for St. Christopher. The prayer
For the Parish on page 817 of the Book of Common Prayer asks God to "Strengthen the
faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent."
We can also pray For the Right Use of God's Gifts, as stated on page 827, "Almighty God,
whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess: Grant us grace that we may honor
thee with our substance, and, remembering the account that we must one day give, may
be faithful stewards of thy bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Our prayers will help sustain St. Christopher.
Time and Talent. Within the life of St. Christopher, there are many opportunities for members to
contribute their time and talent. We might work with children, or the elderly. We might take a
leadership role in the parish. We might take part in worship, as an acolyte, lay reader or
eucharistic minister. We might sing in the choir, or help maintain the facilities. We might even
think of something that we're not doing today, and start a new program. The opportunities are
endless. Please review the Ministries Page and complete the Time and Talent Form to let us know
where you want to be involved at St. Christopher.
Financial Support. St. Christopher also needs our financial support. St. Christopher depends on
the voluntary offerings of its membership to maintain the facilities, pay the staff and carry out the
mission and ministries of the parish. Our contribution, large or small, helps keep the parish going.
Members of the parish offer financial contributions in different ways. Some members give once a
year; most give weekly or monthly. Some members mail in their offerings; most add them to the
plate on Sunday morning. Some direct their gifts to special purposes - the Flower Fund or the
Rector's Discretionary Fund; most contribute to the Operating Fund of the Parish. Some
members contribute anonymously, by putting cash in the plate on Sunday. Most write a check or
identify their gift in other ways. How and how much each choose to contribute to St. Christopher
is up to each of us . Our support, though, is very valuable.
St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NRSV: "The point is this: the one who sows sparingly
will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you
must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by
always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work."
Should I Pledge to St. Christopher?
Only you can answer this question. Our pledge is a serious commitment to the parish: a promise
that we intend to provide a certain level of financial support in the next year. We might feel that
our situation makes it impossible to commit to a specific level of giving. On the other hand, our
pledge is vital to St. Christopher, because we depend on it to plan for the future.
Every autumn, the Finance Committee develops a budget for the upcoming year for Vestry
approval. During the budget-making process, the plans and goals for the year are balanced against
the expected income. Our pledge is the most important building block of the budget - at St.
Christopher, pledges account for about 90% of the budgeted operating income. Our pledge is
important! Please fill out and return the Pledge Card and place it in the offering plate or mail it to
the Parish Office.
The following links provide more readings on Stewardship.