Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana

?

-Has to do with finances/ money

-Time, Talent & Treasure

Responsible planning and management of resources

Can be applied to the environment but also theology

Activity or job of protecting and being responsible

Acts as a surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate etc

A STEWARD is a person whose job is to manage the affairs or property

of another person - the owner.

In the Christian sense… …a STEWARD is the manager of the affairs of GOD on earth.

Genesis 1: 26 & 28

God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground…. God blessed them, saying to them, 'Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and

subdue it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all the living creatures that move on earth.'

Antilles Bishops Pastoral Letter: Stewardship and the Revitalization

of Parish Life in the CaribbeanIn the Community, each individual is steward (or caretaker) of all his [her] God-given gifts and talents, entrusted to him [her] to be put “at the service of others” - both within the Household of God and in the wider community.

US Bishops Pastoral Letter: A Disciples Response

A Christian Steward is one who…Receives God’s gifts gratefully, Cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner,Shares them in justice and love, andReturns them with increase to the Lord.

A Christian Steward is one who…Receives gratefully, Cherishes and tends (nurtures) in a responsible and accountable manner,Shares in justice and love, andReturns with increase to the Lord.

As Christian stewards what do we receive from God?

Life, time, talents, health, relationships (family), the

Gospel, property etc?

Do we really acknowledge these as

given to us by God?

Life, time, talents, health, relationships (family), the

Gospel, property etc?

LIFE

is the FIRST and GREATEST gift of all and carries great

RESPONSIBILITIES with it.

We are the Stewards of our lives and God depends on us to accomplish HIS purposes.

Do we… ???

Receive LIFE gratefully, Cherish and tend (nurture) in a responsible and accountable manner,Share in justice and love, andReturn with increase to the Lord???

How do we MANAGE the GIFT of LIFE?

TIMEWhen God gives us LIFE, we don’t know how much TIME we have to

use it…

But whatever time we have is a GIFT FROM GOD, and we must use it

WISELY in every activity throughout the day to fulfill God’s plan.

Do we plan or budget our time?

TIMESleep – 8 hrsWork – 8 hrs

Travel – 1 hrMealtime – 2 hrs

Bath – ½ - 1 hrWashroom – 10 – 20 mins

Recreation, exercise, study, prayer, community building???

Do we… ???

Receive TIME gratefully, Cherish and tend (nurture) in a responsible and accountable manner,Share in justice and love, andReturn with increase to the Lord???

How do we MANAGE the GIFT of TIME?

TALENT – a group of aptitudes useful for some activity.

APTITUDE – a component of a competency to do something; it is not developed knowledge, understanding, learned or acquired abilities.

Knowledge, understanding, skills etc are gained through learning…. But we are born with aptitudes.

1 in 33

million

I have chosen you before you were born (Jr. 1:4); I have carved your name in the palm of my hand (Is. 49:2); I have given

you all that you can and ought to be (Is. 48:17)

YOUR FULL POTENTIAL TO BE ALL YOU CAN AND OUGHT TO BE!

A “BLUEPRINT” THAT IS UNIQUE TO YOU!

Special set of talents- same set of talents – 1 in

275,000

- same set, in the same order…

1 in 33

million

… you have a great deal of stamina and work hard. You take great satisfaction from being busy and productive. Others criticize you for being too driven to achieve and call you ‘workaholic’.

… you generally find it easy to put your thoughts into words. You can explain things and make them clear and have the ability to tell captivating stories. Others criticize you for talking too much.

… you are best described by the serious care you take in making decisions or choices. You exhaust yourself and others as you make decisions cautiously and slowly. Others will judge you as a pessimist but in fact you are doing some very deep thinking.

… you are a creative person, fascinated by new ideas and concepts. You like free thinking experiences such as brainstorming and discussion groups. You may seem to get lost in the world of ideas and other may think you are a little “spacey”.

… you are dependable, and people know they can count on you. You don’t let people down, and you will work very hard to fulfill all your responsibilities and keep your word. You take psychological ownership of what you say you will do. You often feel overwhelmed and under pressure to perform.

1 in 33

million

“Imagine someone who, before going abroad, summoned his servants to entrust his property to them. He gave five talents of silver to one servant, two talents to another servant, and one talent to a third, to each according to his ability; and he went away…”

Matt. 25: 14-30

Do we… ??? Receive TALENTS gratefully, Cherish and tend (nurture) in a responsible and accountable manner,Share in justice and love, andReturn with increase to the Lord???

How do we MANAGE the GIFT of TALENTS?

Why do you give to the Church?

- Because my mother gave me change and now I automatically give when the collection baskets come around.

- For the support of the church – pay the bills

- To give back something in return- Giving is a symbolic act (associated

with the offertory)

Why do you give to the Church?

Old Testament – Deuteronomy 14:22-29

- Set aside a tithe – a tenth- You and your families to eat in the

presence of the Lord and provide for the- Levites- the foreigners - Orphans and widows

Why do you give to the Church?

Old Testament – Deuteronomy 16:9-10 + 26:1-13

- 16:9-10 – giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings received

- 26:1-13 – offering of first fruits in thanksgiving and recall how God has saved his ancestors

Why do you give to the Church?

Deut 26:1-13 –

1. offering of first fruits in thanksgiving and

2. recall how God has saved his ancestors

Why do you give to the Church?

- Hence the tithe is an act of gratitude – out of an attitude of gratitude!

- Given in proportion to the blessing received!

Why do you give to the Church?

- first fruits and thanksgiving is associated with reaping a crop…

- what if there were no crops?

- feeding of five thousand

Do we… ??? Receive Treasure gratefully, Cherish and tend (nurture) in a responsible and accountable manner,Share in justice and love, andReturn with increase to the Lord???

How do we MANAGE the GIFT of TREASURE?

- Practical ways of living a Stewardship way of life

- Grounded in who God is to us- What we do with a little is reflective

of what we will do with a lot- Life takes on a different meaning

when it is shared

- Are Catholic Christian parishioners practicing a stewardship way of life in our parishes?

- Are Catholic Christians generous in

sharing their life/ time, talents and treasure for the building of God’s kingdom?

16%

49%

35%

EngagedEngagedEngagedEngaged

Not – engagedNot – engaged

Actively disengagedActively disengaged

EngagedEngagedLoyal and have a strong psychological and emotional connection. Spiritually developed and give of themselves.

Not – engaged

Not – engaged

Part of the crowd who attend regularly. Socially connected, rather than emotionally or spiritually.

Actively disengaged

Actively disengaged

1. Attend infrequently2. CAVE dwellers – Consistently Against

Virtually Everything

16%

49%

35% 84%

Propose a process of commitment to the community referred to as ENGAGEMENT

Inside an Engaged Congregation

Engaged communities make people feel not just welcome but wanted!

1. Am I valued?

2. Do I make a meaningful contribution?

Committed Committed and Engagedand Engaged

BB

EE

CC

DD

AA

Constantly form new groups of

new people who can create shared

history and bond with

one another

Reflect the value placed on membership

Clarify the expectations of

membership

Foster a deep and strong emotional

connection with the community

Opportunities for contributing

People don’t come to Mass to know more about God; they comebecause they want to experience God.

Hospitality is more than a growth strategy

Engagement is emotional at its root – relate to each other

We must go beyond just the worship experience

start “being” church

stop “doing” church

vs.

MaintenanceMission

“doing” church is focusing exclusively on “institutional preservation”

“being” church is returning to the basics, focusing oncreating a vibrant spirit of community and service.

… measure engagement in-depth and plan strategies to help parishioners to Have a sense of belonging

Discover their talents – meaningful contribution

Grow spiritually

We are also obliged to be stewards of the Church—collaborators and cooperators in continuing the

redemptive work of Jesus Christ, which is the Church’s essential

mission. This mission—proclaiming and

teaching, serving and sanctifying—is our task. It is the personal

responsibility of each one of us as stewards of the Church.