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The Stewardship Sub-Committee

S	Stewardship is a process of growth and discipleship and every member of the church is involved
T	Talents - a fusion of natural ability
E	Expectations - what does God expect of us?
W	Waste - do we waste our talents and treasures or use them wisely?
A	Aim of stewardship is what I DO after I say I believe. It is part of how our faith shows itself in action
R	Responsibility is ours
D	DIY - can we ask of other people without doing something ourselves?
S	Stewards - we are all stewards of the mysteries of Christ and servants of the gospel.
H	Heaven - our reward will be there - are we worthy of it?
I	Idleness - are we too busy with earthly things and idle to God?
P	Possessions - what we do with our possessions, wealth and talents is an acid test of the reality of our discipleship

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE?

WHY IS ONE NEEDED, WHEN WE ALL PROFESS TO BE CHRISTIANS?

I have tried to show some of the meanings of stewardship in the word as set out opposite. All churches are supposedly Stewardship churches; it just happens that some are better at it than others. Would that we might be one of the better ones! We need stewardship in the form of money, to pay our way. Just like our housekeeping at home, the treasurer has to be able to make the income of the church at least match the expenditure; otherwise we all know the meaning of bankruptcy. We have a duty to God, who provides everything for us, to focus on what is really important, to reshape our lives, and the life of our church, so that it reflects more closely the life of God's Kingdom. To do this, we are provided with time, money and talents and each of these is important to God's work within this Parish. We need money, obviously, to pay our way, but we also need, just as much, people who can offer their services, in whatever way they are able, in order to enrich the work done by our church, both for the sake of our fellow parishioners and also for the wider world. This means using our talents, time (and sometimes money) in our everyday lives, to show others that we are Christians and to spread Christ's Gospel.

WHAT DOES THE COMMITTEE DO TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN IN PRESTBURY?

Last autumn you all received a stewardship campaign letter, asking you to think seriously about your gifts to God. The result of this was an increase of 2% in our income at St Mary's and 5% at St Nicolas'. Thank you for the extra pledges, but bear in mind we already had a shortfall of £142 per week, so we are still in a very precarious position for the future of our church. Whilst we may not have any immediate huge bills to pay, who knows what is around the corner? If a major calamity befalls us, shall we be able to remain solvent? We certainly hope so but one of the committee's tasks is to keep a check on our funds and try to make the best of what we have and to use it wisely and well. Our Parochial Church Council, as trustees of the church, are good managers, but we must remember that we need an overall strategy for Parish development and mission.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Please help us by giving as generously as you are able, in order to preserve our church buildings and the work of the Church in this lovely village in which we live. Remember, God gave us everything in His Son, Jesus Christ. Our stewardship, however great, is poor when compared with His gifts to us.

MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

At present the Committee for St Mary's consists of Fr Stephen Gregory, Marion Beagley (chairman), Noel Brick, Colin Holman, Martin Kannreuther, Bob Lyle and Jerry Porter. Geoff Shaw is responsible for Stewardship at St Nicolas'. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to talk to one of us.

Marion Beagley - Chairman Stewardship Committee

This article first appeared in the September 2003 edition of the Prestbury Parish magazine