– A Catholic Parish in Nashua, NH
To support the needs and future initiatives of our growing community, we are inviting all parishioners
to participate in our 2021 Stewardship Initiative.
Step 1: Conversion
Jesus invites us to follow Him on a road less traveled. As a people of faith, we are called to be in relationship with Him. So, how is your prayer life? Are you making time to talk with God each day? When we convert our hearts to Christ we create a Sacramental Worldview—where Christ’s will is at the center and we see the world through His eyes. This is the beginning of every Christian’s Stewardship journey.
Step 2: Reflect on your gifts
When you reflect on your life and the gifts that God has given you through God’s eyes, ask yourself two questions:
1) As a Baptized member of my parish community, how am I participating in the mission of my parish? At our Baptism, we were inducted into our faith and we became members of our parish. Most of us don’t remember it, but on that day we were claimed for Christ and we became a member of a parish family.
2) How am I sharing the gifts that I was given at Confirmation? Again, for most of us this day was a long time ago. But we know that we were sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Our Bishop gave us the most exciting charge of our lives, to live as Christ and to use our gifts for the mission proclaimed in the Gospel.
As Christians, this road is a continuing spiritual journey which leads us to living as Christian Stewards. If you get stuck on Step 2 then go back to Step 1 and “rinse, wash and repeat.”
The reality is that our parish needs your time, talents and resources to fulfill Christ’s mission. It simply cannot happen without you. Your Stewardship is a beautiful expression of your love for God and our parish and will encourage others to take a step in their faith.
The gift of time
First, commit to regular time in prayer. There can be no greater gift than the time we spend with God. Second, the gift of time can also be expressed through service to our parish community consisting of offering your time to serve the poor, volunteer at school or religious education, lector or bring Communion to the homebound.
In reality all time is God’s time, we call it life, and in God’s gift of life we are reminded that every decision we make, every choice of how to use our gifts is to be made with the knowledge that without God’s gift of life we have nothing to share or hope for.
The gift of talent
Has anyone ever told you that you are uniquely qualified? It’s true. God only made one of you and He put you here at this time and in this place to be of service through His divine plan. Through our Stewardship of talent, we bring His plans to fruition which blesses both the giver and the receiver. By offering our talents, we serve God by offering what is beautiful and unique. That’s right, we’re talking about you!!
Each of us has been blessed in different ways with financial resources. In Stewardship we are called to return a portion of those blessings to the work of Christ and His Church in a way that is planned, proportionate, sacrificial and a prayer of thanksgiving (see reverse for more details).
In order to properly prepare for the upcoming fiscal year, our parish looks at the current level of income and expenses and determines a budget for our parish programs and services. Financial contributions, through the offertory collection, make it possible for us to set our priorities and meet our financial responsibilities.
An annual commitment is a specific amount that is promised to the parish for the coming year. The method of payment is up to you. We appreciate contributions on a weekly basis either through the Sunday Collection or via online giving. Your commitment and your preferred method of fulfillment are your choice.
As you review the chart below, please pray about how God may be calling you to take a step in faith and return a portion of your weekly earnings to His mission at our parish.
Stewardship is the spiritually motivated way for us to share our time, talent and resources. Our
parish is asking all parishioners to consider making a commitment that is…
Planned: The degree of planning that goes into our sacrificial giving reflects the importance of our commitment to give. The decision to give is just that – a decision. It requires thought and time, so that it is integrated with other financial decisions as part of a careful, intentional response to God’s generosity.
Proportionate: Part of our planning ensures that we give the “first fruits” – those gifts given first and not only after other obligations have been satisfied. They are proportionate to what God has given us. Some use the biblical concept of the tithe, a tenth (5% to Church and 5% to other charities) as a guide but in any case the gift is proportionate to our resources.
Sacrificial: God will never be outdone in His generosity. The proportion of our gift becomes sacrificial when it comes from our substance rather than our abundance. When we give out of substance, we are changed in the process: we have given away something we thought we needed for ourselves, thus changing our lifestyle, and we have acted on our belief that our security lies not in our material resources but in God.
Prayer of Thanksgiving: Returning to God a portion of our time, talent and resources is celebration of His sacrifice for us. Nourished by the Eucharist each week at Mass, we remember Christ’s unfathomable love and we return that love with grateful hearts.
In today’s world it’s not hard to assess what’s important to us. All we need to do is look at our bank account, review our web browsing history or view “continue watching” on Netflix to gain a glimpse of what’s important to us. In today’s world, we have an even greater opportunity to be a good steward of our time, talents and resources and to make a return to God out of our gratitude for the gifts that He has given to us.
The events of the past year have shown us that we not only live in a world of uncertainty, but that God is always present in our lives. When we commit to living a life of true Christian Stewardship we place our trust and security in the Lord, not in possessions.
Stewardship calls us to go forth in faith without requiring guarantees and to give of ourselves. We learn to turn over to the Lord all our fear, apprehension, and anxiety about our life of unconditional giving and trust in Him. No amount of money can be our Savior.
Phone : +1 603-882-0632