When we plan how to spend out time, talents, and treasures in life we need to practice considering more than just what we do or how we do it. We need to be mindful of WHY we do it. WHY we feel called to be stewards in our life, our community, and our church.

What does Stewardship mean to you?

What does stewardship mean to you? 

If money came to mind first, you are right! 

If sharing your spiritual gifts came to mind first, you are right!

If caring for our earth came to mind first, you are right! 

If giving of your time came to mind first, you are right!

Not guilt. No shame.

Stewardship is gratitude for God’s mercy, grace, and love! 

Stewardship is more than money, pledge cards, and an operational budget. It is a spiritual discipline of gratitude that ought to be interwoven throughout our lives in how we celebrate God’s gifts and share with joyful abundance. We get to expand our understanding of stewardship, while at the same time recognizing that we do have to keep the ac on in hot summers, running water for the fountains, lights for the sanctuary, as well program ministry opportunities, mission and witness endeavors, pastoral care, fellowship, and taking care of our people. 

The “talking about money” part is the elephant in the room for us and can cause a bit of anxiety. Money can also be a tool of hope, trust, faith, and love. So let us unlearn what makes us sweat, and learn how to be faithful stewards of what God has given us through a myriad of blessings! 

I wanted to share a few tidbits from an article I read regarding the focus of stewardship! It’s not about us! 

God is the focus! Not us! 

God creates abundance. 

God creates generosity and kindness. 

God creates our capacity to notice and care about the needs of others. 

God gives us the hope of “shalom,” the state where every person has enough to sustain them in body, mind, and spirit. 

God gives us the desire to make “shalom” on earth as it is in heaven!

Stewardship is about God’s “over-the-topness” in giving us so much that anything we give away leaves us with even more. 

Stewardship is the Spirit’s invitation for all of us to be transformed into believers who appreciate and extend God’s abundance and generosity all the time.

-Rev. Lisa Cressman

While attending a “pastor-type” conference, I was challenged to look at my calendar. The speaker asked – where do you spend your time? Work, family, self-care, play, friends, caring for another, church? 

We were invited to highlight the different areas of where and how we spent our time to see how well we were good stewards of our time. I challenge you do to the same…after a week – Where is your treasure? 

Our phones are more than likely with us all the time! Take yours out and look at the last 10 conversations. Who are they with? What are they about? 

Where is your treasure? 

Take a moment to jot down all the ways you have embodied what it means to be the church this past month: Worship, Study, Service, People, Fellowship, etc. If you don’t have your own definition of church, take some time to reflect. 

Where is your treasure? 

Once a year in our church staff meetings we do an activity to see how we are being good stewards of what we have been given and who God calls us to be. Where is our treasure? Where do we put our attention. It is called the Wheel of Life.

I encourage you to take a few minutes to complete one of your own. Draw one yourself or click the button below to get one you can printout!

While stewardship is year-round, this October we will initially discern what it means to be faithful stewards to what we have been given by God through the faith family and community of FPC! 

Our theme is "Where Is Where Our Treasure Is." As part of our worship experiences for the month of October, we will explore the importance of Worship, Faith Formation, Fellowship, and Missions.

“In a few succinct verse, the passage from Acts (insert Acts 2:42-46) lays out the four missions of God’s church. The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching—to the formation of their own faith. They devoted themselves to the community—to serving their neighbors. They devoted themselves to their shared meals—to connecting with each other in fellowship. And they devoted themselves to their prayers—to worshipping God. These are the missions of the church universal, boiled down to basics.”  

-Deep Well Worship

Church, this is why we give! We give out of faithful response to God’s activity in the world and our responsibility to participate in bringing forth thy kingdom come for all God’s people. We do this through providing vibrant worship experiences. We do this through studying God’s word to be nourished in what it means to be a disciple and then sent out in the world. We do this through breaking bread around the table and sharing in one another’s stories. We do this through being the hands and feet of Christ in our community recognizing the needs of others. We give to carry out our mission as the church of Jesus Christ as FPC! 

I would love to hear from you your WHY. Why do you give?

Simon Sinek in his book Start with Why suggests that we start with our why. When we know our why, our passion is restored. He writes,

“Very few people can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. When I say WHY, I don’t mean to make money – that’s a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does our church exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning?”

• I give because I vow at every baptism to walk alongside a child in their faith journey.
• I give because when faith comes alive for a young person, nothing is more beautiful.
• I give because I get to witness the miracles of God’s presence in action through all of you.

• I give because I love to share family meals with our church
• I give because I love to hear the children playing on the playground.
• I give because I know we need air conditioning in our sanctuary during the hot summer months.
• I give because I am grateful for our church staff.

• I give because our building can continue to be a beacon of light and safe space to come.
• I give because I want our elders and deacons to have resources to further our depth and reach as a church in our community.
• I give because our Food Pantry and the organizations we support do holy work.

• I give because I desire for us all to continue to be stretched in our understanding of who God calls us to be through study and service.
• I give because worship art expands my sensory experience of worship.
• I give because of the energy I feel on Sunday mornings in the narthex!
• I give because I am grateful for all God has given me, has given my family, and has given us as the body of Christ known as FPC Covington!

What is my why? My why is because I believe in a God of love, mercy, creativity, justice and grace! My why is because I trust in the good and faithful purpose of God’s church and I LOVE YOU!   

I invite you, this stewardship season to consider your why when deciding how to use your time, talents, and treasures this year. Visit the stewardship page on our website now to learn more about how to pledge, where to find a Time & Talent survey. We'll update it throughout the season to give more information on our dream budget and what we plan to do with it, what it means to give your time and talents to different ministries, and much more!