Stewardship
The goal of
Stewardship is to help our members grow in their relationship with Jesus
through the use of their time, talents, and treasures. At Zion, we see this as our growth on the
Road to Discipleship.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| TIME & TALENT | TREASURES | AREAS TO GIVE | WAYS TO GIVE |
TIME &
TALENT
Every member of the congregation has been given unique
talents and skills by God to serve Him in the world. We are called by God to use those talents and
skills in our work, school, community, and church. At Zion, we offer over 400 different
opportunities for members to engage in the life and work of the church. Here are some of the possibilities:
| Worship and Music | Janet Hornich |
| Christian Education | Melanie Hodges |
christianeducation@zionoldwick.com |
| Social Ministry | Linda Held | socialministry@zionoldwick.com |
| Shepherding | Vivian Paulter | shepherding@zionoldwick.com |
| Evangelism | Dottie Caplan | evangelism@zionoldwick.com |
| Youth | Tina Dornbusch |
youth@zionoldwick.com |
| Parish Life | Wendy Minerowicz | parishlife@zionoldwick.com |
| Property | Joanne Rupp | property@zionoldwick.com |
| Finance | Tim Hunter |
finance@zionoldwick.com |
| Stewardship | Chris Treanor | stewardship@zionoldwick.com |
| Long Range Planning |
John Rustwick |
longrangeplanning@zionoldwick.com |
TREASURES
Giving
is a fundamental part of our commitment to God.
The bible teaches us that everything we have is because of God and in
fact everything we have is from God, so giving is simply returning a portion of
what God has given to us. Giving is an
act of discipleship. An act we are
called by God to do…
Generously
This is self evident. We are all generous to those
we love and who love us. God is the Holy
One who loves and who we love.
Generosity is our response to such love.
Intentionally
Giving should be planned and not left to chance or whim. It is a serious commitment that should
involve the whole family.
Regularly
Giving should not be occasional, but regular. By pledging
annually, you can give on a regular basis.
Proportionally
We should think of giving as a proportion of all that we have received. The poor person who gives a dollar is
contributing a far greater proportion of their worth than a wealthy person that
gives $100/week. Giving should grow as
your blessings grow.
First
We should give back to God first before we use his treasures for any other
purpose. If giving to the work of the
church is behind rent, heat, car payments, dinners, etc., then giving will be
the after-thought and the “leftover”. By
giving first, you can give to God the appropriate proportional amount and scale
the rest of your spending and saving to cover the balance, not vice versa.
Joyfully
Giving should be done cheerfully in response to all that God has done. It comes from the heart and not out of guilt
or obligation.
AREAS TO GIVE
At
Zion we offer numerous areas where you can share a financial gift.
General fund giving
Members
can contribute to the general fund of Zion. These gifts will be used to support
the ministries of the church as well as the ongoing functioning of the
church. Giving can be done through
annual pledge or through weekly offerings.
Endowment giving
Zion
has an endowment that is designed to support the long term needs of the congregation.
Gifts to the endowment can be made at any time or can be made as part of estate
planning.
Directed giving
Members are able to give specifically in any way that moves them. Donations to specific ministries, capital
projects, altar flowers or any other activity, ministry or need of the church
can be made through directed giving.
WAYS TO GIVE
We
offer different ways to give, including:
Annual pledge
Members
are always encouraged to pledge their giving to the church each fall. That pledge amount may be weekly, monthly,
quarterly, or yearly. At Zion, we
emphasize these commitments in September and October each year culminating on
Commitment Sunday, which will be November 6, 2011 this year. Pledge giving can be done online through Simply Giving – an automated giving
program from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans designed to help you conveniently
and consistently contribute to your church.
Weekly envelope and plate
giving
While
pledging is certainly encouraged, it is by no means required. Some members are more comfortable providing a
weekly gift without making a formal annual pledge, using the envelopes we
provide every member.
Simply Giving
Some
members enjoy the convenience of electronic giving. You can set up one-time or recurring
donations to the general fund, or a number of designated funds. Get
started with Simply Giving right now.
Gift of stocks or other
assets
For
tax purposes or other reasons it is sometimes preferable for members to
contribute stock, other securities, real estate or other assets.
Planned Gifts
There
are a variety of methods for giving as a part of estate planning. These include bequests, life insurance,
qualified estate plans, life income agreements, charitable gift annuities or
charitable remainder trusts.
If you have any questions, or would like assistance with any of the above, please contact Chris Treanor at stewardship@zionoldwick.com.
Giving is a personal experience, and people give for different reasons. It may be out of loyalty, responsibility, gratitude or to express an inward commitment to God. Whatever the case, remember what Jesus promised: when we invest ourselves and our resources beyond ourselves, we discover life at a richer and deeper level. As St. Paul wrote: “…remember the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35