Stewardship Sunday 6th February 2008 

This year, 2008, rather than produce a long script Michael Porter, our guardian of the money, has a PowerPoint presentation instead.  It does take a few minutes to down load but is well worth the wait.  It also runs in OpenOffice.

Southbroom Rock PowerPoint Presentation

Below is the outline of the talk given on Stewardship Sunday, 12th February 2007.

I Saw Three Ships

Today we are going to look at three ships –

• Stewardship
• Discipleship
• Partnership

Stewardship
Each year we hold Stewardship Sunday. On this day in the year we want to thank God for all the resources he has blessed us with, and also ask him for guidance, both individually and as a church, as to how to best use our resources for the benefit of his kingdom, throughout the coming year.

We believe that regular members of the church are called to give to the church, so that

• St James’ is able to pay for itself, without need to ask for outside funding.
• so that the many ministries we run can continue to bless others
• so that we can increase the number of ministries that we run.
• so that we can continue to support financially those missions which St James’ has chosen to support.

We ask members to pledge their support to us. Pledging means making a commitment to a regular amount of giving – whether that’s weekly, monthly or whenever. The regular giving can be made by cheque or cash or standing order direct from the bank.

Why do we ask people to pledge?

• It enables you to make sure that you are giving your “first fruits” to God, as the Bible commands.
• By making a commitment to regular giving, the church is able to predict what its income will be, and is better able to plan for the future and use our resources wisely.

So another part of Stewardship Sunday is to ask members who don’t currently pledge to do so.

Discipleship

All Christians are called to grow in the likeness of Christ. This is called discipleship. This applies to every area of our life, including our attitudes towards our money and other resources, including time. As we develop in our discipleship, there are six steps we go through in our attitude towards money:
Survival - I give a bit when asked.
Supermarket - I pay for the bits I enjoy.
Support - Church is important and so I’ll support it.
Subscription - I am a member paying my dues.
Submission - I am a disciple with all that involves.
Sacrifice – I am called to be Christ-like and act accordingly.

On Stewardship Sunday we are all challenged to consider the question - Where am I on this journey?

“What we do with our money proclaims who we think we are – whether we know it or not, whether we like it or not. All our actions in some degree reveal us; why should our economic life be different? Why should this too not be an area in which we help to shape our eternal destiny, a matter of sin or holiness?”

Archbishop Rowan Williams

Partnership
Our relationship with God is a partnership. God makes some promises to us through this partnership:

• To provide for all our needs. Matthew 6:25 - 34.
• Peace in financial matters. Hebrews 13:5.
• To guide us in every financial decision. Proverbs 3:9 - 10.
• To use our giving to strengthen the outreach of our Church. Luke 8:3
• To take what we give and multiply it for the purposes of his Kingdom: Loaves and fishes miracle.

Similarly, we are called to make a commitment to God:

• God calls each one of us to become active partners and to share his love. (Matthew 28:19-20)
• Our financial support to our Church enables us together to share that love with each other. (Acts 2:45)
• There are also times we need to receive and have the support of those around us. (2 Cor 8:13-14)

“God has given us 2 hands-one to receive with and the other to give with”.

We are also in partnership with our church.

Our financial support enables the church to minister to those within our church, to our community around us, and through overseas projects to many people around the world. St James’ gives away 10% of all it receives through pledges to other projects, such as supporting the Missions with which St James is linked.

Our giving of our time, skills and money enable us to enrich the lives of others and increase our witness to the overwhelming generosity of Christ.

Over the past years God has called us to minister in several ways, and we believe he is going to ask more and more of us as we are obedient to his call. And all this is going to cost us, financially as well as in time and our skills. St Paul wrote to the Corinthians, encouraging them to finish what they had begun:

Here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has.

1 Cor 8 v 10-12

*If you would like a copy of the powerpoint presentation which accompanied this talk, please contact St James' office.*