FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?
A: Stewardship means taking care of something that belongs to someone else. In an example from popular culture, in The Lord of the Rings, when the King of Gondor is in exile, a Steward rules in his place. In the Bible, we are called stewards of God’s creation. That means everything in creation belongs to God, not us. That includes our planet, our bodies, our fellow human beings, and our financial resources. And we are called to take care of those things for God and to wisely use those gifts for godly purposes.
Q: WHY IS STEWARDSHIP A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?
A: Spiritual practices—such as worship, prayer, silence and meditation, contemplation, reading scripture, and giving—when repeated regularly, increase our awareness of the presence of God and gradually remove the walls we erect in our lives that block God’s grace. Here are three benefits to the spiritual practice of stewardship:
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Stewardship reduces our attachment to material things. We learn that giving away something we “have”really does not diminish us at all. God continues to meet our needs.
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Giving chips away at our belief in the concept of “mine” and “yours.” Giving helps us better experience the truth that we are indeed one in spirit.
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Our willingness to give impacts our willingness to receive. No doubt all of us know someone who would never give anything to someone else and, in turn, would never accept a gift. We must be willing to give in order to be open to receiving. And God is giving to us every moment of the day. Our willingness to give enhances our ability to accept God’s gifts.
Q: HOW IS A STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE DIFFERENT FROM A REGULAR DONATION?
A: A pledge is a commitment to give a stated amount to Peace on a regular basis. As a spiritual practice, it places our hearts in an intentional posture of thankfulness.
Q: IS MY STEWARDSHIP DEFINED ONLY BY THE MONEY I GIVE TO THE CHURCH?
A: Absolutely not. Time and service given to others are critical components of stewardship. Our church can’t function without these gifts of time and service.
Q: WHY ARE WE DOING A STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN IN THE SPRING INSTEAD OF THE FALL?
A: If you have been around Peace for awhile, you may remember that we have typically done stewardship campaigns in the fall and then created a budget for the following year based on the pledges received. When we met in the Fall, the Stewardship and Finance Team made the decision to postpone the stewardship campaign until the spring because we recognized the stress and uncertainty that the pandemic was creating in many people’s lives. We also knew that because of the faithful giving of our members and the funds from the paycheck protection program, we could wait until spring for this year’s pledge drive.
Q. WHEN DOES THE PLEDGE PERIOD BEGIN?
A: While you can begin as soon as you pledge, officially we are asking for pledges to begin July 1 and run through the end of December 2022.
Q. IS THE CHURCH ASKING MEMBERS TO INCREASE THEIR REGULAR GIVING?
A: In the spirit of transparency, we will need an overall increase in giving to continue to fully fund our ministries. We are asking you to pray about your giving and do what you are able. Even a small increase can make a big difference. We also know that some of our members are facing economic circumstances that will make it impossible to increase giving. We trust that together, each of us doing what we are able, we will be able to fund the ministry that is so important to this community.
Q: WHAT IF THIS IS AN UNCERTAIN YEAR? I DON’T WANT TO MAKE A PLEDGE I CAN’T FULFILL.
A: Your pledge is a spiritual commitment, not a contract. You may change your pledge at any time by contacting the church office.
Q: CAN I PLEDGE ONLINE?
A: Yes! There is an online pledge form on our website (myplc.org) under the giving tab. You are also able to set up your giving online in the same place.
As you consider your pledge, we invite you to pray the following prayer:
Great One, for you the floods clap, for you the hills sing. You know
my situation better than anyone. Take my credits and debits,
ins and outs, my pluses and minuses, surpluses and lacks,
and show me how to use them to join
the great chorus of Creation. Amen