When Jesus called the 12 apostles, He called them each by name and then brought them together to serve Him through their ministry. Then, right before He ascended to heaven, Christ gave them the great commission — “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
The same can be said for each of us today. The mission of those 12 apostles continues to live on in the Church. Each one of us is called by name, baptized in the Trinity, and commissioned to live as Christ’s disciples. And we do so as members of His Body — the Church.
We have each been given gifts of time, talent, and treasure, and we are called to recognize those gifts and then use them in gratitude to God, the great gift-giver, to make disciples, and to build the Church.
This is stewardship.
For the past year and a half, our Stewardship Council has been working to help all of us identify ways in which we can use our gifts of time, talent, and treasure here in the Phelps County Catholic Community to best serve God and one another.
“We want to help parishioners identify ways that they can get involved in the life of our parish,” says Jim Murphy, Chair of our Stewardship Council. “We want parishioners to see that there are numerous opportunities to get involved, and when they get involved they not only help to build the parish, but their spirituality deepens as well.”
Jim speaks from experience. He became a member of the Stewardship Council when he was looking for a way to get more involved in the parish. And, he says, the ways in which this involvement has served to build his own faith life are innumerable.
“I can say without a doubt that my relationship with Christ and my faith in Him has been positively impacted by serving in this role,” Jim says. “It has benefitted me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”
With that in mind, Jim encourages all of us to consider serving the Church as a blessing rather than a burden. He assures us that in so doing, our experiences serving will be richly rewarding.
“Find ways to get involved that are meaningful to you,” Jim says. “If you search out ways to serve the Church that are fulfilling for you, not only will you reap the reward of that service, but the parish will be impacted in an even greater way because of what you do.”
For their part, the 12 members of our Stewardship Council meet monthly to identify ways in which they can best help each of us as parishioners to live stewardship as a way of life here in the Phelps County Catholic Community. They also work with other parish councils to pinpoint areas of need within our community so that, together, they can help those areas of our parish life grow and thrive.
“Traditionally, people think about stewardship as an annual ‘ask’ wherein people are called to get involved, and we are trying to change that view,” Jim says.
Stewardship is a way of life. It is how we recognize our God-given gifts and offer them back to God in gratitude through our time, our talents, and our treasure. It is the way we live, day in and day out, as disciples of Christ. And when we recognize stewardship in this way and commit to living it as a way of life, our lives and the life of our parishes, on the whole, are deeply impacted.
Today, as we continue to integrate the three parishes into one county-wide community, Jim says he is eager to see the impact that the stewardship way of life will have on our larger faith family. He feels incredibly blessed to be able to serve as a member of the Stewardship Council, and he encourages all of us to consider the gifts God has given us and actively commit to using them for God’s greater glory!
We will be hosting a Ministry Fair on September 10 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall. This is a great opportunity to learn more about all of the wonderful ministries that are available in our Phelps Catholic Community. Watch the bulletin for more details. Please plan to join us!