Stewardship

Each night as Melissa and I and our children gather around the dinner table, we answer a simple question: What brought you joy today?  What was the best thing about today?  What excited you or amazed you or happily surprised you?

 

Our kids are young and sometimes answer quickly, “Everything!”  My wife and I--being not quite so young–-know there are parts of our day that we might readily exchange for others.  The gifts and blessings of that day—like the conversation with a friend, or doing meaningful work or enjoying the outdoors while taking our beagle out for a walk—those are the points we want to hold onto.  Not the moments when we felt overwhelmed, or when there wasn’t enough time or resources for a project, or when anger got the best of us. 

 

This little evening practice, called the Examen, helps us recognize all the gifts and blessings given to us from God.  It reminds us of God’s abundance, of the amazing gifts offered to us each day from the Holy One. 

 

And when we look at our lives from the perspective of abundance, we are led to ask one more simple question: How are we to respond to God’s generosity in our lives?

 

Giving generously is one of life’s great pleasures.  At St. Mark’s, we seek to give of our resources for our own spiritual benefit, recognizing that God calls us to be faithful and generous in what we do with our money.

 

Stewardship—faithfully using God’s gifts for the life changing work God desires for us and our world—can change both our lives and the lives of each person impacted by our faith community.  We do this through percentage based giving, believing firmly that God desires us to work toward a tithe—that is, giving away 10 percent of what we make—the base standard presented in scripture. 

 

There’s nothing magical about this number.  In fact I personally wish I could give more.  I know for me, and for my family, sharing our resources is a true blessing, especially when we can see its impact here at St. Mark’s and in the other organizations we support.

 

We know percentage-based giving may be a foreign concept for some.  And maybe you can’t get there for a few years.  The good news is that you can start somewhere.  God takes whatever we can offer sacrificially, and can use it to do wonderful and marvelous things for the kingdom Jesus proclaimed.  We encourage all our members and those who call St. Mark’s a spiritual home to consider giving at least 3 percent of their income to St. Mark’s, and then prayerfully consider moving toward giving 10 percent (or more!) away in the years ahead in faithful response to God’s abundance.

 

I hope you’ll join us in giving generously.  Through sharing we are able to, as a good friend put it, “Create and sustain lives of faith.”  There would be nothing better in life if this were true each day.

 

Levels of Support

While we all continue to face uncertain times and may find it difficult to feel comfortable about committing a specific amount of our income towards charitable giving, it is always acceptable to change our financial commitment when personal circumstances mandate it.  However, starting each calendar year with a financial goal allows the important task of financial planning for the parish to proceed with greater confidence.
Deciding the appropriate level of financial commitment is entirely your decision.  Below is a guide to help determine the level of support you would like to consider.

Annual Income	3%- 4% of income	5% - 10% of income
$25,000 or less	$750 - $1,000	$1,250 -$2,500
$50,000	$1,500 - $2,000	$2,500 - $5,000
$75,000	$2,250 - $3,000	$3,750 - $7,500
$100,000	$3,000 - $4,000	$5,000 - $10,000
$150,000	$4,500 - $6,000	$7,500 - $15,000
$200,000 & Up	$6,000 – 8,000	$10,000 - $20,000

 

Members who give generously of both their financial gifts as well as their gifts of time and talent frequently comment what an amazing sense of joy they experience knowing they are ensuring our parish remains very central to their Christian experience, the experience of being transformed by God.