When I mentioned to someone that we were planning a feature on stewardship, she confessed that when she sees that word, she tends to turn the page without reading what is written. Yet I know that she is generous with her time, ability and resources.
As congregations begin to regroup after summertime’s change of pace, some will be considering what to do about stewardship. Experience tells me that there will likely be a noticeable lack of enthusiasm about the prospect among many members.
Our feature article in this issue takes
a look at the state of stewardship in our church. We interviewed some people who are charged with encouraging generosity among us. Some of what they have to say may surprise you; some may simply remind you of what you already know.
We’ll also report some of what was learned from the 392 congregations who responded to a 2015 stewardship questionnaire that was included in the annual Parochial Reports. About 60% of our congregations had some type of stewardship program last year. About 25% reported having an active stewardship committee.
I confess that none of this satisfactorily resolves the use of that word “stewardship” for me but it does help to move us along in learning to be generous.
Glimpses
Here’s a peak at some other things you’ll find in this issue.
As I worked on the stewardship feature, bishops Larry Kochendofer (p. 21) and Michael Pryse (p. 30) deepened my thinking about what is at stake.
There’s a delightful piece (p. 9) by Natalie Turko-Slack about her experience as an Ukranian Greek Catholic who is married to one of our pastors.
As we ponder the depraved acts of terror by ISIS and similar groups, the article Conversations in anxious times (p. 15) provides some guidance for thinking through our responses.
Of Note (p. 6) is a new way of presenting ideas that we are still developing and exploring. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome (editor@elcic.ca).
Kenn Ward, Editor
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