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Contents
Stewardship Prayers of the Faithful
Should Thanksgiving be Cancelled?
A Thanksgiving Blessing
For Your Bulletin
FREE Stewardship Webinars
Now Is the Time to Say Thank-You!
Q&A: Why does any parish need to teach stewardship?
Promoting End of Year Giving
Stewardship in Action
Mission Statement 
 
To be co-responsible with Jesus Christ in the building of the kingdom of God and to promote discipleship and spiritual growth through hospitality, prayer, formation, and service. 
 
 
Upcoming Events
FREE Webinars:
Stewardship Councils:  Laying Foundations and Building Bridges
Date:  Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010
Time:  12-1 p.m. or 5-6 p.m.(Mountain Time)
Presenter:  Margo Truett
 
Stewardship and Evangelization
Date:  Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010
Time:  12-1 p.m. or 5-6 p.m.(Mountain Time)
Presenter:  Lorene Duquin 

See article below for more details and registration link for Webinars.
Stewardship Links
 

Below are diocesan and publisher websites that contain resources on stewardship for use in your parish.  Some of these materials can be downloaded, while others must be ordered. 

 
 
Stewardship Prayers of the Faithful 

We recommend that every week in every parish, a stewardship intention be included in the "Prayers of the Faithful."  Below are sample intentions for each week from the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  Please share this section with the person who writes your weekly intentions.

 
 November 7, 2010
That we may have the grace and the courage to share our gifts in a way that is pleasing to God, the abundant giver of all gifts.

November 14, 2010
 For all those who need the help and support this parish community can give through our combined gifts of time, talent and treasure.

November 21, 2010
That we may serve Jesus, Our King, with love and gratitude, generously offering our gifts to help build up the kingdom of God here on earth.

November 28, 2010
 That we may put God first on our Christmas list, planning ways that we can give time, talent and treasure back to the Lord who has given us all that we have.

December 5, 2010
That, as we prepare for Christmas, we may also find time to reach out to those who are lonely, needy or sorrowful.

 

December 12, 2010
That we may recognize God's many little miracles in our lives and be grateful to Him.

 

December 19, 2010
That, as our celebration of Christmas draws nearer, we may be more deeply aware that every gift is from God and He alone is the owner and ruler of all things.

 

December 26, 2010
That we may continue our Christmas giving every day of the year - giving generously out of love and gratitude for the gift of Jesus in our lives.



topStewardship News & Notes
A newsletter for those promoting the gifts of time, talent and treasure
November/December 2010

fall
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 


Should Thanksgiving be Cancelled?  Find out the answer to that and much more in the articles in this newsletter.  Fall is now upon us and we have already experienced a glimpse of what winter holds for us here in Idaho.  As we draw closer to the end of another year, we are reminded to be grateful which is the basis for Christian stewardship.

This is an ideal time of year to say thanks to our parishioners and show them ways to be more grateful for their blessings.  In this issue of  Stewardship News & Notes, we hope you find ideas and resources to help us all to be more grateful steward's of God's love through prayer and by sharing our blessings and making gratitude a habit and not just a seasonal activity.

Speaking of gratitude, we'd also like to express our appreciate to all those who participated in the three regional Diocesan Stewardship Days held in October with Scott Bader. 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Diocesan Stewardship Council:
Chairperson:  Val Allen, St. Mark's, Boise
Debbie Gallegos, Holy Spirit Catholic Community, Pocatello
Dan Makley, Superintendent of Catholic Schools
Father Jesus Camacho, St. Mary's, Boise
Gail Estes, All Saints Catholic Parish, Lewiston
John Hart, Holy Apostles, Meridian
Deacon Mike Eisenbeiss, Sacred Heart Parish, Boise

Stewardship and Development Office Staff:
Jim Hughes, Director of Stewardship and Development, [email protected]
Margaret Hampton, Coordinator of Stewardship and Development, [email protected]
Should Thanksgiving be Cancelled?
 
 by Jim Lamm, Director of Stewardship, St. Louis King of France Church, Austin, TX 


The economy is still not improving very rapidly. Our pensions, retirement funds, or other investments have seen a 40-60% loss this year. Many have lost their jobs, fear they will lose them, or are having their hours or pay cut. With all this bad news we might ask, what do we have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day? How can we possibly celebrate a holiday where we give thanks for our prosperity given this past year?

 

If we think of our lives only in terms of money, wealth, possessions, and earthly success, we should just skip Thanksgiving this year and every year. Thanksgiving is not a secular holiday to celebrate all the money we have made and the things we possess.  Nor is it about turkey, football, stuffing, or pumpkin pie. From the very first Thanksgiving in 1621 at the Plymouth Plantation, thanksgiving has been observed as a religious holiday. It is a day set aside to thank God for the many blessings we have received from God. Yes, sometimes these blessings can come in the form of a good harvest or good health but our gratitude to God should go beyond our mere superficial measurements of success. 

 

 Instead of looking at our lives through human eyes, we need to look at our lives with the eyes of Christ. If we look at our lives with Christ's eyes, we would see that our money, possessions, jobs, prestige, and place in society mean absolutely nothing.  None of these draw us closer to God and, unfortunately, often keep us from God as we place them ahead of our relationship with God. Christ's eyes would see God's love and blessings everywhere, even in difficult economic, physical, or emotional times. We would see the fullness of God's love in the Mass where we are invited to partake in the actual body and blood of Jesus in the form of bread and wine. We would see God's love and blessings in the everyday and in those with whom we live and work.

 

This Thanksgiving Day, let us not celebrate the superficial things that do not bring us closer to God. Let us see and thank God for all the blessings we receive every day and especially for the gift of Christ in the Eucharist, a term derived from an original Greek expression which means "thanksgiving."


A Thanksgiving Blessing 


Good and gracious God,
As we gather together this Thanksgiving, we pause from the normal routines of our daily lives to give thanks and praise for the abundant blessings you have bestowed upon us.

You have entrusted us with the wonders of your creation and given us the freedoms and opportunities to creatively collaborate in your divine plan.

Bless all of us who gather here in your name.  Give us the grace to be good stewards of your bounty, the courage to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed; and the widom to claim nothing for ourselves, but return all to you with increase.

Bless this food we are about to share and all those who brought it to our table.  Bless our loved ones, family and friends who are not with us this day; and on those who travel, that they may reach their destinations safely.

And in a special way, bless those who are less fortunate than we are today.  Grant that we who are filled with Your abundance never close our hearts to those most in need of Your mercy, particularly the hungry, the homeless and the poor.

We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Amen.
This prayer is from the ICSC November, 2009 Parish Stewardship Newsletter
FOR YOUR BULLETIN
The following article can be used in your parish bulletin or newsletter to encourage parishioners to spend more time with God in prayer. 

How Much Time Do you Spend with God?
Minutes!  Minutes!  Minutes!  How many commercials do we hear every day advertising "free minutes" or "endless minutes?"  While the cell phone companies are making us all aware of ever minute that we spend talking or texting, do we keep track of the minutes that we spend with God?


As much as some companies might advertise "free minutes," the fact is that the minutes of our day are actually a free gift from God alone.  Every day God gives each of us 1,440 minutes--no stringes attached--no contract to sign.  What do we do with those minutes?  Do we give any of them back to God?  Consider these options:
  • Can you spend 1 minute every morning thanking God for His blessings and asking Him how He wants you to use your gifts?
  • Can you spend 10 minutes at the beginning or end of each day in quiet prayer, spiritual reading and reflection?
  • Can you spend 30 minutes one day a week attending a weekday Mass?
  • Can you commit to giving God 60 minutes every week for Sunday Mass?
Try this test for one week.  Keep track of the time you spend with God and the time you spend talking, texting, surfing the Internet and watching TV.  Considering that God gives you 1,440 free minutes every day, is He getting His fair share back from you?

Copyright Archdiocese of St. Louis.  Reprinted with permission.

FREE Stewardship Webinars
The Development and Stewardship Office is purchasing a diocesan-wide registration each month that allows any parish staff or volunteers to attend webinars offered by Our Sunday Visitor at no cost.  There is no limit on the number of attendees from our diocese or your parish.  The one-hour sessions are offered at two times on the second Tuesday of each month, except during the summer months of June, July, and August when they are only offered at one time.

Our Sunday Visitor has assembled nationally acclaimed speakers to present a variety of stewardship topics for these webinars.  Below are descriptions of the upcoming webinars for September and October.  The parish link to register is:


Once parishes register on the link above, Our Sunday Visitor will send them the "Join" link for them to join the webinar.  The registration deadline is the day before the scheduled webinar.

truettStewardship Councils:  Laying Foundations and Building Bridges
Date:  Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Time:  12-1 p.m. or 5-6 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Presenter:  Margo Truett
Description:  Laying a strong foundation and developing collaborative relationships in your parish are two key factors for a successful stewardship effort.  In this presentation, Margo will share some ideas and concrete steps on laying the foundation for an effective Stewardship Council. She will provide information on bylaws, Stewardship Council member role descriptions, agendas for council retreats, ideas for team building opportunities, along with stewardship resources from her parish.  She will also share ideas on ways to build bridges between your Stewardship Council and ministries currently active in your parish.  For those registering, you will be provided information on how to access additional handouts after the Webinar.
 
Lorene DuquinStewardship and Evangelization
Date:  Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Time:  12-1 p.m. or 5-6 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Presenter:  Lorene Duquin
Description:  Don't let the word Evangelization scare you!  This session will help good stewards realize that an important part of stewardship is evangelization.  It will help your parish embark on an exciting path that leads to attracting new parishioners, welcoming new Catholics, bringing back inactive Catholics, inviting existing Catholics to new levels of conversion, and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the whole community.


Now Is the Time to Say Thank-You!

Despite economic challenges, the parishioners in our parishes have been very generous.  Now is definitely the time for your parish to begin planning how you will say "Thank-You" for this year's giving.  It is unacceptable to expect parishioners to request or pick up their annual contribution statements.  All contribution statements should be mailed to all donors, along with a thank-you letter from the pastor.

Parish donors should be thanked both personally and publicly!

Personal appreciation, such as an annual thank-you letter, lets the donor know that you are aware of and appreciate the unique contributions and sacrifices he or she is making.  This kind of appreciation is critical in encouraging ongoing gifts.  Many donors stop giving because they were never thanked.  However, when they receive the annual contribution statement along with a letter of gratitude, some donors are inspired to do more next year.

Public appreciation includes notices in the bulletin and pulpit announcements that thank all donors in general.  This form of appreciation shows donors and non-donors that the parish is grateful.   Sincere public appreciation efforts can encourage non-donors to begin giving.

Copyright Archdiocese of St. Louis.  Reprinted with permission.


Q&A
This article adapted from the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
 
Why does any parish need to teach stewardship?
All parishes in the Diocese of Boise are encouraged to teach stewardship for many reasons.
  • God tells us to teach stewardship. Both the Old and New Testament are rich with stewardship messages. More than half of Our Lord's parables have a stewardship theme. If we are going to teach the Gospel, we must teach stewardship. The US Catholic Bishops tell us, in the preface of their 2002 edition of their pastoral letter, Stewardship: A Disciple's Response , "Once one chooses to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, stewardship is not an option."
  • It is the tradition of the Church to teach stewardship. Our Catholic parishes, schools, ministries and organizations exist primarily because of the good stewardship and generosity of our Catholic people. For generations, Catholics brought their gifts to the Church without the gimmicks of auctions, golf tournaments, raffles, etc. A return to stewardship allows a parish to stop using all of its time and talent to raise treasure.
  • A return to stewardship often increases the freewill financial gifts that parishioners pledge to the Offertory by anywhere from 5-20%.
  • A return to stewardship often increases the number of parishioners who are involved in volunteer activities and ministry in the parish and expands the types of ministry that happens in the parish.
  • A return to stewardship encourages parishioners to spend more time with God, helps them deepen their faith life and gives them strength to resist the rampant materialism of our society.
Promoting End of the Year Giving at Your Parish, School or Agency

The end of the year is a time when many Catholics express thanks for the blessings they have received by remembering their favorite parish, school or agency.  This may be the best time of the year to remind your donors that they can help the mission and activities of the parish, school or agency through their generosity.

Some of the reasons why donors might make an end-of-year gift include:
  • Supporting a particular project or improvement.
  • Helping grow the endowment fund through perpetual support.
  • Memorializing a special individual or event in their family.
  • Creating a life-benefit gift, such as a gift annuity or remainder trust, that provides a guaranteed lifetime payout to the donor while ultimately supporting the charity.
  • Receiving favorable tax advantages from making a year-end gift.
Donations of appreciated stock can be particularly attractive since the donor can deduct the full value of the stock yet avoid capital gains taxes; while the charity receives the full value of the stock but does not pay capital gains taxes.

On the other hand, if the donor wishes to donate stock that has lost value, the donor should cash out the stock first and then donate the proceeds.  This allows the donor to take a tax deduction for the loss and claim a cash donation for the gift.

"Life-benefit" gifts such as Charitable Gift Annuities enable the donor to receive a guaranteed lifetime payout between 4.8% to 9.5% (for a single life gift annuity) and potential tax benefits, with the charity ultimately receiving the gift at the time of the donor's death.

Some suggested steps to help generate year-end gifts include:
  • Publishing bulletin announcements regarding year-end giving possibilities.
  • Featuring educational articles in parish newsletters focusing on planned giving opportunities.
  • Thanking donors for all past gifts that have come to the organization and citing particular examples of donations and their benefit to the charity.
  • Reminding donors of recognition programs you may have for major gifts.
  • Stressing the importance of your endowment, emphasizing that gifts to this fund continue their generosity in perpetuity.
  • Scheduling a parish-wide Will and Trust Seminar or a Catholic Estate Planning Seminar for selected potential donors, to encourage bequests and lifetime major gifts.
  • Sending targeted mailings to selected donor groups educating them about various giving opportunities.  Good examples of such mailings include gift annuity letters to those age 60+ or stock/cash giving requests to past major donors who might be in a position to make additional donations.
If your parish or school would like to schedule an Estate Planning or Planned Giving informational seminar, please contact Jim Hughes at (208) 342-1311 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Copyright Archdiocese of St. Louis.  Reprinted with permission.

FOR YOUR BULLETIN
Use this article in your bulletin around Thanksgiving for end-of-year gifts.

Giving Thanks!
Now is the season we give thanks to God for all He has done for us this past year and throughout our lives. It is also a good time to begin considering how we might give back some of our wealth or assets to Him through His Church with a special year-end gift of cash or appreciated assets such as shares of stock. You can designate such a gift to (Insert name of endowment fund or school) or simply to (Insert name of parish's) general operating fund. Please contact (Insert name, phone number and email of appropriate contact person.) 
STEWARDSHIP IN ACTION
This article adapted from Archdiocese of St. Louis and reprinted with permission.

Start Thinking About Participation

As we continue to focus on the second area of our pastoral plan--Building Christ-Centered Communities--, let us look at ways that our parishes can build welcoming, active communities.

A first step to growing participation will be to evaluate your parish situation and determine if you have the right avenues in place for your parishioners to participate.
  • Pay close attention to the comments that you hear this year.
  • Are people making suggestions or offering some special talents?
  • Why are people saying they are not participating?
  • Do you need more ministry opportunities that appeal to different interests, age groups or abilities?
  • Are you doing enough social outreach?
  • Why are people not at Mass?  Do you need a different Mass schedule?
  • Should you plan a parish survey and ask some of these kinds of questions?
By addressing some of these questions now you will be in a much better position to grow participation in your parish in 2011.

What Do You Give Your "Christmas" Catholics?
Every Christmas parish pews are filled with Catholics who may only attend Mass a few times a year.  Yet, when these people leave your church on Christmas, they often leave empty-handed.  They receive no bulletin, because it is not a Sunday.  They receive no information that would encourage them to come back.

Inviting your "Christmas and Easter" Catholics to be more involved in your parish should be an important part of the stewardship effort.  Some parishes have already begun to develop Christmas newsletters as a successful strategy for giving Christmas visitors something that would encourage them to come back before Easter. It could include Christmas pictures, parish highlights, statistics, ministries, calendar of upcoming events, a stewardship prayer or other inviting articles.

If you want a Christmas Newsletter for your parishioners, you should have materials ready before Thanksgiving, so start thinking about this project soon!
Contact Information
Margaret Hampton at [email protected]