Making Time for God

When a Stewardship Committee begins its visible work each fall, a complaint that is often heard is “All you ever do is talk about money!” That is why it is important to expand the notion about Stewardship to include the other two aspects of Time and Talent.

Without the inclusion of Time and Talent in any effective Stewardship program, you fall campaign could be reduced asking your members to pay their fair share, for the services rendered to them throughout the year. And the worst part of it is that you do not determine their “fair share”, you leave that up to them to determine their amount of contribution. From my experience, if people are not required to pay a certain amount they will determine the amount based upon all their other financial commitments they are required to pay. The amount of their commitment to your parish could be what they feel they can spare along with the strength of the obligation they feel they need to make to your parish. Your parish is left to many economic factors for which you have no control. If the economy is bad, a member loses their job, has more children, has to take care of parents, etc, the amount that they give to your parish is adversely affected.

With time, talent, and treasure working in combination with each other, your members are no longer paying for services rendered. Stewardship is not about money, it is about relationship; the relationship with ourselves, our friends and with our God. It becomes giving of ourselves though our time, our talent, and our money that gives us an ownership with others and with God. Giving of these three, allows us to open our hearts and us to letting God come into our life.

To help you in understanding of how this relationship works as it relates to your stewardship program… I believe that we all our own spiritual journey. Everyone is at a different point in their own journey. There are not any pre-qualifications for getting to the starting line. There are not expectations set by God, no tryouts, no competition, where you begin is where you begin. I have seen folks start on this journey from the time they are baptized, to 20 minutes before their earthly death. All it takes from you is a willingness to open your heart to the possibilities of a relationship with God and allowing God to take the lead.

Time is the most difficult aspect of Stewardship program. Time is something that is very valuable that is constantly overscheduled and usually ends up doing more than we can do in the assigned time. We are sometimes at the mercy of others, but most likely only have ourselves to blame.

As with our Treasure and Talent, our time is not something that we own. It is a gift from God. God has given it to us for our own use, and how we use it is up to us. However, there is an expectation that we give back a certain portion of it for the work of God’s mission.

So given our already busy schedules, how do we put aside some time to give back to God?

Your use of time it affective by the factors listed below. Changes made or activities added will not work in the long term unless all factors listed below are part of your discernment process.

Motivation

Vision & Expectations

Scheduling