Stewardship Minutes

Stewardship Talk
Tricia Blair

Good evening. My name is Tricia Blair. My husband and I have been members since 1999. I am here to talk with you about stewardship. The definition of Stewardship from the U.S. Bishops 1992 pastoral letter: is “one who receives God’s gifts gratefully, cherishes and tends them in a responsible and accountable manner, shares them in justice and love with others, and returns them with increase to the Lord.” Since joining St. Nicholas I have been involved in stewardship through several different ministries. I feel that in order to become part of the church community you need to become involved. We are fortunate that here at St. Nicholas there are many ways and opportunities to give of your time and talents. You need to do this in whatever way works best for you. For me I am a member of one of the woman’s circle, participate in the funeral ministry and am a new member of the parish council. I became involved in the funeral ministry several years ago. In such a small but meaningful way you can touch someone’s life by providing a food item or being a part of the volunteer staff that sets up and serves at the funeral reception. On average I am usually called once or twice a month to provide a food item. I feel that God led me through my own experience to the funeral ministry to help others going through a similar situation. I am also part of a woman’s circle which meets twice a month. Through this experience I am able to grow in my faith life as well as have the fellowship of other women. We are able to nurture each other, share with each other and reflect on the scripture readings and how they impact our daily lives. I am also a new at-large member of the parish council. My term has just begun. So, my hope is that I will gain knowledge about the parish and the diocese from my council involvement. As, well as share my ministry experiences from both here at St. Nicholas as well as the parish that I came from. I look forward to the challenge and commitment that serving on parish council will bring. So, in closing, as I said previously there are many ways to become involved. Whether you give a little bit or a lot, it is just important to give of your time. I encourage you to take some time out of your day today, reflect and pray on how you can use your skills and give of your time, talent and treasure to our community here at St. Nicholas. I thank you for your time and I will be available in the commons after mass for any questions or comments.