Stewardship Minutes

JoAnn Fall – Sunday, May 9th

MY NAME IS JOANN FALL AND I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF ST. NICHOLAS SINCE 1972. SPEAKING BEFORE YOU IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I RELISH – BUT SOMETHING I FEEL OBLIGATED TO DO. . . TO SPEAK ABOUT SOMETHING I FEEL IS VERY IMPORTANT AND THAT IS STEWARDSHIP. TO SOME OF US STEWARDSHIP IS JUST A WORD, BUT TO OTHERS ITS THAT LITTLE VOICE INSIDE THAT SAYS “HERE I AM LORD” AND I ALSO REMEMBER “WHAT YOU DO FOR THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS YOU DO FOR ME.” ITS LIKE THE HOMELESS PERSON STANDING ON THE CORNER THAT YOU GIVE A FEW DOLLARS TO, YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WHO HE COULD BE.

I AM ON TWO COMMITTEES, THE ARTS AND ENVIRONMENT AND THE COFFEE FELLOWSHIP. ARTS AND ENVIRONMENT PREPARES THE FLOWERS IN KEEPING TIME WITH THE CHURCH YEAR. ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS YOU SEE EACH SUNDAY AND ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS ARE PREPARED BY THIS COMMITTEE. WHEN I FIRST SIGNED ON I WAS NOT AWARE ONE MAJOR ASPECT WOULD BE FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS. I WAS ALREADY INTIMIDATED! AGAIN I SAID “HERE I AM LORD”. . . BUT I NEED HELP AND THAT CAME IN THE FORM OF CAROL ROLL. TO THE POINT I AM NOW COMFORTABLE WITH ARRANGEMENTS, BUT STILL YELL FOR HELP ON OCCASIONS. I LOVE WORKING ON THIS COMMITTEE AND THE SATISFACTION I GET IS WONDERFUL KNOWING IN SOME SMALL WAY I AM DOING SOMETHING FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

THE SECOND COMMITTEE IS THE SUNDAY COFFEE . . . COFFEE IS SOMETHING I CAN HANDLE! THIS TAKES PLACE ON THE SECOND AND FOURTH WEEKENDS AFTER EACH MASS. WE MAKE THE COFFEE AND SET UP THE BAKED GOODS . . . AND SAMPLE SOME . . . ABOUT 45 MINUTES BEFORE MASS. THIS COFFEE IS TO PROMOTE A CLOSER COMMUNITY BY GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER. I WAS DISCUSSING THIS WITH FATHER BARTON AT A COFFEE AND SAID IF WE GET TO KNOW ONE PERSON A LITTLE MORE THEN THE COFFEE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME. I HAVE BECOME FRIENDS WITH A SPECIAL PERSON THAT I NEVER KNEW BEFORE – FAYE – AND I APPRECIATE THAT. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME NEW FACES SO COME ON BY.

I HAVE BEEN BLESSED IN MY LIFE AND THESE SMALL THINGS I DO WILL NEVER BE ENOUGH FOR WHAT I HAVE GIVEN. THEY AREN’T TASKS BUT OPPORTUNITIES TO DO “PAY BACK” TIME . . . TO GIVE BACK TO GOD FOR ALL MY BLESSINGS.