Stewardship,
a Catholic Way of Life

Stewardship is one of those abstract words that has a lot of depth, but can be difficult to express in a concise definition. Many people have tried to find a way to summarize or simplify the things the word represents. Maybe the simple expression below will help to illuminate the depth and breadth of the meaning.

Stewardship = Discipleship

What comes to mind when you hear the word Discipleship? Do you think of a group of people huddled at the feet of the Master, listening and learning?

Do you think of people caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless? Or do you think of giving money to charitable causes?

In fact, all of these are perfect examples of stewardship. And yet, no one of them alone can fully express the meaning. There really is no area of a Christian life that could not be included in a discussion of Stewardship.

One way to define Christian Stewardship is

"The careful management of the gifts God has given us."

Since God has given us literally everything we have, then every facet of our life must be managed very carefully. Our health, our relationships with friends and families, our world, our money, and our time all must be stewarded with great care.

Generally, the many facets of this life are divided into the three categories of Time, Talent, and Treasure.

Stewardship is not a burden. It is the gateway to greater spiritual fulfillment, and deeper meaning in life. If you have questions about our efforts to better understand and live out the principles of stewardship at St. John the Beloved, you may reach Tom Epperson at the Church Office.

If you are looking for a way to contribute your Time and Talent, There are many choices. If you prefer to serve in a ministry that requires a small time commitment, consider our Liturgical Ministries. Or, if you would rather get involved with ministries that serve outside of the context of the Mass, consider one of our Outreach Ministries. There are so many time and talent ministries to choose from, there is truly something for everyone.

Another time and talent responsibility clearly related to stewardship is caring for the people, creatures and things that have been entrusted to us. One important part of this is taking the time to achieve good Emergency Preparedness.

Preserving the safety of our loved one and pets, as well as protecting our material possessions is a good segue into the third important aspect of Stewardship, which is the Stewardship of Treasure.

The gifts of treasure given by the people of St. John the Beloved are accomplishing a lot of amazing work. Your contributions are sheltering the homeless in Summerville, feeding the hungry by donating food to local area food banks or cooking and serving food at area soup kitchens, providing emergency assistance to families in crisis, assisting with the funding of education at a variety of levels, providing for the spiritual formation of our children and enabling our priest and sisters to minister to people with every imagineable need. Your contributions are also supporting efforts throughout the diocese of Charleston, and doint good works in other parts of the world.

We will be adding more content to this page from time to time, so please check back from time to time to see updated content.

God bless you.

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