Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church (USA), Columbia SC

Stewardship

If I were chief steward on a ship, I would be in charge of supervising the maintenance and operation of the galley and living and eating quarters of the officers and crew. I would also keep a record of all meals served on board.

If I belonged to the Forest Stewardship Council, then I would be in charge of developing forest management standards to maintain our forests throughout the world.

What is Church Stewardship?

Stewardship begins with an acknowledgement of God’s ownership—he owns everything.

Simply put--- stewardship is discipleship. It is the grateful response to God's grace and goodness and requires a consideration of how our choices affect us and others, of how we can be good caretakers of the created world, and of how we can best serve God as Disciples of Christ. “Follow Me,” Jesus simply but powerfully commanded of the Apostles and they did. How do we follow Jesus? We try to live our lives as he did – the example of the perfect steward.

Each year (normally in the fall) Seven Oaks Presbyterian Church conducts a stewardship campaign. You are asked to return what God has provided and entrusted to you----it is primarily an act of love between you and God. You are in charge of that which God has so graciously given you the ability to earn.

¹⁷ Do not say to yourself, "My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth." ¹⁸ But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today. -- Deuteronomy 8:17-18

How do you prepare for this? The time to consider stewardship is before we commit to a car or house payment or any large expense, for that matter. If we live within our means, we will have money for God. Therefore, proper preparation begins with a consideration of our financial condition…..What has God given me to manage and live on?

What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will offer

to you a thanksgiving sacrifice……..I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Psalm 116:12,17,18

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Is stewardship only about money?

No. Way back in 1954, the Presbyterian General Assembly issued this environmental statement:

Great natural resources have been entrusted to our nation by Almighty God. We call upon the Christian conscience to recognize that our stewardship of the earth and water involves both a land-use program which recognizes the interdependence of soil, water and man and the development of a responsible public policy which will resist the exploitation of land, water, and other natural resources, including forests, for selfish purposes and maintain intelligent conservation for the sustenance of all living creatures through future generations.

PCUSA, 1954, p. 198

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What does the Presbyterian Book of Order say about stewardship?

The Book of Order is explicit in its stewardship emphasis:

"Giving has always been a mark of Christian commitment and discipleship. The ways in which a believer uses God's gifts of material goods, personal abilities, and time should reflect a faithful response to God's self-giving in Jesus Christ and Christ's call to minister to and share with others in the world. Tithing is a primary expression of the Christian discipline of stewardship."

"Those who follow the discipline of Christian stewardship will find themselves called to lives of simplicity, generosity, honesty, hospitality, compassion, receptivity, and concern for the earth and God's creatures."

"The Christian life is an offering of one's self to God. In worship the people are presented with the costly self-offering of Jesus Christ, are claimed and set free by him, and are led to respond by offering to him their lives, their particular gifts and abilities, and their material goods."

Why do Presbyterians give?

A recent study conducted by the Presbyterian Church found that most people give because:

of a sense of gratitude for God’s grace and goodness and want to return a portion of that which they have received.
The second most chosen factor is they want to contribute to God’s work in the world.
Thirdly, was because of the Bible’s teaching on giving.
And finally, people had a sense of obligation to support the work of the church.

Remember, when you give, you are not giving to the church, you are giving through the church. Whatever your reason for giving, find it in your heart to give what you can, give willfully, give joyfully, and give to the glory of God!

Ten Benefits of Generous Giving

1. You “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:20

2. The acts of giving, caring and helping make us feel better emotionally and physically.

3. Clinging to what we have and feeling we need more, creates a cycle of anxiety and apprehension.1

4. The book “Healthy Pleasures” by psychologist Robert Ornstein & physician David Sobel describe the “helper’s high” of volunteers as a warm glow in the chest and a sense of vitality that comes from helping others, which they compare to the “runner’s high” of endorphins.1

5. Our love for God is demonstrated by our willingness to do with less for God’s sake and the sake of our neighbor.

6. Harvard researchers demonstrated that just watching someone else in the act of giving boosted the immune system. Students watching a film of Mother Teresa tending the sick got an increase in immune function, even those that said they disliked her.1

7. A 10 year study by Michigan researchers of 2700 people found that men who performed regular volunteer work had lower death rates than those who did not (2 ½ times lower!) 1

8. It allows us to be masters of our money, rather than having our money control our lives.

9. “The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6.

10. Giving to others allows us to realize and appreciate the abundance we have.

1 Ryan, MJ, Copyright 2000, The Giving Hart, Conari Press

Wealth of Generosity

Who is more generous, those with more money, or those with less? Last year, The Massachusetts-based Catalogue for Philanthropy ranked each state by a “generosity index” that considered the average annual income per resident and the dollar amount residents give per year. The poorest regions tend to give more. South Carolina was ranked 9th, and Mississippi, the poorest state, was ranked 5th. The president of the Catalogue of Philanthropy was quoted as saying that one of the key factors in determining charitable giving was whether one attended church. He also noted these people give to their churches, but they also give significantly more to everything else.

Gartland, Michael, 1/2/2005, “Is it true people who have less wealth give more?” The Post and Courier

How is our church being a faithful steward?

For 2011 Seven Oaks has pledged 10% of its budget to combined missions. Look around this website and you will see plenty of examples and opportunities for members to give of their time, talent, or treasure. We support missionaries and seminary students and our Presbyterian Women of the Church organization is very vibrant and actively supporting many philanthropic and charitable activities. More information about our church stewardship activities can be found on our Missions/Outreach Ministry page.

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