Stewardship Task Force

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

STEWARDSHIP: that's one of those "big words" in the church that we refer to (once a year or so) in terms of our call to share with God a portion of the gifts he has given us in terms of our time, our talents, and our treasures. Another possible definition:  Stewardship has to do with everything we do after we say, "I believe."
 
The Stewardship Task Force at Bethany is given the task of encouraging our members to seriously and prayerfully think about the sharing our treasures for the work of this congregation and its wider relationship with the community, world, and ELCA as a whole.
 
For starters, we would like to have you think of three different kinds of "treasures" we have and their relationship to the work of God's church. Most obvious is our annual income: the money we receive from such things as our paychecks, retirement funds, and Social Security. Out of these resources we pay our bills, purchase the necessities of life, cover costs of rent or mortgages, pay for entertainment and travel, put away something for the future, as we plan for the education of our children, a major purchase, that eventual day of retirement. And it is out of this on-going resource that most of us set aside a percentage for the on-going needs and budget of the congregation: hopefully a percentage that is modeled after the Biblical Tithe.
 
A second source of treasure is the assets we have accumulated in savings or through investments. These resources make it possible for us to make special gifts for special appeals such as the current Building Program at Bethany, where a gift of appreciated stock not only helps us as tax-wise givers but also the creation of the space we are now using for so many programs and ministries at Bethany.
 
And last, but not least, are those assets that will be passed on at the time we leave this earth: the estate that will be made up of property, life insurance, investments, possessions of all kinds. For most of us, the desire to remember family and friends come to mind as we create wills and estate plans. But doesn't stewardship figure in here as well, as we consider leaving a portion of these assets accumulated in a life-time of God's grace, for the ongoing work of his church through the Bethany Foundation and its Mission Endowment.
 
Truly God has blessed us and continues to bless us, and as we consider the stewardship of our financial assets, it is with joy and thanksgiving that we return what He has first given us: our selves, our time, and our possessions, all of which are signs of His gracious love.

Contact:  Joel Halvorson
Phone:  (303) 758-2820
E-Mail:  info@bethany-denver.org