As a lead up to Stewardship of Treasure which takes place in November, it is not too early to begin putting Stewardship and Gratitude into the hearts and minds of your parishioners. If you don't already have a Stewardship Column in your bulletin, now is a good time to start. Your column should contain your weekly donations and how those donations relate to your budget; plus or minus. We also have a stewardship logo and some bulletin notes which you can obtain by emailing parishstewardship@seattlearch.org. Do you have pictures and stories about parishioners involved in ministries that you could include in the column (please seek permission from those in photos before publishing). Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
- Any unsung heroes who quietly help in your parish
- A ministry such as pea patch, sandwiches for homeless, any outreach ministries
- Honoring those who volunteer in your office
- Stewardship ministries in which children volunteer
- Many others...
As time gets closer to November, reminding parishioners that their donations support these ministries can be done in your Annual Report to the parish.
If you have ideas to share with other parishes, please leave a comment to this post by clicking on 'no comments' below. A window will pop up for you to type in your comment.
Thank you, Western Washington parishes for the good work you do to support Stewardship in the Archdiocese of Seattle.
As we approach the end of the fiscal year, think about doing a big 'Thank You' to your parishioners for their support of the parish. We suggest a bulletin announcement and perhaps a pulpit announcement.
You could include a recap of how the parish is finishing the fiscal year. Maybe you could frame it in the context of Stewardship and how the parish has been a good Steward of the parish budget which includes the donation commitments of your parishioners... being sure to thank them for their generosity. Please also thank them for volunteering in ministry and praying for the parish. In so doing, you are reinforcing that Stewardship is not just about money, but Time and Talent as well.
This is also a good time to send out those 2nd quarterly letters of the year. We have been told by many that they appreciate the quarterly letters because it helps them stay on top of their commitment. It also shows that you are practicing good Stewardship by being fiscally responsible.
The Office of Parish Stewardship wants to extend our thanks to all you parish staff members for the terrific job you do in promoting Stewardship throughout the Archdiocese of Seattle!
Any practices or suggestions you would like to make? Leave us a comment by clicking on ironically, the words 'no comment' at the bottom of this post. A text box will pop up that you can type your comment in.
