What is Stewardship?
Most of us have been amply blessed with some property to take care of, whether it is a home, a car, clothes, or money. Caring for this property entails responsibility. As we manage and care for our property, we may sometimes employ others to assist. These people are called stewards.

Stewardship is about making proper uses of the resources in our care. As Christians, we acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God the Creator and that we should use these gifts in ways that celebrate God, the giver.

In a Christian Stewardship Campaign, we recognize the importance of Christian stewardship personally and the life of the Church. It includes the giving of time, talent, and treasure to God and his Church. We are challenged to make stewardship integral to our lives as servants of Christ. Each member of the Church family is challenged to make a pledge on Consecration Sunday. No matter how large or small, a pledge from everyone would be so meaningful.

Time, Talent, and Treasure
In our life in Christ, we are first of all stewards of life. There are three primary ways we can contribute to our church. They include the use of our time, talents and treasure.

Time
When God gives us life, we don't know how much time we are allotted to live. We must, therefore, use it wisely in every activity throughout the day. As Christians, we make time to pray, to read the Bible, to worship God, and to care for our family, friends and church. Serving as an Elder, Deacon, Trustee or a Stephen minister are all ways we can enrich our lives while helping the church and others. The Midnight Run, the rummage sale, and Project Esperanza are all ways to fulfill the Church's mission and outreach.

Talent
While we are all created in the image of God, each of us is unique. There are many opportunities for each of us to use our God-given talents, acquired knowledge, and experience in the life of the church. Our talents enable us to serve in many types of roles as stewards. . . as a musician creating music for worship, as an architect designing worship space, as an engineer reviewing the accessibility project, or as a financial manager advising on the use of the church's monetary resources. The caring shared by Deacons and Stephen Ministers enriches the lives of both the care-giver and the care-receiver.

Treasure
The scriptures reveal that one day each of us will die and that we can take no earthly possessions beyond the grave. It is also true that in life it is important for us to regularly return a portion of our treasures to God. Larchmont Avenue Church is in a phase of growth and building. We are expanding our Christian education program. We are modifying the Larchmont Avenue entrance to the sanctuary to allow easier access for everyone. We are studying a possible reconfiguration of the chancel to make a more worthy worship space. We have begun a multi-year project to install a new pipe organ. We are actively ministering to our members through the Deacons, Stephen ministers and pastoral care; to our community through the Hope Pantry; to our region, through the Midnight Run and Habitat for Humanity; and globally through Project Esperanza. Our ministers and youth also participate in various programs at the Presbytery level.

All of these activities require money as well as time and talent. We are continuing our goal of being self-sufficient by funding our projects through the general fund and reducing our dependence on the endowment fund. This means that each person or family who meets the Stewardship challenge and pledges on Consecration Sunday will contribute to this self-sufficiency. Our goal is to have every member or family make a pledge. In this way, we will be returning a portion of God's gifts to Him through the church.