The Stewardship Potluck

Last weekend I was at Sts. Simon and Jude Parish in Huntington Beach, CA. We had two wonderful days of formation, fellowship, learning from each other and growing as disciples in the process. The stewardship board members had done so much preparatory work for the weekend, including researching possible processes, exploring potential speakers, attending to all of the details of getting books to participants for their preparation, food and hospitality. They were such good witnesses of the joy that a life of stewardship can bring, I found myself thinking, "If every parish had a group of people this committed to living as stewards, life in our parishes would surely be powerfully compelling, a living witness of Christ's presence. They are just having so much fun being together and welcoming others, who wouldn't want to live this way?"

As we began our conversation with parish leaders about who we are as disciples and stewards, created in God's image, intended to reflect Christ's life to the world through the way in which we care for and use the gifts we have been given, one table of participants offered their thoughts about this life as a steward in this way: "Stewardship is sort of like a potluck dinner. Every person brings something. Sometimes it doesn't seem what we bring is all that much, but when we bring it all together, we create with Christ a feast!"

-- back home in Indy for a few days,
with a grateful heart, Leisa