Stewardship

St. Edward's Episcopal Church

2453 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601

The Reverend Canon Stephen C. Casey, Rector

717-898-6276

717-898-2480 (fax)

Stewardship

And now about the collection in aid of God’s people: you should follow my directions to our

congregations in Galatia. Every Sunday each of you is to put aside…a sum in proportion to

his or her gains…(1 Cor. 16.1-2).

The history of giving in response to God’s love begins in the Old Testament, where the people of

Israel are commanded by God to give of their first fruits each year as a thank offering for the year’s

harvest. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul widens this notion of giving by collecting funds for

the church in Jerusalem, and encouraging the churches he founded to give sacrificially. As the

Church grew and spread, the tradition of Christians giving for the ministry of the church continued to

develop and grow. By the middle ages Guilds had been formed, whose task it was to not only

provide for the fabric of the church, but also help finance the church’s ministry. Later still, in England

and America box pews were rented by parishioners, and the revenue used to provide for the ministry

of the parish. When pew rents were abolished, sometime in the 19^th century, the notion of making a personal

pledge, committing oneself to give of one’s time, talent, and treasure for the church began to emerge.

Giving of one’s time, talent, and treasure to the church on a regular basis, therefore, is a duty and a response,

as well as a long tradition. It is a duty, because we are required to do so by God; it is through our sacrificial giving

that the Church is enabled to do the ministry of God in Christ. It is a response, in that by giving of our time, talent, and

treasure, we are giving back to God in Christ what he has so freely given to us in our lives, just as Scripture states:

All things come of you, O Lord, and of your own have we given you. And sacrificial given is the norm, for it is of the

tradition of the church; it is what the faithful have done from the very beginning.

The Parish of St. Edward’s has a growing ministry to the each other, to the Diocese and the wider community of faith,

and to the local community at large. This ministry cannot exist unless each of us supports it in the best way we know how,

by giving of our time, talent, and our treasure. There are a number of ways you can give. Please contact the parish office

for details, or contact the Rector. God bless you all.