Stewardship

Bulletin Coming Attractions Parish Life Worship & Music Rectory Services For Kids Stewardship God's Gifts Parish Life Sacrificial Giving How much money are we talking about? Where is the money spent? What about my household? Accounta- bility Groups Outreach Parish Information Education Get Involved Parish Directory St. Hugh Home	*Stewardship* involves mature men and women making conscious, firm decisions and, carried out in our daily actions, to be followers of Jesus Christ. *Stewardship* means conversion: Conversion of heart and mind expressed through our entire lifetime, leading us to Christ. *Stewardship* involves our time, talent, and treasure. Everything we are and have is a gift from God. How much time does God afford us to share ourselves with others? What gifts have we received from the Spirit that we are willing to share with others? And what about our Sacrificial Giving? We give because God has already given to us. It is our grateful response to His generosity! HOW CAN I BE A STEWARD OF MY TIME AND TALENT? Please visit the Get Involved page for a complete listing of all volunteer opportunities. HOW CAN I BE A STEWARD OF MY FINANCIAL RESOURCES? The Incarnation implies that God immerses Himself and His work in human society to transform it. Thus Church congregations are also thoroughly woven into the network of obligations that make up modern economic life. Our faith, however, gives us a distinctive way to view our obligations. The primary way is through regular sacrificial giving to one's parish community of faith. Another way is to make a return to God in one's estate through a bequest to your parish. Still another form of stewardship is a memorial gift to our Altar Fund when a friend or relative dies. God's Gifts God is, we believe, the source of all we are and all we have: the energy and skills by which we make our living; the bounty of the earth that feeds us; the network of mutual caring and interdependence that lets us share modern conveniences ... all are God's free gifts for the good of all people. Our response to God for this goodness is gratitude, expressed in thanksgiving toward Him and in justice toward others. As Christians we give because we have first received. Parish Life The work of the parish - worship, education, counsel, care for those in need, Sacramental celebrations, spiritual care - is not paid for directly by those who receive a service. (Even fees for education, weddings, funerals, and the like pay only a part of the cost.) We believe that only generosity and gratitude, not payment-for-service, can support a parish life that truly nurtures the souls of its members. Thus, it is our faith convictions that leads us not to charge directly the full costs of services people receive; the work of the Gospel should mainly be supported by contributions made freely and motivated by gratitude to God. Sacrificial Giving - A Faith Response Our Biblical roots describe the response of God's chosen people to His goodness - a return of ten percent of their harvest to Him in worship. This tradition of returning 10% of God's bounty has been followed through time by some Christians and, unfortunately, abandoned by others. (Surveys show that Catholics in the U.S. typically give only about 1% of their income to their churches - far less than most other Christians.) This has often led to types of fundraising that hide - when they do not injure - the crucial spiritual motive for parish support: gratitude for God's gifts. Sacrificial Giving at St. Hugh Since 1985 the parish of St. Hugh has relied on the sacrificial giving of its parishioners for support. We ask parish members to return 5% of their income to the parish and to give the other 5% of the traditional tithe to charities of their choice (such as the annual Bishop's Appeal). How much money are we talking about? Our budget each year runs approximately $1.5 million. Of that, just over $1 million comes from parishioners' stewardship offerings, and the rest from parish programs, donations, and other sources of income. Where is the money spent? In a typical year, this is the way that $1.00 of parish income is spent:
	Salaries for staff	.33
	Benefits	.10
	Direct costs for parish programs	.07
	Subsidy to Trinity Regional School	.08
	Office expenses	.04
	Supplies for worship & programs	.10
	Priests' household	.01
	Maintenance & repair of buildings	.05
	Utilities	.09
	Insurance	.04
	Capital improvements & renovations	.09
	Full financial disclosure is made each year to parishioners. Our financial report is available here. What about my household? The chart below lists a suggested weekly contribution to St. Hugh at the 5% rate:
	Annual Income $ 15,000 / year 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 40,000 45,000 50,000 60,000 75,000 100,000	Weekly Income $ 288 / week 385 480 577 673 769 865 962 1154 1442 1923	Weekly 5% Offering $ 14 / week 19 24 29 34 38 43 48 58 72 96
	These may seem to be high amounts; remember that they represent only 5% of what God has given you. The customary church offering - $1.00, even $5.00 a week - may have been appropriate years ago, but no longer reflects the world in which the work of the Gospel must be done and the Church congregation must function. A final word: ACCOUNTABILITY St. Hugh tries to be accountable for its members' contributions through its finance council, its pastoral council, and its policy of full disclosure. Our pastor's annual "State of the Parish Report" is made available to all parishioners. (It is available here.) We, in turn, ask that our members realize that parish support is a Gospel matter and that what we do with God's gifts reveals to us our hearts. [ Top of Page ]