St. John the Evangelist Church
510 Jackson Ave.  ¦  Defiance, OH  43512  ¦  419-782-7121
email: stjohncath@embarqmail.com
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Letter #2 from Judy Snyder in the Philippines

 
Dear Friends,
 
These past few months we have explored the dreaded “S” word — stewardship! Admittedly stewardship is not a familiar topic for most Catholics because it asks us to consider how we truly love our God…how we return to the Lord from the bounty we have been given. It is a annual call to evaluate whether we are using our financial and personal resources in the manner that God (not your pastor) asks of us, and we sometimes are not comfortable with the challenge. We tire of hearing buzz-phrases such as “good stewards,” “returning to God a portion of His blessings” and, worst of all, that overused expression of “time, talent and treasure.”
 
Some Catholics believe they are already doing their share, and it is the others who need to step us and get with the program. We at St. John have been blessed, for sure. Many are generous. Others may aspire to greater generosity but struggle with the notion of simply giving and trusting that God will provide sufficiently for their personal or family needs especially in these tougher financial times. I want to draw our attention to an article written by James Lamm regarding these economic times and a Catholic response to them:
 
Listening to the Lord During the Economic Crisis
By James Lamm, Director of Stewardship & Development
St. Louis King of France Church, Austin, TX
 
As many of us watch the free fall of the financial markets and as the politicians and news media grasp for reasons why and people to blame, now is the time for those who profess their faith in Jesus Christ to listen more intently to His call to embrace stewardship as a way of life.
 
While God did not cause the current crisis, God is certainly not absent during this critical and uncertain time. God is always active in our lives. God uses our life experiences to urge us to reexamine how we live our lives through good times and bad. Do we worry more about how much money and possessions we have than how much God is central in our lives? Do we spend more time balancing our checkbooks, scrutinizing our investments, or paying for material things than we spend with God in prayer? Whose counsel are we seeking during this economic crisis? Is it the government, our financial planner, our stock broker, or the God who provides us with everything we have and need?
 
It is only human to worry about our financial future, but it is the exercise of good stewardship to look at times like these and see God inviting us to come to Him. Let us use these troubling times to commit to living as generous stewards of God’s gifts. If we are sharing our time, talent, and our treasure according to God’s will, God has promised that we will be even more blessed. God cannot be outdone in generosity.
 
In the coming days you will have a chance to review our Annual Financial Report offered by the St. John Parish Finance Committee and myself. Realize that we are who we are as St. John Parish because of the love of God and the commitment of people like you. We continue to be a people who serve the needs of many and care for each other through our generous sharing of our gifts. May we turn to God and may God continue to bless us!
 
Fr. Todd
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