The Vision of Stewardship
I love the original movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. All the way through while I watch the film I still laugh and feel like a child. It is only the last line with which I have an issue. Wonka by now has chosen Charlie to succeed him as head of the chocolate factory. They board an elevator that proceeds to crash through the roof and begins to fly. Wonka then asks Charlie if he ever heard of what happened to the boy who got everything he ever wanted. After Charlie says no, Wonka explains, “He lived happily ever after.” As I get older, I can say I have met several people who got all or most of all they have ever wanted, but unlike Charlie, it did not lead to endless bliss. In fact, as a Christian I know that that statement of Wonka’s is a lie. The secret to living happily ever after lies in not getting all you ever wanted, but instead is giving all you ever wanted away. A person can’t have any sense of that reality until they begin to see his or her life transformed by Jesus. When we have accepted the challenge placed before us and made a choice to live a certain way daily, we can find ourselves transformed. Following Jesus is not easy, but it is the only true way to find authentic joy. When we have emptied ourselves and allowed him to fill the open spaces in us, we become different. We are transformed and, if enough of us in a parish community experience the same journey, our parish is transformed as well. Then we begin to transform the world around us. Don’t be fooled: A flying elevator is cool, but it pales in comparison to what can happen when we find a new life in Jesus Christ.
– Tracy Earl Welliver
This website provides an overview of a variety of opportunities available for parishioners to use their God-given skills, talents, and time to enrich the ministry offered here and to serve our parish and community. The starting point for our lives begins with God’s love for us, even before we have an opportunity to earn that love. Our lives, therefore, become a response to God’s love. We freely share our time, talent, and treasures with others. In 1 Corinthians 12, St. Paul explains that God gives a variety of gifts to each of us and those gifts are given for the good of the entire community – not only our parishioners. We each have something to offer. “God’s work. Our hands.” is how we live as God’s people in His church and the world.
Review the Stewardship Guide for more opportunities: Stewardship Guide