Quotations

I have a long way to go in my Faith Journey, but I learnt from Stewardship that it is meant to be a life long journey and you don’t just reach a point and get a tick by your name.  You need to keep growing.
You need to recognise your strengths and use them and you need to avoid beating yourself up for the weaknesses.  If you can, try to address them but that might not be your gift.  Remember to give generously and joyfully.
(a parishioner in Basingstoke)

Although Stewardship was a big commitment for me, especially as at the time I was preparing for my GCSEs, it has actually helped as I have become more calm and patient.  I have actually enjoyed and grown in faith and appreciation.  For me my school motto has been something that I believe can sum up Stewardship, “By doing ordinary things extraordinarily well” and I believe as stewards and disciples of Christ by doing small things such as helping someone or spending 10 minutes of your time we are actually without thought being a steward of Christ.
(a parishioner in Basingstoke)

Stewardship is a practical spirituality for those who are busy and also for those who are searching for a truly good life.  It is a call to slow down and sensitise each of us to the needs of others, and to cultivate a new culture of generosity, so that we might find happiness in an essentially fast paced and desensitised society.
(a priest of Portsmouth Diocese)

We were provided with an information booklet on Stewardship, the first line stated ‘Stewardship is a way of looking at the world through the eyes of a disciple of Jesus Christ.....’ Stewardship is a way of life, your life; your actions towards others can affect others not only in the way they react to you but also how they act and think towards others. God’s love to all not just in our Church but to the whole community.
(a parishioner in Basingstoke)

I was struck mostly by the simplicity of the idea that we all have our own unique talents and all of us can offer something, no matter how small. Once you acknowledge the basic premise that everything comes from God, then the next logical step is to ask, "What can I give back?"
(a parishioner in Basingstoke)

Stewardship is a continuous call from the One who gives us so much from His Altar.  To find fulfilment we are called simply to return that love with increase in every aspect of our lives.  But this calls us to give absolutely everything.  Not to hold back.  This is hard when we can often feel we are alone, running out of time and ‘running on vapour’.
(people of Solent Pastoral Area)

Stewardship in the parishes of our diocese is not an extra initiative but a gradual, prayerful process, during which our minds and hearts are changed and we experience conversion, see what we’re already doing from a fresh perspective and commit ourselves in a revitalised way to the Lord … it will affect how we live the rest of our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.
(a parish magazine in the Diocese)

Part of the invitation in all of this is the sense of sacrifice which is manifested in our offering and making of Eucharist.  We offer our whole selves to him, our God accepts, and then God transforms us and in His generosity gives back something greater.  But the initial letting go is the hardest part of the invitation.
(a priest of Portsmouth Diocese)

We feel that stewardship involves a metamorphous of sorts.  We must trust to come out of our tired chrysalis, allow the Holy Spirit to change us at a time of incredible change and stress in our society and allow a renewal of faith.  We will be a renewed Church with the same message, being the same creature, but quite a different look and feel.
(a parishioner from Solent Pastoral Area)

Stewardship is a practical spirituality for those who are busy and also for those who are searching for a truly good life.  It is a call to slow down and sensitise each of us to the needs of others, and to cultivate a new culture of generosity, so that we might find happiness in an essentially fast paced and desensitised society.
(a priest of Portsmouth Diocese)

Stewardship … is not something we do but, rather, a way of life: about who we are.  It’s a form of spirituality, recognising that all we have and are is a gift from God, and showing gratitude for all God’s blessings – faith, creation, relationships, and our own individual gifts and talents.
(a parish magazine in the Diocese)

From the sacristy to the sanctuary, to the soul of our homes and communities, everything we do is to be lived with an awareness of our faith in the spirit of stewardship.  This awareness is an inherent understanding of our being called to be generous with everything in our lives as God is generous to us, whether it be from our chores and conversation, to our compassion in our commitment.
(a priest of Portsmouth Diocese)

I understand that Stewardship is the continuing of the work the disciples started and that in all our actions towards others, we are showing a commitment of our love for God. God has blessed me with the knowledge that I may know some of my talents and I hope to be able to use them for the benefit of our Parish when the rest of the Parish is invited to be involved in Stewardship.
(a parishioner in Basingstoke)

Quotations written at the Diocesan Day for Stewardship Groups – June 2009

Stewardship is a way of life.  It helps you explore how you can give thanks to God for all that He has given you.

Stewardship is about recognising people’s gifts and encouraging them to use their gifts to serve God in others.

Stewardship is an opportunity and a challenge – to re-engage with one’s faith.

Stewardship has made a real and positive difference to my life.

Stewardship has encouraged me to do everything in thanksgiving and helps me live my life according to the Gospel.

Stewardship is like gardening – it is a method of nurturing the seeds which were planted in each of us in baptism.

Stewardship is about how to become a counter-witness to a society that is in the business of ‘TAKING’ instead of ‘GIVING’.

We must remember that stewardship is a spirituality and a way of life.

Stewardship is about a change of mindset and how we live our lives.  The hope is that everyone will become ‘infected’ with the spirituality of stewardship so that we can grow in communion and mission and ‘Go Out and Bear Fruit’, and live our lives as true disciples of Jesus.

Stewardship has made me more aware of how I spend the time that God has given me.

Trust in the slow work of God.  Stewardship is a lifetime journey.

Stewardship is a response to God’s gifts to us and love for us.  Stewardship is a process and I am glad I have started mine.

Stewardship is about how we use what God has entrusted us with.  If it all comes from God, how grateful are we?  How do we show that gratitude?