Stewardship - Church of The ApostlesStewardship CHURCH OF THE APOSTLES 170 Fairview Avenue Coventry, Rhode Island 02816 for 2015 . O ur Mission is to Obey, Follow and Bear Witness

StewardshipStewardshipStewardship

CHURCH OF THE APOSTLES 170 Fairview Avenue

Coventry, Rhode Island 02816

for for for 201520152015

Our Mission

is to Obey,

Follow and

Bear Witness to

Jesus Christ.

Church of The Apostles is a member of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference.

CHURCH OF THE APOSTLES Evangelical Anglican

Stewardship Sunday

at

Church of The Apostles

The Twenty-third Sunday

after Pentecost

November 16, 2014

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist

and

10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist

“Ascribe to the LORD you families of the peoples;

ascribe to the LORD honor and power.

Ascribe to the LORD the honor due his Name,

bring offerings and come into his courts.”

(Psalm 96:7-8)

2

From the Stewardship Minister

It is that time of the year when we are called to reflect on our walk

with Jesus Christ, and examine how our walk is lived out in our daily

lives. Stewardship is our outward sign of our inner commitment to

Jesus Christ. What we do with our time, talent and treasure speaks to

where we are in our walk with Christ.

What do you do with your time? Are you in constant communion

with Him throughout your day? Does He shape your responses to

the world? Do you find ways throughout your day to serve and

build up the body of Christ? Does spending time with Christ

sometimes get crowded out by the various pressures of the world? In

the busyness of life, it is easy to put Jesus on a shelf, to “get to” Him

later, when you have more time. Soon, “important” things crowd the

shelf in front of Him, and before long you can’t see Him on the shelf

at all. Eventually, you only have time to spend with Jesus when you

come to church on Sunday.

Thankfully we have a Lord who is patient and kind. I urge you

today to renew a right spirit with Him. “Create in me a clean heart, O

God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Consider

spending quiet time in his Word each day. “Be still and know that I am

God” (Psalm 46:10). Experience the peace of Christ that surpasses our

understanding. Consider joining one of several different Bible-

centered studies or services that are held throughout the week.

Consider inquiring about or joining one of our many ministries.

Newcomers and old-comers are always welcomed. The signup sheets

are plentiful.

There is much talent at Church of The Apostles. There are many

amongst us who joyfully offer their talent to the glory of God.

Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart and let Him guide you as to

where you might share your time and talent. If you feel the

temptation to say you are not really needed or you don’t have the

right talents to offer or the need is already being taken care of, know

that is just what Satan is counting on. “As each has received a gift, use it

to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter

4:10). Getting involved in ministry work can be infectious! Once

your mindset has been oriented to glorifying God through the work

3

of ministry, you’ll get hooked, and you’ll discover that you’ll want to

explore more opportunities to be an imitator of Christ.

The way we handle our money reveals whether we trust God and are

willing to be good stewards of the treasure he has given us to manage.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who

dwell in it. For he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the

rivers” (Psalm 24:1–2).

The Bible clearly indicates that we have been created in the very

image of God and are given the task of managing God’s wonderful

property – all of it. “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be

fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the

fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living creature

that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

This means God owns everything and all blessings come from Him.

We are to manage well those many blessings, and that includes

money. It isn’t our possession; it’s God’s and we hold it in trust.

The way we handle our money accurately reflects our faith – it’s an

outward indicator of what’s going on in our spiritual lives.

The Scriptures repeatedly emphasize the sacrificial giving of one’s

income to those in need. Church of The Apostles believes in the

cheerful giving of a tenth of one’s income – as the generally received

Biblical norm and traditional standard of Christian giving. Have you

considered figuring out what percentage of your income goes toward

building up the Kingdom of God?

Your generosity involves not only giving to the Lord’s work in the

faith community but also to those outside of the church for the

purpose of mission activity.

As you can see, stewardship is a vital part of the life of the church and

the individual person. Stewardship is a way of life. During this time

of self-reflection, I ask you to take some quiet time to pray, to pray

about how you can draw ever closer to the mind of Christ, to reflect

on what a lively faith looks like in your life.

God’s peace,

Deacon Deb Adams

4

Christian stewards receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them

responsibly, share them lovingly and return them with increase

to the Lord.

Disciples as Stewards

Jesus invites us to be disciples. Being a disciple means

committing our heart and mind – our whole life – to God! As

Jesus’ disciples, Christian stewards recognize God as the origin

of life and source of all things. We are grateful for the gifts

received and eager to use them to show our love for God and

one another.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and

take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Stewards of Creation

God created the world, but entrusts it to human beings. Caring

and cultivating the world includes appreciation for the beauty

and wonder of creation; the protection and preservation of the

environment; the respect for human life, from conception to

final breath; the development of the world through human

effort.

“Behold, to the LORD your God

belong heaven and the heaven of heavens,

the earth with all that is in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14)

Stewards of Vocation

Jesus calls his disciples to a new way of life — the Christian way

of life. He calls us individually, by name. Each of us, whether

we be minister, clerk, teacher, nurse, mother, father, child, has

Christian Stewardship: A Way of Life

5

a personal vocation. God intends each of us to play a unique

role in carrying out his divine plan. It is our challenge to

discern God’s call (our vocation) and respond generously to this

call.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Stewards of the Church

Stewards of God’s gifts are not passive beneficiaries. Stewards

of the church play an active role in the mission of the church:

bringing lost souls to the saving power of Jesus Christ. Being a

good steward means being generous with our time, talent, and

treasure.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,

as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)

A Steward’s Way

The life of a Christian steward models the life of Jesus. In

today’s secular culture, this is an often challenging and difficult

way of life to follow. The world encourages us to focus on

ourselves and our pleasures. Those who seek to live as

Christian stewards learn that “all things work for good for those

who love God” (Romans 8:28).

God has given us all we have: our life, health, property, the

earth and the Gospel. Everything is a gift from God.

Stewardship is an expression of God’s love for us and the

joyful, thankful expression of our love for God in return.

“O Lord our God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor

and power; because you have created all things,

and by your will they are created and

have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

6

The Scriptures repeatedly

emphasize the sacrificial giving

of one’s income to those in

need. This generosity involves

not only giving to the Lord’s

work in the faith community,

but also to those outside of the

church for the purpose of

mission activity. The Old

Testament often speaks of the

giving of the “tithe” (that is, ten-

percent). Indeed, the earliest

reference of tithing in the Bible

shows Abram giving an offering

of “a tenth of everything” to

Melchizedek, a priest of God

Most High, as a thank offering

for God’s protection in battle

(Genesis 14:17-20). Jacob also

pledged a tithe to God in

response to the LORD’s

covenant promises (Genesis 28:20

-22). The well-known verse

from Malachi (3:10) calls for

God’s people to “bring the full

tithe into the storehouse”; an act

of faith that would lead to all

nations calling God’s people

“blessed” and which will

transform Judah into “a land of

delight” (Malachi 3:12).

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus makes

reference to the “tithe,” noting

that it has been distorted by the

scribes and Pharisees into a

legalistic practice: “Woe to you

scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

For you tithe mint and dill and

cumin, and have neglected the

weightier matters of the law:

justice, mercy and faithfulness.

These you ought to have done,

without neglecting the others.” In

this verse, Jesus points out that

tithing is meant as a spiritual

devotion or witness, on par

with showing justice, mercy and

faithfulness. It is important to

note, however, that during

Christ’s earthly ministry and

after his Resurrection and

Ascension and the subsequent

establishment of the New

Testament church at Pentecost

(Acts 2), the requirement to give

a “tithe” or a tenth of one’s

income is never explicitly

imposed on Christians. Rather

than stipulating a fixed amount,

the New Testament places

emphasis on generous,

sacrificial, abundant, cheerful

giving: “God loves a cheerful

giver” who “sows bountifully”

(2 Corinthians 9:6-7), so wrote the

Apostle Paul. The New

Testament further promises that

these cheerful givers “will be

enriched in every way to be

generous in every way”

(2 Corinthians 9:11). Thus, while

Christians are not obligated to

give a fixed amount, it is hard to

Stewardship & the Biblical Tithe

7

imagine (is it not?) that God

would expect the people of the

New Covenant to give any less

than the ten-percent tithe given

by the people of the Old

Covenant.

The New Testament specifically

encourages giving to assist

others in need: “If anyone has

the world’s goods and sees his

brother in need, yet closes his heart

against him, how does God’s love

abide in him?” (1 John 3:17). The

New Testament also

places a significant

emphasis on Christians

financially supporting

the needs of the local

church and of those

who do the work of

ministry in the wider-

Church Universal:

that is, the

proclamation of the Gospel that

proceeds from those called to

serve as Evangelists, Pastors and

Teachers (See Galatians 6:6). The

Apostle Paul received financial

support from the church in

Philippi (See Philippians 4:15-19),

and he told the New Testament

churches to systematically

support the ordained Elders of

their particular Congregations:

“especially those who labor in

preaching and teaching,” for “the

laborer deserves his wages” (1

Timothy 5:17-18). This would

require that those who are part

of a Congregation should

regularly give to support the

ministry of the local church and

that the local church should

regularly give support to the

Gospel efforts of the wider-

Church Universal.

“The earth is the LORD’s, and

everything in it, the world, and

all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).

The Holy Scriptures teach that

God is the owner of all persons

and all things, that we believers

are but stewards of

our lives and

possessions, and that

(first and foremost)

God’s ownership and

our stewardship must

be acknowledged.

Planned, sacrificial and

systematic giving is an

obvious recognition

that everything we have comes

from God. The practice checks

our greed, promotes personal

discipline and thrift, testifies to

our faith in Christ, promotes

God’s work in the world, and

helps alleviate human need.

While tithing is clearly not a

requirement for New Testament

believers (and is certainly not a

condition for salvation), the

giving of the tithe points to a

very significant Biblical model;

one that should be included as a

legitimate orthodox theological

“Planned, sacrificial and

systematic giving is an obvious

recognition that everything we have comes from God.”

8

position concerning what may

be considered the minimal

standard for Christian giving.

Thus, while we are aware that

“tithing” can for some easily

become a legalistic requirement

of the law rather than a cheerful

offering motivated by the love

of God shown toward us in

Christ, the giving of ten-percent

of one’s income to the church

for the universal work of the

Gospel ministry is a good

spiritual discipline and a wise

and Biblically appropriate

beginning point for mature

Christians. After all, the

ultimate purpose in all that we

do as believers is to glorify God!

The above article is composed of

excerpts from a paper on the

Scriptural understanding of tithing

and stewardship prepared by The

Reverend Mark R. Galloway for the

Conservative Congregational

Christian Conference.

The Biblical Tithe and

Church of The Apostles

The Constitution and Bylaws of Church of The Apostles

states the following about tithing: “...members are

expected to affirm this Congregation’s belief in the

tithe—the cheerful giving of ten percent of one’s

income—as the generally received Biblical norm and

the traditional standard of Christian giving...” [Article

V.1].

How close do you come to giving what the apostles

taught the earliest Christians to offer to the one holy,

catholic and apostolic Church? If you are not yet

tithing, or have never even considered working toward

the goal of doing so, why not pray about the issue of

your own Christian stewardship and ask God to guide

you in the Holy Spirit as you make your pledge to his

holy Church for 2015.

9

Testimonies of the faithful ...

We are all stewards of the

resources, abilities and

opportunities that God has

entrusted to our care. One day

we will be called to give an

account for how well we

managed the things he entrusted

to us.

“Whatever you do, work

heartily, as for the Lord and not

for men, knowing that from the

Lord you will receive the

inheritance as your reward.

You are serving the Lord

Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

—Erin Mead

Stewardship is managing and

taking good care of all that God

has given to me; to the utmost

of my ability. ALL means:

everything from time and the

tangible possessions, to the

intangible things; including my

mind, heart and what is in my

soul. Even my very breath

needs to be cared for through

good health.

When I am taking care of what

God has entrusted to me, I am

giving back to Him with honor

and gratitude what is His.

My greatest hope is to hear the

Lord say when I stand before

Him to account for my

stewardship: “Well Done!”

Until then, I am a work in

progress.

—Carolyn Sweet Smiley

I often feel like my life is a

merry-go-round spinning out of

control. I can barely hang on,

and the only way off is going to

involve major injury. The thing

is, I really don’t want to get

off… I just want it to slow down

a bit so I can enjoy the ride!

We’re asked to give of our time,

talent, and treasure. For me,

treasure is easy. Calculate 10%.

Write a check. Stick it in an

envelope. Done. Talent isn’t

too hard either. Let’s be honest,

who doesn’t like to hear “Those

were the best cookies ever!”? In

the talent department, the

danger is more that I’m giving

for the wrong reasons. For me,

the issue is time. I don’t think

God has given me enough of it.

I envy those people who can get

by on five or six hours of sleep a

night. Why do I need eight or

nine to function? Do you know

what I could do with those extra

hours??? So I’m greedy with my

time. My logical mind starts the

10% calculations. Is that 10% of

my waking hours? That would

be 1.6 hours a day. Are you

10

kidding me? By the time I get

home from work and make

dinner that’s more time than I

have left before I go to bed on

some days! So what if I

calculate the 10% on my free

time… The mental gymnastics I

go through are ridiculous. Am I

really going to squeeze God into

a 10 minute time slot on my

schedule?

Luckily, giving of your time

doesn’t have to be on a

schedule. I start my day off

with a quick prayer before

getting out of bed. I listen to

‘Truth for Life’ podcasts on the

way to and from work. I

crochet pocket prayer shawls

during lunch break. I look for

opportunities to listen to and

pray for those in need. I

occasionally volunteer for

things that I can fit into my

schedule, and I end each day

with more prayers, and by

reading at least one chapter in

my Bible. Is it enough? I think

at this point in my life, it’s

going to have to be or I’m going

to lose my grip and go flying off

of that merry-go-round. But I

am sure of one thing. God gives

us everything we need. And

that includes all the time I need.

I just need to figure out how to

use it wisely.

—Debby Glynn

Our creator instituted the

principle of stewardship in

creation when He gave

humanity the task of exercising

dominion over the earth He

created (Genesis 1:27-28). Ever

since then, all people have been

tasked with managing their

natural resources for the

purpose of advancing God’s

Kingdom.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the

fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1) and

everything we attach our name

to and regard as our “own”

belongs ultimately to the

Almighty. Our possessions are

just temporarily “on loan” from

God.

Wise stewardship is vital to

living in a manner pleasing to

God. We can waste our

resources like the prodigal son

did (See Luke 15:11-13) or we can

put them to good use in the

church.

What has worked for me is

regular tithing and charitable

giving of my time, talent and

treasure. You get used to doing

so without doubts.

—Harrison Smiley

Over the years, my faith has

opened many doors for me,

causing me to trust in ways I

just couldn’t imagine. God has

blessed me many times over. I

11

needed to give back to Him

what is His already. Time,

talent and treasure, are most

important in my walk with

Him.

PRAISE GOD!

—Joan Gray

It was quite a relief to hear that

God does not need anything

from me to accomplish his

purposes. I am thinking that I

am off the hook and can

proceed working on whatever

good plans I have

made! But the irony

of stewardship is

that it seems to

benefit first the giver

and the receiver’s

benefit is secondary

at best. In a similar

way the Sabbath was

made firstly for

man’s benefit and

not God’s.

The Collect on September 21

said, “Grant us, Lord, not to be

anxious about earthly things,

but to love things heavenly; and

even now while we are placed

among things that are passing

away, to hold fast to those that

shall endure… .” Stewardship

comes in as many forms as there

are things that we are able to do.

If stewardship has you giving of

your resources, it seems to be

one way that helps lessen the

hoarding, “Silas Mariner”,

attachment to our resources.

All those resources come from

God and we relinquish our

involvement with them forever

when we die. Left to itself, that

hoarding attachment to

resources is insatiable. What we

have seems never quite enough.

The Gospels have some great

illustrations on the appearance

versus the reality of stewardship

giving. Jesus was unimpressed

with an offering of

gold coins but

marveled at an

offering of just a

few, relatively

valueless, copper

coins. In a similar

way He

commented that

those, who had

made an exact

science of giving a

tenth of

everything they had, still failed

to firstly address and perform

what was more important than

their giving. If stewardship has

you giving of your time because

you take your responsibility

seriously to contribute and you

are in the position to do so,

your stewardship is without

equal. Nevertheless, we may

never know in this life to what

degree that stewardship

“She ... put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:4)

12

contributed to those things that

are eternal.

God knows already the things

that we need and may ask him

for, but oddly He seems to still

delight when we ask Him for

those things. It would be

erroneous to think that I could

somehow manipulate Him into

giving me something in

exchange for some form of my

stewardship. That thinking is a

natural temptation partly

because I live in a world that

runs on payment required for

goods received or services

rendered. It becomes an easy

step to then expect that God

should reward me because my

stewardship deserves it. I

cannot deny that God has

blessed me and my family.

Those blessings started long

before I sought Him and

certainly before I participated in

any degree of stewardship. God

does not need me to worship

him or to be good steward in

order to accomplish His plan.

But he wants me to do both

because he wants me to firstly

remember and trust that He is

the only source of life and the

only giver of all good and

eternal things.

—Peter Camp

When we had our first children,

we doubled the size of our

family and halved our income

all at once. I gave up a career in

IT (Information Technology) to

stay home with our twins.

Then I gave up another career in

audiology when we had a third

child, to educate them. Peter

gave a huge amount of his time,

energy and creativity, while

working full time, to help with

their education.

Stewardship isn’t just about

money. And it isn’t always easy

to know how to be a good

steward of non-financial gifts.

Here are some of the pitfalls of

stewardship we have

experienced:

1. Knowing the difference

between using what God has

entrusted to us to be used for

His kingdom, and being used

by others for their own ends.

We are learning to take time

with God and let Him give

us wisdom and guidance

about stewardship.

2. Forgetting that we are

stewards. We will give an

account for our management

of everything God has

entrusted to us - not just

money, but intelligence,

Testimonies continue ...

13

skills, relationships with

spouse, children, friends, co-

workers, and of course, our

time - the irreplaceable gift.

3. Holding too tightly to

possessions and abilities. As

we are learning, we will

eventually lose both. We can

only receive God’s gifts if

our hands are open.

4. Neglecting to set up

ebenezers - stones of help

(See 1 Samuel 7:12). As we

remember God’s faithfulness,

it helps us to trust

that He will always

provide. But we

need to keep

reminding ourselves

of the way God has

blessed our

stewardship in the

past so that we are

encouraged to keep on using

everything he has entrusted

to us for Him.

I often think of Jesus’ parable of

the shrewd manager (See Luke 16)

and of the words of evangelical

Christian missionary Jim Elliot,

“He is no fool who gives what

he cannot keep to gain what he

cannot lose.”

—Marcia Camp

When asked to give a few

sentences about stewardship, I

realized how difficult a “few

words” would be. I reflected on

my life as others have done in

witness to Christ. I have been

fortunate to have known God

since I was a child. My

Episcopal religious education

was poor, but to me my church

was a second home. It was

family, friendship, comfort. We

were “involved” as a family and

I always felt God’s presence

with me. Now as a “Senior

Citizen” I look back and see

God’s presence and guidance

throughout the years (good and

bad times). As I relied

and prayed, He guided

me through academic

achievements,

marriage, family, etc.,

—all good. Then the

tragedies appeared.

My home was

destroyed by fire with

only material losses and He

moved me to Coventry and the

Church of Saint Andrew and

Saint Philip (our former

Congregation). My husband

died of cancer at an early age-

God provided me with

abundant support, a positive

attitude, and a business to

sustain me financially. The

story continues as such. The

Church, His presence, and the

parish family I was given has

been essential throughout these

years. That was God’s part.

“He is no fool

who gives what

he cannot keep

to gain what

he cannot lose.”

14

Now for my part as a steward.

I am a steward by FAITH.

There has never been a doubt

in my mind of God’s grace,

mercy, power and glory.

I am a steward by PRAYER.

I have so often given my

troubles to Him in prayer

with amazing results.

I am a steward by

LISTENING and RESTING

in Him. I do not have

answers. He must direct me

and I must act.

I am a steward with what He

has GIVEN me: family,

friends, home, church,

country, abilities, health,

financial means, beauty

around me and more.

I love my family-immediate

and extended.

I give of my time, talent and

treasures. It is all His, but I

must acknowledge the gifts.

I am thankful for my health.

I maintain what He has

blessed me with materially-

home, finances, pets, etc.

I appreciate and

honor nature, my

country and the

world around me.

What have you been

blessed with?

As it is often said: “ We have an

AWESOME GOD”. He is

love, power and authority. We

must decide to Trust and Obey.

It is the hardest and easiest thing

to do. It is your decision, but

what awesome results. The

action of giving is and should be

a great Joy to Christians. Do

not doubt as you give, God will

use your gifts to His glory.

—Linda Greco

About forty years ago, we had a

decision to make about tithing,

which God asks us to do. How

could we ever tithe with three

kids, when one of them was

about to go off to college?

We figured our current annual

percentage of giving by dividing

our total income (pretax) by our

total yearly contributions to our

church. The resulting figure

was the percentage of our

offerings. We were shocked at

how low it was and knew in our

hearts that we should tithe.

So we decided to increase our

annual offering by 1% each year

until we reach 10%. It was

amazing how God

provided once we

started to climb the

ladder to 10% and

honor him.

—Sue and Don Pillsbury

15

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those

who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:9-10)

“Do all the good you can, in all

the places you can, to all the

people you can.” (John Wesley)

“On the first day of every week,

each one of you should set aside

a sum of money in keeping with

his income, saving it up, so that

when I come no collections will

have to be made.” (Corinthians

16:2)

“Jesus looked up and saw the

rich putting their gifts into the

offering box, and he saw a poor

widow put in two small copper

coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell

you, this poor widow has put in

more than all of them. For they

all contributed out of their

abundance, but she out of her

poverty put in all she had to live

on.’” (Luke 21:1-4)

“As each has received a gift, use

it to serve one another, as good

stewards of God's varied

grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)

“Give, and it will be given to

you. Good measure, pressed

down, shaken together, running

over, will be put into your lap.

For with the measure you use it

will be measured back to

you.” (Luke 6:38)

“But Jesus called them to him

and said, ‘You know that the

rulers of the Gentiles lord it

over them, and their great ones

are tyrants over them. It will

not be so among you; but

whoever wishes to be great

among you must be your

servant, and whoever wishes to

be first among you must be

your slave; just as the Son of

Man came not to be served but

to serve, and to give his life a

ransom for many.’” (Matthew 20:27-28)

—Tom McMullen

16

Fiv

e Y

ear

Giv

ing H

isto

ry

The

foll

ow

ing i

s a

bre

akdow

n o

f off

erin

gs

rece

ived

in t

he

wee

kly

off

erin

g e

nvel

opes

for

2010 t

hro

ugh

the

firs

t nin

e m

onth

s of

2014. W

hil

e in

div

idual

s giv

e in

var

ious

freq

uen

cies

(w

eekly

, m

onth

ly, qu

arte

rly,

etc.

), a

ll o

ffer

ings

wer

e ca

lcu

late

d t

o d

eter

min

e e

ach

giv

er’s

wee

kly

off

erin

g.

Offe

ring

Am

ount

20

10

2011

20

12

2013

20

14

(p

er w

eek)

(

Jan

– S

ept)

$2

00.0

0 or

mor

e 4

6 5

5 6

$150

.00—

$199

.99

9 7

6 7

4 $1

00.0

0—$1

49.9

9 4

7 6

6 9

$50.

00—

$99.

99

21

20

22

22

19

$25.

00—

$49.

99

25

29

33

28

27

$10.

00—

$24.

99

28

28

26

27

26

Less

than

$10

.00

43

46

44

41

33

Tot

al G

iver

s 13

4 14

3 14

2 13

6 12

4 A

vera

ge W

eekl

y O

fferin

g $4

6.02

$4

5.87

$4

5.25

$4

6.63

$5

0.06

2010

20

11

2012

20

13

2014

To

tal A

nn

ual

Wee

kly

Off

erin

gs

$3

20,6

65.8

8

$341

,063

.22

$340

,543

.23

$329

,802

.60

$324

,000

* *

Pro

ject

ed W

eekl

y O

ffer

ing

for

2014 b

ase

d o

n t

he

curr

ent

leve

l of

giv

ing y

ear-

to-d

ate

.

17

A Statement of Leadership

At the Church Council meeting held on October

16th, our Congregation’s leadership collectively

made their pledges to the work of ministry here at

Church of The Apostles for the year 2015. Twelve

members of the leadership team (the Superintendent,

Elder, Elder-elect, four Deacons, Deacon emerita,

two Ecclesiastical Dignitaries, Treasurer and Church

Administrator) pledged as follows:

Total pledges for 2015: $109,485.00

This is an average of $9,123.75 or

$175.46 per week for each member.

“This is the LORD’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

(Psalm 118:23)

“Do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed

by the renewing of your minds,

that you may discern what is the will of God—

what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

18

Wisdom from the Scriptures: Thoughts on Giving for the Faithful Steward

“Appear not before the LORD empty-handed,

for all that you offer is in fulfillment of the precepts.

The just man’s offering enriches the altar and rises as a sweet odor before the Most High.

The just man’s sacrifice is most pleasing, nor will it ever be forgotten.

In generous spirit pay homage to the LORD, be not sparing of freewill gifts.

With each contribution show a cheerful countenance,

and pay your tithes in a spirit of joy.

Give to the Most High as he has given to you, generously, according to your means.

For the LORD is the one who always repays, and he will give back to you sevenfold.”

Ecclesiasticus

or

The Wisdom of Jesus Son of Sirach (35:4-10)

19

Stewardship Sunday

“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required;

and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

(Luke 12:48)

On Sunday, November 16th, Congregants will be asked to

make a financial pledge, as well as a commitment of their time

and talent, toward the work of the ministry of Church of The

Apostles for the year 2015. Pledges should be made after

prayerful consideration. Church members are asked to take the

pledge cards that you will receive in the mail with you to

worship on November 16th and bring them to the holy Table

at an especially appointed time during the 8:00 a.m. or 10:30

a.m. celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, so that as a community

of faith we may “present [ourselves] as a living sacrifice, holy and

acceptable to God which is [our] spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

Please continue to pray for the mission of Church of The Apostles

as we jointly prepare to make a commitment of our time,

talent, and treasure to God for the year 2015. For we are the

Lord’s people: “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of

God” (1 Corinthians 4:1), a people called “to work, pray, and give

for the spread of the kingdom of God” [Bylaws, Article V.1].

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and make good your vows to the Most High.”

(Psalm 50:14)

20

Insight into Giving

A Daily Bible Reading Plan for Stewardship

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

DAY 1 • God’s first gifts to us Genesis 2:7; 1:29-30; 3:21

DAY 2 • The first recorded tithe Genesis 14:17-20

DAY 3 • The joy of giving 1 Chronicles 29:1-18

DAY 4 • The reward of obedience Isaiah 55:1-2

DAY 5 • The reward of giving Malachi 3:6-10

DAY 6 • The servants choice Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13-15

DAY 7 • The freedom of giving Matthew 6:25-26; Luke 12:22-31

DAY 8 • The disappointed man Mark 10:18-25

DAY 9 • The generous women Mark 12:41-44

DAY 10 • The dishonest gift Acts 5:1-10

DAY 11 • Putting things into perspective 1 Timothy 6:6-10

DAY 12 • Regular, planned, proportionate 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

DAY 13 • God gives...we give...God gives 2 Corinthians 9:6-10

DAY 14 • Let us thank God! 2 Corinthians 9:10-15

CHURCH OF THE APOSTLES Evangelical Anglican

170 Fairview Avenue Coventry, Rhode Island 02816

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Church Office: (401) 821-7609 • Superintendent’s Residence: (401) 397-3652

website: apostlesri.org • email: [email protected] The Holy Eucharist Sunday 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Wednesday 12:00 noon Christian Education Sunday 9:15 a.m. Sunday Brunch Sunday 11:45 a.m. Evening Prayer Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Morning Prayer Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m.

Church Staff

Superintendent The Reverend Mark R. Galloway Church Administrator Erin Mead Communications Officer Barbara Bickerstaff Director of Christian Education Linda Jones Youth Minister Rebecca Galloway Health and Wellness Minister Sharon Galloway, RN Organist and Music Director Marianne Salisbury Assistant Organist Shyanne Slinko Sacristy Minister Barbara Battey Property Maintenance Technician Jim Quinn Sexton Mike Edwards Treasurer Bob Bickerstaff Clerk Joan Clarke

Board of Elders

Elder Rob Geoffrey 943-4661 Elder-In-Training Mark Tellier 580-6199

Elder Emeritus Conrad Ruppert

Ecclesiastical Dignitaries

Lady Linda Greco 228-3060 Lady Sue Pillsbury 884-2947

Board of Servants

Archdeacon Bill Sexton Congregational Care Minister 726-4549 Deacon Tom Bourn Servant Evangelism Minister 294-4186 Deacon Kathy Kettle Outreach Minister 573-0773 Deacon Deb Adams Stewardship Minister 828-7998

Deacon Emerita Cathy Morgan

Church of The Apostles 170 Fairview Avenue Coventry, Rhode Island 02816