Stewardship at St. John the Apostle Church
Stewardship Mission Statement
To encourage and motivate the people of St. John the Apostle Catholic Parish to use their time, talent and treasure, which God has so generously bestowed upon the community, to enhance the spiritual lives of all its members.
Contact: Denny or Billie Sullivan (757) 340-4860
What is Christian Stewardship?
Christian stewardship is how we fulfill our baptismal call to live out our faith through action -- stewardship is what we do after saying what we believe. When we acknowledge that God is the source of all that we have, we show gratitude through prayer, worship, offerings and action -- giving back our time, talent and treasure to God in thanksgiving for our many blessings. Stewardship is a way of life. It is a way of living each day in gratitude for all the blessings that God has given to us. We do not own the gifts God gives to us. We are only here on earth to use those gifts to do God’s work. The roots of stewardship can be found in the Bible, which tells us over and over that God is the Creator and Giver of all gifts. It is our responsibility to show our gratitude to God for these gifts, by giving back to Him a truly grateful share.
What Are Our Talents?
We may think that we do not have talents because we associate talent with the extraordinary. We think of a friend who sings in the choir as talented. Many of us may not have a talent for singing, but we all have extraordinary talents to share. Our parish community is composed of a diversity of people and talents that complement each other. Our talents are based in what we do, our skills and our strengths. For example, a CPA might serve on the finance committee, someone skilled in cooking might help with the feed the hungry programs, etc. Our talents are a gift from God. All of these gifts belong to God; we are the caretakers of our gifts during our time in this life. We cannot take them with us, they are not ours.
How can we identify and share our gifts? Set aside some time to reflect on your gifts and the things you enjoy doing. Pray about how you can give gratefully back to God in gratitude for the gifts He has given you through service to your family, St. John the Apostle Parish and our surrounding community. When we recognize our gifts and know where to use them, giving of our time and talent becomes easier and more rewarding and our parish is renewed as we serve in ministry to others.
How Can I Share Help?
St. John the Apostle Parish has more than 70 active ministries that rely on parishioner involvement and leadership. Ministries are listed below. To share your time and talents please contact our parish at .
Ministries at St. John the Apostle Parish
Prayer, Liturgy & Worship
- Altar Guild
- Altar Servers
- Arts and Environment Decorating Cantor/Psalmists/Song Leaders Children’s Liturgy of the Word Christ Renews His Parish (CHRP) Christian Life Communities
- Deaf Ministry
- Eucharistic Adoration Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Funeral Ministry (Liturgical) Lectors
- Little Company of Mary
-
Marian Prayer Group
- Sacred Music
- Church Children’s Choir o School Children’s Choir o Funeral Choir
- Instrumentalists
- St. John Choir
- Youth Choir
- Prayer Shawl Ministry Regina Pacis Rosary Group St. John Prayer Chain Ushers
- Legion of Mary
Parish & Community Life
- Bereavement Consolation Team Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts
- Knights of Columbus Council 13467 Marriage Support for Engaged Couples
- Ministry to the Homebound Nursery
- Parish Advocates for Persons with Disabilities
- Parish Social/Events Committee Greeters
- Senior’s Group
- Welcome Committee
Outreach & Social Justice
- Community Outreach
- Feed our neighbor
- Holiday Outreach
- Hope Haven
Faith Formation & Sacrament Preparation
-
Adult Faith Formation Baptism Preparation Team Bible Studies
- Home Bible Study
- “Truth Among Us” Bible Study
- Catechists/Aide/Helper
- Charismatic Prayer & Study Group Children of Light
- First Reconciliation/First Eucharist Team
- Religious Education
-
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
- RCIA Sponsor
- RCIA Team
- Sacramental Catechists for Older Students
-
St. John the Apostle Youth Group
- Confirmation Table Mentors
- High School
- Middle School
- Substitute Catechists
- Vacation Bible School
- Justice/Legislative Advocacy
- Meals on Wheels
- Mental Health
- Respect Life
- Samaritan House
- Sandwich Brigade
- Seton Youth Shelters
- Support our Troops
School
- School Social/Events Committee Clubs
- Sports
- Student Services
- Other