“As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace” 1 Pt 4:10
Stewardship is a call rooted in our biblical tradition, which reveals our relationship with God. God is the Creator and Giver of all gifts and we are the caretakers, "the stewards," placed here to care for those gifts. Being a disciple of Christ means that we respond to the call of Jesus to follow His examples and teachings and it requires us to carry on His mission by placing our resources of time, talent and treasure at the disposal of God. In sharing these resources, which are gifts from God to begin with, we give back to God. Our gifts are not solely for our own benefit, but to be shared with a community of faith, for the glory of God and the building up of His kingdom. The parish that is committed to stewardship as a way of life is likely to be more prayerful, more hospitable and more dedicated to serving others.
The community of St Augustine Parish has a well-deserved reputation for generosity and there are many opportunities and ways of giving back within the community and beyond. We are blessed to have dozens of active ministries which provide a variety of services within our parish and throughout our local community from teaching in our Religious Education program, serving at our liturgies, to providing basics of food and clothing to those in need. We welcome the exercise of your time and talent as one of those absolutes for any active, thriving parish and invite you to explore these opportunities on the website.
There are also several ways in which parishioners can support us financially:
- Firstly we ask for your prayers - the good work of our parish cannot be accomplished without the generous support of so many caring people.
- Regular offertory is taken up weekly at the Sunday liturgies but can be managed more efficiently by parishioners through the online giving program. This safe secure method of donating allows you the flexibility and control of managing your regular donations by credit card or directly from your bank account. In addition to designating donations for regular offertory, donations for special collections, such as our annual collection (G.A.P.), can be managed as well. Click here or at the right to set up or access your account.
- A planned gift provides future support for the life of our parish and may be revocable or irrevocable and include bequests through your will or living trust, retirement plan or life insurance policy beneficiary designations, charitable trusts and charitable gift annuities. The most popular form of planned giving is a bequest left in your will. The specific asset varies from person to person. You can leave the church anything of value such as land, home, collectibles, or stock. Typically donors will leave a specific amount of cash as the last step of stewardship. It is also possible to leave a percentage, or the remainder, of your assets. Provided here is sample language for leaving a bequest to St. Augustine Parish: I give to St. Augustine Church, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization located in Andover, MA the sum of $_______ (or _____% of my estate; or the property described herein) for its general purposes.
- For assistance and information on making planned gifts, restricted or unrestricted, please contact our Business Manager, Karen Miller at 978-474-4201 or kmiller@andoveradmin.com.