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Stewardship Overview of Committees: What Do They Do?   

Stewardship Committee 

By Barb Mazarakos      

There are so many groups and committees that are instrumental in keeping Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church going and growing. Over the next number of issues we will continue exploring what began last month with the Trustees, looking at just “what” these committees do and how your God-given gifts may fit in His bigger picture.
I have a confession to make: I have NO idea how I ended up on the Stewardship Committee. None. One minute I was sending an email in response to a request for help writing articles for the newly-established e-newsletter and the next thing I know, BAM!, I’m on the committee. Now before I give the wrong impression, I wasn’t wrangled, forced, or otherwise coerced into joining. I was asked to come to a meeting to learn about the newsletter and was immediately drawn in to the energy and passion of this particular group of people. I saw so many areas of outreach that we could tap into if only we had more help. As I tend to do with big decisions, I prayed on it, but I already knew I wanted in. God’s pull was that strong, the voice in my head (that sounded a lot like my high school journalism teacher, now that I think about it) kept saying “You KNOW you can write. Do it!” And so 3 ½ years later I continue to work with the wonderful group of people to try to reach out and spread the Word in whatever ways we can, specifically for me through this newsletter.
Prior to this experience, I always thought of Stewardship as “the money group”. And while fundraising and bringing financial awareness to our congregation is definitely part of what we do (because, if I am being honest, without the financial generosity of our members we would be stretching our staff and supplies even further than we already are), it is also the job of the Stewardship Committee to do outreach and help our church to be accessible to the broader community through the use of the time and talents of a number of volunteers.
Aside from the newsletter, you may have noticed a change in our website and an increase in our social media presence over the last couple of years. All of these efforts have been made to help us reach as many people as possible with the Good News of Jesus, the events of our church, and a reflection of what God has done within our own lives. Our interactive calendar on the website (christlutheranorland.com), event reminders on Facebook (Christ Lutheran Church Orland Park IL), and daily Bible verses on Twitter (@CL_ChurchOrland) are among the most searched out of our social media options. If you haven’t checked them out yet, please do! We have other ideas in the fire and are always looking for new ways to interact within our church and beyond the walls of this building.
The Stewardship Committee meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month from 6:30-8pm. We have a variety of backgrounds and talents and always welcome new faces. If you feel God has been calling you to serve and have a leaning toward writing, computers, social media or just a desire to help, we would love to have you join us. There’s a place for everyone who wants to help. Maybe Stewardship is the place for you!