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Service: The Stewardship Committee – Who We Are and What We Do (Part 1 of 2)
by Heather Green
If you are reading this article, then you are familiar with the Stewardship committee (even if you don’t realize it); the Stewardship Committee develops and distributes the monthly e-newsletter. The purpose of the Stewardship committee is to share the Gospel and our faith in Jesus Christ. We share this message through the newsletter, social media, and the church website.
Unfortunately, many people merely associate being a steward by sharing your “treasures” with the church, often overlooking time and talents. The Stewardship committee focuses on the sharing of our time and talents with others. Once a month, usually the second Thursday of the month, we meet as a committee to discuss newsletter themes, possible articles, upcoming events, social media interactions, outreach opportunities, and the church website.
There may seem to be a lot of focus on technology: the website, the emailed newsletter, social media outreach, but these are modern tools we use to spread our faith and the word of the Lord. As Lutherans, we know the importance Martin Luther placed on advocating for the Bible to be translated and printed in German, a feat made possible by the invention of the printing press. Luther used the most recent tools at his disposal to share his faith with the lay people, just as we are using the most recent tools to share our faith.
Currently there are six active members on the Stewarship Committee: Pete Schrank, Barb Mazarakos, Heather Green, Dean Porzel, Chris Chleboun, and Pastor Rohlfs, but we are always interested in new members. If you have an interest in writing, sharing your faith, or using technology, we have space for you on the committee.
Pete Schrank, in addition to being the congregation president, is acting chairman of the Stewardship Committee. He is a lifelong member of Christ Lutheran Church. When Pete is not sharing his time with the Stewardship committee, he also leads Men’s Bible Study, sings in the Men’s Choir, and is a lector.
Barb Mazarakos is the newsletter editor as well as the social media account manager. She is a lifelong member of Christ Lutheran Church and has been a member of the Stewardship Committee for the past 5-1/2 years. She has a vast history of volunteering at CELC, including serving as the Sunday School Superintendent.
Heather Green is a newsletter contributor. She was confirmed at Christ Lutheran but moved away after high school. A few years ago she returned to the area and rejoined CELC. In addition to writing for the newsletter, she is an active member of the LWR Quilters Group at Christ Lutheran.
Dean Porzel is the Christ Lutheran website administrator. When Dean is not updating or maintaining the church website, he volunteers his time playing guitar and singing with the Joy and Praise Choir.
Chris Chleboun is the newsletter coordinator and distributor. She compiles all the articles and arranges them in the newsletter format then sends it to all the email subscribers. Chris is a lifelong member of CELC and despite a temporary relocation for work, still volunteers with the Stewardship Committee.