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The Stewardship Committee's Mission is to develop and foster a Christian Community atmosphere whereby the spiritual and social needs of parishioners can be realized through a total stewardship program of time, talent and treasure resulting in a sense of belonging, involvement and commitment for each parishioner. You may be asking Will Stewardship Really MakeA Difference In My Life? It is so easy to put our lives on hold and with it all of our good intentions: "Someday when I have more time" "When I've reached my goals" "I'll give my share of time, talent and treasure, but not right now" What will we tell those in need of prayer, in need of a kind ear or the hundreds of other acts of Stewardship that will go undone or the gifts that the Lord has given us that will go unshared, if we all were to think that way? Stewardship acknowledges that God is the source of all of our gifts and talents, and we are the caretakers of these gifts. Where Stewardship has been adopted as a way of being, both the giver's and receiver's lives have been changed. True conversion has taken place in the hearts and minds of those who embrace Stewardship as a way of Life.

Deacon Jim Brett

Questions and Answers about being a Stewardship Household

When can I enroll as a stewardship household?
The period for enrolling as a Stewardship Household will close
on August 1 and reopen in January 2010.

What is a Stewardship Household at Our Lady of Mount Carmel?
It is a family that is living a way of life that is grateful and responsible for all that God has blessed them with and generously giving back to God of their time, talent, and treasure.

Why would I or my family want to make this commitment?
To experience the transformation, joy, and closeness to God that truly living a Life of Stewardship can bring to the individual, the family, our Parish, the larger Church, and the world around us!

What am I agreeing to by signing the Covenant Agreement?
That your household will commit to increase your prayer life outside of Mass, that you will attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation, involvement in an ongoing parish ministry, and tithe a minimum of 7% of your gross treasure.

What do you mean by prayer life outside of Mass?
That by yourself or as a family you read the bible, pray the Rosary, go to Adoration, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, or any other personal prayer on your own.

Do we have to go to Mass every Sunday at Our Lady of Mount Carmel?
As Catholics we are obliged to attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligations, but we understand that you may be away on vacation or business or some other issues may not allow you to attend, so we are expecting a 75% attendance.

How will our attendance be tracked?
The easiest way to demonstrate one’s attendance at Sunday Mass is by participating in the parish envelope system.  Even if you choose to use the Surpay system, you should drop an empty envelope in the collection basket.

How often will my attendance, ministry, and tithing be checked?
A member of the Stewardship Committee will take care of this quarterly (every 3 months). That person will be a source of support and encouragement for the household as their commitment to Stewardship and to God grows, like a friend or companion on the journey.

What all does my 7% cover?
It covers all of your Sunday and Holy Day Collections and the 10 Special Collections by the Diocese of Phoenix.  It does not cover CDA, the Building Fund, or the Help-a-Student envelopes.

If my household signs the Covenant Agreement, what parish services are at no cost?
Some of the services include but are not limited to Weddings, Marriage Preparation, Natural Family Planning, Adult Formation Classes, Tuition at the Preschool and Elementary School, Religious Education Fees, and the Mother Daughter Tea.  Other Preschool and School fees still apply at this time.

How many household members must be active in ministry?
All adult Catholic and children of school age should be involved in some ongoing parish ministry.

What about ministries outside of Mount Carmel?
They will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

What ministries are included?
See the website for the list.

Who tracks our involvement in ministry?
The schools and each ministry head will be responsible for the tracking of their own ministry.

How do you verify our 7%?
When you come to sign the Agreement, you should bring in your most current tax return.  If your job status has changed recently,
you may bring in your most current pay stubs.

The Gift of Time
This earth with death. For most, it is about 25,000 days.
Our time is precious and cannot be stored up like grain
in a barn. Once a moment passes it is gone forever.

God wants all of us to reach heaven... that is why
He created us and why He sent us Jesus. Our life
on earth is a pilgrimage towards heaven. Each day,
each week, each month and each year we must be
progressive on our pilgrimage. We cannot do this
unless we give some time to God.

Through daily prayer, we develop a close personal
relationship with God, sharing with Him our successes
and failures, and asking for His guidance in our daily lives.
Reading Scripture daily helps reflect on God's word.
It also tells of God's great love for us. Assisting individuals and organizations is another way to share our personal time to the glory of God. We also show our love for Him by letting Christ use
our feet, hands, our eyes and our voice.

Your gift of time is unique, because you are the only
one who can give it.



The Gift of Talent
All of us have special talents or gifts, which are a sign of the power and majesty of God, who can do all things. These talents and gifts
are not given to us just for our own use, but are given to us for the enrichment of the lives of others and so that we can serve God better.

St. Peter in his first epistle tells us, "Each one of you has received a special grace, so like good stewards responsible for all these
different graces of God, put yourselves at the service of others."

All of Christ's works need to be done in our parish and community.
As you know, Christ is not physically present in our parish to:

* visit the sick and elderly,
* to feed the hungry,
* to teach those who want to learn,
* to console the lonely and sorrowful
* to pray for the needs and to give a helping hand and a kind word

Christ depends upon each one of us to do these Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy in His name. That makes us co-workers with Christ in the Holy Works of Redemption. What a privilege!

Your gift of talent is a special gift only you can give. Remember the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "It is in giving that we receive."

The Gift of Treasure
The christian need to share our gifts of Treasure may be best illustrated by the well known parable of the talents, Mathew
25:14-30, speaks of a man preparing to travel to a far country.
Before departing, he gives talents or money to his servants.

The first servant receives five talents and
works to build them into five more.

The second servant who receives two talents,
doubles their value as well.

But the third servant, who
receives one talent, buries it.

When the master returns, he praises the first and second servants, but he takes the one talent from the third servant because the servant was not a good steward of the money,
having done nothing to increase its value.

The lesson of the parable of the talents is that we are to make good use of material gifts given to us by God. To be less than frugal with our material goods is a sin. To do nothing with them is just as wrong

When we do make the most of material possessions, Sacred Scripture points out two ways we can show our gratitude to
God for his gifts.

* First, because God is the Giver, some percentage of what is received must be returned to Him as an act of gratitude. (The Old Testament people were expected to give a tithe of 10 percent. This practice is mentioned 39 times in the Old Testament and 11 times in the New Testament, so we know it is God's will that the practice be continued.) *Secondly, there should be some sharing of our money and material goods with those in need in our family, community, diocese and world. Paul 11, Cor. 9:1-15.

Your gift of treasure is a direct gift only you can give.
Remember the words of St. Francis of Assisi: "It is in giving that we receive."