Stewardship of Our Time, Talent and Spiritual Gifts at Holy Trinity.

As we prepare to look at what the Lord has for us in the coming year, it is helpful to take stock of where He has brought us thus far.  Last Sunday I highlighted what our financial stewardship looks like at Holy Trinity and where we are headed in that part of our life in Christ.  This Sunday I would like to do the same with our stewardship of our time, talent and spiritual gifts, which are those things we are doing here at Holy Trinity to grow the Kingdom of God within ourselves and in the world around us.  

As the “Body of Christ,” we participate in what God is doing in the world by being His hands, feet and voice, by doing the work of the Kingdom, and being Christ’s ambassadors.  It is a great privilege for us to be invited to participate in Christ’s ongoing healing and redemption of this world.  Some of our ministries we support with just our financial resources and through our prayers, but others involve us sacrificially giving of our time and talent for the sake of others- let me try to name them:

 

 

CMONA

Anglican Mission in Gambella

Kairos Prison Ministry

Wycliffe Bible Translators

Christ Church, Jerusalem

Anglican Relief and Development Fund

Socks for Nicaraguan Orphans

Prayer shawls/cancer bonnets

Christmas Shoebox Ministry

Megiddo Dream Station

The Lydia Project

Rector’s Discretionary Fund

Trinity Seminary

Nichols SC flood relief

Adopting families at Christmas

Louisiana flood relief

Winter coat ingathering

Others?

Some of our outreach ministries above are strategic and well planned, but others are simply spontaneous and Spirit-driven.  Some ministries just happen because we are open to the Holy Spirit and are continually looking for ways to serve the broken and hurting world around us. 

We also have ministries internal to our church family through which we support and encourage one another in our corporate worship, Christian vocation, fellowship and spiritual growth. They are:

Wed fellowship supper and study

Tuesday women’s Bible study Saturday

Men’s fellowship/study

Sunday adult forum

Children’s Church,

Trinity Teens

Catechism and newcomer classes

Choir,

Vestry,

Altar guild,

Ushers

Lay readers,

Acolytes

Lay Eucharistic ministers

Kitchen Angels,

Meals to homebound

Treasurer, tellers, IT, bookkeeper

Daughters of the Holy Cross

Audio-visual team,

prayer teams Prayer chain;

Crisis response

Prayer counseling / Inner healing

Blessing of the Animals,  

Friday night at the movies

Cursillo

Pastoral Counseling

Home Communion

House blessings

These lists are probably not exhaustive, but as you can see, there is no shortage of opportunities.  Everyone at Holy Trinity is encouraged to seek those places where they can grow and serve. 

 

A Vision

It is the Lord’s expectation (and of course mine as God’s priest in this place) that we are all making the age-old Christian pilgrimage from self-absorption to self-giving.  By the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we are learning to sacrificially give ourselves for the sake of others.  Sacrificially giving of our time, talent and spiritual gifts for the sake of others is at the heart of what it means to be Kingdom People.  This means that we are all challenged to grow in our discipleship, understand our callings, and pick our ministries.  This journey toward self-giving is a journey toward Christ-likeness, because it is Jesus who is the ultimate giver and who sacrificially gave His life for the sake of all of us. This is our vision, because it is God’s vision.

Father Rob    11/13/16