Making Stewardship A Way of Life

Are we obligated to give to others simply because they have needs? In this episode, Father Andrew explains that, in a well-formed spirituality of stewardship, Christians have have a need to give which will drive their giving. He points out that giving based on others' needs can leave us with feelings of guilt, not satisfaction. Instead, if we have embraced the stewardship values of identity, trust, gratitude, and love, we will find in ourselves a need to give, and our giving will then be fulfilling and rewarding because it acknowledges the blessings we have received.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona, and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.

In this episode, Father Andrew Kemberling reminds us that "stewardship" is a spirituality, not just a theology. The spirituality is based on four core values: identity, trust, gratitude, and love. Identity is anchored in the fact that we were created by God to love Him and serve Him. We belong to Him. Trust is believing that God will provide for our needs, not just our wants. Gratitude tells us to focus on everything we've been blessed with as gifts, and especially the spiritual gifts. When we recognize the gifts and blessings we have received, we should want to give back to God in thanksgiving. Love is at the core of stewardship's spirituality. It is the basic requirement of someone leading a Christian life. If we have a need to love, we will have a need to give.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He war ordained a priest in 1988.

Is stewardship just about money? Father Andrew Kemberling, an expert on the practice of stewardship in one's faith life, explains how stewardship is actually a spirituality that is anchored in thanksgiving for God's many blessings. Father Kemberling points out that fund raising in faith organizations is usually focused on simply meeting needs. Fully-formed stewardship, on the other hand, is based on the spirituality of recognizing that God has given us many blessings, and in acknowledging that, we should want to respond with gratitude and thanksgiving by giving back. And that giving can take many forms.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.

How does time apply to stewardship? In this episode, Father Andrew explores our understanding of time and why it is important to be in the "present moment" when we pray. He points out why "finding time" for God usually fails, and why instead we need to proactively "make time" to engage with God in service and prayer. He highlights how the Benedictine concept of "in all things God be glorified" can inspire us to incorporate prayer into nearly all of our daily lives. And he explains how periodically renewing our stewardship commitments can increase those commitments and give us opportunities to keep them compelling and fresh.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.

As humans, we are blessed by God. But we also experience suffering. Can anything virtuous come from our suffering? In this episode, Father Andrew explores how offering the suffering that we experience as a gift to God can be a more valuable form of stewardship that offering tangible gifts to God's community. Christians see challenges and difficulties as an opportunity to bring good out of evil. When we are dealing with adversity, we have a heightened opportunity to expand our stewardship by committing our suffering to our own redemption as well as the redemption of others. And it keeps us more deeply connected to the suffering that Christ endured for us. We can be victims of suffering and let it conquer us, or we can accept it and present that acceptance back to God as a gift for what God has done for us.
Father Andrew Kemberling is a parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn, Colorado. For 14 years he was pastor at St. Thomas More Parish in Centennial, CO. With Mila Glodava, Director of Communications and Stewardship, he wrote the book "Making Stewardship a Way of Life: A Complete Guide for Catholic Parishes" (published by Our Sunday Visitor, 2009). The parish received many awards for its pioneering embrace of stewardship as a touchstone of parish life. Fr. Andrew was born in Tucson, Arizona and joined the Benedictine order in 1985. He was ordained a priest in 1988.