Book Description

The message of stewardship invites us to give our time, talent, and treasure in gratitude for our abundant blessings. Fostering grateful caretakers in parishes is an ongoing task that requires vision, courage, and trust. In Grateful Caretakers of God's Many Gifts, the first major revision of Fr. Joseph Champlin's ground-breaking sacrificial giving program, Father Champlin continues to encourage the sharing of treasure, time, and talent--transforming parishioners into grateful caretakers of God's many gifts. Grateful Caretakers of God's Many Gifts provides a theological and biblical basis for stewardship and gives detailed guidance for sharing time, talent, and treasure. It also offers the history, foundational principles, and implementation steps for sacrificial giving, a form of stewardship. The manual likewise provides a wealth of material for sustaining and strengthening grateful caretaking in a parish on a long-term basis. Finally, it offers practical suggestions on a number of special issues in stewardship including accountability, annual renewals, customized direct deposit of Sunday offerings, planned giving and parish stewardship councils, and training our youth to share. Father Champlin shows that the sacrificial giving process effectively supports grateful caretakers of God's gifts: people in the parish willing to share significantly their time, talent, and treasure for the Church and the world. It has been proven in practice, is biblically and theologically sound, actively involves lay persons, touches the hearts of parishioners, is uncomplicated and inexpensive to implement, produces impressive short-term results, and provides long-term possibilities. Grateful Caretakers ofGod's Many Gifts builds on Father Champlin's original sacrificial giving publications in both the theory and practice of how to motivate parishioners to become active stewards of their faith. It has on-going value for those concerned about fostering grateful caretaking in a parish.