A steward is one who manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities and opportunities which God has entrusted to our care. As Jesus teaches in the "Parable of the Talents", we are all called to manage God's creation under the watchful eye of the Creator and in accord with the principles He has established.
Like the servants in the Parable of the Talents, we will be called to give an account of how we have administered everything we have been given, including our time, money, abilities, information, wisdom, relationships, and authority.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." -- Colossians 3:23-24
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Our Lord has blessed the members of New Life with many different talents and abilities. Not everyone has the same talents, or the same amount of time to use his/her talents, but everyone has the same privilege - to use our talents to the glory of God. As a congregation, we seek to match our members' talents and the time we each have to make use of those talents in every opportunity for service.
The Stewardship Committee maintains a database of service opportunities which is available for review by clicking here, as well as in a binder in the church library.
Please spend some time prayerfully considering how you may best use your talents and abilities in God's service. Then, download the "Time & Talent" form (below) and simply a check next to the opportunity in which you desire to participate. You may list additional talents/skills you can offer in the space below the example. Completed forms may be given to Pastor or any member of the Stewardship Committee. Please direct any questions or comments to Pastor the Stewardship Chairman.
Time & Talent Form (PDF) Explanation / Instructions (PDF)
Additional opportunities for service outside our congregation may be found through Kingdom Workers. Kingdom Workers is a global, Christian non-profit that mobilizes believers to meet the physical and spiritual needs of communities around the world.
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Moved by God's love in Christ, we offer Him our first and our best gifts, purely out of thanks to Him. Visitors to our service can participate in this act of worship, but are not expected to.
New Life maintains an Endowment Fund, which is used to provide tuition assistance to members attending Christian schools, colleges and universities. Offerings to this and other designated funds, as well as undesignated offerings and Tree of Life preschool tuition payments, may be made via our secure, on-line portal hosted by Aplos.
The Thrivent Choice® program allows eligible members to recommend where some of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' charitable outreach funds go by directing Choice Dollars®. You can direct your funds to New Life Lutheran Church and/or Tree of Life Lutheran Preschool.
Additionally, all Thrivent members are eligible to lead a Thrivent Action Team, which is given a grant (currently $250) to help fund a volunteer/ charitable event or action. Thrivent "Benefit" members are eligible to lead two Thrivent Action Teams per calendar year, and "associate members" are eligible to lead one per calendar year. Please see the Pastor or the Stewardship Chairman for further details on this program.
The United Way's Donor-Directed Contribution Program enables individual donors to direct part or all of their contribution to eligible organizations. Tree of Life Lutheran Preschool is recognized by the United Way and has assigned our preschool the following number:10438331 Any and all contributions to the preschool are appreciated. Tree of Life is designed to serve as a self-supporting preschool.
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