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A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11.25)

Today is the first Sunday of the new financial year. This is a good time to reflect on our stewardship strategies, think about our mission and goals for the future, and to strengthen our commitment to live generously in the service of our mission. It is vital that these reflections are not confined to the season of Stewardship renewal.

Members of Council are currently preparing a survey of the congregations’ views on the current and future life of cathedral. From this, we hope, will emerge a sense of the mission of the cathedral and the needs to which our stewardship can best be directed.

If we are to be a church of the twenty-first century, stewardship must be a vital part of our Christian discipleship – expressed in and through generous giving.

It is sometimes assumed that most people give on a weekly basis. Statistics demonstrate that this is not the case. In a culture of generous giving people are offered ways to give according to the way they receive (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, offerings by mail, electronic funds transfer, transfer of shares and bonds, year-end bonuses etc).

The challenge for the cathedral as we enter the new financial year, which is half-way through the cathedral budgetary year, is to set goals for the future which have as their basis the challenge to each of us and to the church as a whole, to begin a journey of generosity. This journey begins with the realisation that God’s blessings include the talents, skills, opportunities and strengths that enable us to provide for our own needs and the needs of others.

Barry Streete, Stewardship Officer