Mission and Stewardship
Our mission at Saint Mary’s-in-The-Hills is to be inspired by the Word and nurtured by the sacraments, to promote an active and community-conscious congregation supporting the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.
This is our mission which we accomplish through thoughtful stewardship.
A straightforward definition of stewardship is using the gifts God has given us, to do the work God is calling us to do. We believe that all that we have is from God. The next part, about hearing what God is calling us to do, is sometimes the tricky part. And at Saint Mary’s stewardship, in all things, is a prayerful process that helps us figure out what we are called to do.
The first thing you may think of in terms of stewardship may be the financial resources of the church, both contributing to and managing them. Certainly, this is one of our most direct and primary stewardship responsibilities. The money that we give to the church keeps the lights on. But it is much more than that. At Saint Mary’s we annually give XX% away to the national church, our diocese, and our partners in Oakland County. So everything we give is in turn given away in support of our mission of spreading the Good News through the service and support of others.
We also practice a kind of stewardship towards each other. We support one another through our small church groups, like bible study, men’s group and our unemployment support group. Taking care of ourselves and one another is practicing good stewardship. We care for each other and nuture our faith together.
Taking care of our buildings and grounds is another form of stewardship. Several times a year we gather for routine maintenance and cleaning of our grounds and buildings. There is a gardening group that works to make our yard, including our memorial garden, a restful and beautiful place.
It is also important for us to look outward. We try to share God’s message of love and acceptance in all that we do as a congregation. We show that love through the work we do for others, whether it’s making sandwiches for the Crossroads soup kitchen or praying for those in need in our community.
