Charitable Giving

You probably remember the steward of the Old Testament as the caretaker, the person who was ultimately responsible for the administration of the estate, managing the accounts, directing the workers, and reporting back to the owner of the property. The steward was at once a leader and a servant. At College Street this Biblical figure comes of age today for us as a symbol of our responsibilities as leaders, to care for the Earth, God's creation and to maintain our Church. As individual servants of God and indeed as the College Street Church community we are responsible to report back to God, to each other, and to those who are to come.

Every week we at College Street are reminded of our role as good stewards of God's creation as we sing in our offertory:

"We give thee but thine own,
whate'er the gift may be.
All that we have is thine alone,
a trust, Oh God, from thee."

The good steward is called upon to do justice, seek peace, and respect the integrity of all God's creation. This is the model we embrace at College Street. It gives us the foundation for sharing our time, our talents, and our treasures. But, this model lives and breathes because above all, at College Street Church the steward implies action. We are active in working towards supporting the structure and the mission of our church home.

In a special service, once a year, called Consecration Sunday, we rededicate ourselves by examining our responsibilities and our duties as good stewards of God's creation and our Church. We ask what College Street means to us, what it means to our community, and what it means to God. The steward, a biblical symbol come of age, can give us a unique perspective of how to be in our world these days, not just of it.