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CURRENT NEWSLETTER:
June 27, 2008 #147
Stewardship. The very word seems to send a chill down the spines of many North American churchgoers. At last week's Catalyst evening, Dave Ramsey opined that stewardship has become code for somebody who wants to build a building. But the word "stewardship" has a much richer history and a much deeper meaning. In the Middle Ages, lords of the realm ruled specified areas of the kingdom. They held authority over the land, owning most everything and everyone under their control. Somewhere else in each realm, usually in a very nice house, lived another man who actually managed everything -- the crops, the flocks, the herds, the finances, and the people. He was called the steward. He owned nothing, but was entrusted to manage everything on behalf of the lord.
Dave Ramsey says that we are all stewards. We don't actually own anything. Our money, property, time, and talents are all just things with which we are entrusted. In JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, the rulers of the kingdom of Gondor -- one of the last bulwarks standing against the evil and darkness of the age -- were not kings. The last king had died centuries before, seemingly without heir. The rulers of the kingdom were a line of stewards. They never claimed kingship, but instead managed and held the land in the name of the king, until the day that the rightful king returned. We are also stewards of all that we are given. Our jobs as faithful servants to our Lord are to use these resources for His glory -- until the return of our King, Jesus Christ!
In other news this week:
- The Sunday School Team is currently on break through the end of the month. They will have classes on specified Sundays in July and August until the beginning of the new school year in September. More information will be forthcoming in the weeks to come.
- The Catalyst Speaker Series is winding down. Two more speakers are tentatively scheduled. Erwin McManus is slated for Sunday, June 29. We will skip the holiday weekend of July 4-6 and finish with Andy Stanley's closing presentation on Sunday, July 13. On this last date, Michele and I plan to start the evening at 4:30pm with an informal cookout, featuring my "world famous" crab soup. We look forward to hosting all "alumni" of previous speaker sessions at this soiree.
- In a similar vein, "The Leadership Summit" sponsored by Willow Creek Association will take place August 7-8, 2008 and be broadcast live via satellite from the campus of Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago to more then 140 locations across North America. Speakers such as Bill Hybels, Craig Groeschel, Chuck Coleson, and many other church and business leaders will be featured. Grace Fellowship Church in Timonium is the closest location that will broadcast the summit. Please contact Eliot or me if you are interested in attending. Eliot will pay $25 towards the price of admission for anyone from our congregation, making the cost approximately $180 per person. Student rates are substantially lower. For more information, you can go to willowcreek.com /summit or contact the office.
