Conference Stewardship Team launches seasonal reflection series
Editor’s Note: Throughout 2019, the West Virginia Conference Stewardship Team will offer a brief reflection for each season which contains three seeds:
- A theme for the season
- A scriptural reflection
- A story bearing witness to stewardship
The following is the first installment in this seasonal stewardship series.
By George Webb,
Conference Stewardship Coordinator
Planting the seeds…beginning with the end in mind…
My prayers have been the first part of cultivating our conference for these reminders of Holy Stewardship. The purpose to share the Four Seasons of Stewardship in a way that will bring God Glory and be for our good.
Spring is that time to get the ground ready for planting and then to get the seeds in the ground. If you are reading this, you are one my first hills for planting the seed of steward ship in the life of your church.
From you I pray for a harvest. May Galatians 5:22-23 reveal the potential harvest within your life.
Spring from the Word: Matthew 17:20
If you will plant even the smallest seed by faith, God will bless it richly.
Spring’s Witness: “Stewart-ship”
Our church is neither big nor wealthy, but we do have “mustard seed” Christians who will share what they have. Stewart Cottrell is an example of living stewardship. He is working full time and married to Janice, who is also working full time. Stewart is also working to get his son, Chris, through college and on into a life of his own.
Money and resources often are slim. Stewart was content being a member of Humphreys Memorial in Sissonville, WV. Very content. After rededicating his life and marriage to Christ, the Lord began to deal with Stewart for his life in service to him. “Stewart-ship” began.
The first seeds: reading the Bible through, then standing as a witness in church, then becoming a lay speaker, then speaking at other churches. After that, he began giving his time and service to others and offering worship time to the local nursing home.
Though not wealthy, he and Janice gave into the kingdom of their monies as the Lord spoke to them. I knew several months before God spoke to Stewart about being a pastor that Stewart was to be a pastor. How did I know this? His gifts and talents and enthusiasm for the Gospel were being given freely. Today, Stewart is serving in a four-point charge in Clay County. (White Pilgrim, Wallback, Rolling Hill, and Newton United Methodist Churches).
When I think of how Stewart planted his seed of faith and rededicated his life and marriage to God, I can see it was an act of true stewardship for what Jesus had given him.
I believe there is a potential sprout of stewardship in you, too!