Stewardship

The Oxford Dictionary defines stewardship as the responsibility of caring for and managing something that has been entrusted to us. In our Christian life, that “something” is everything God has given us—our lives, our abilities, our resources, and our opportunities.

From a biblical perspective, stewardship means using and managing all that God provides in a way that honors Him and serves His creation. It is a way of living that recognizes God as the true owner of all things and ourselves as caretakers of His gifts.

At its heart, stewardship is about more than money. It is about how we live, how we serve, how we love, and how we use our time, talents, and treasures in ways that reflect our faith and make a lasting impact for God’s Kingdom.

STEWARDSHIP IS OFFERING BACK TO GOD FROM THE GIFTS HE HAS GIVEN US.

Stewardship begins and ends with the understanding of God’s ownership of all:

• “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13)
• “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1)
• “To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14)
• “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants.” (Leviticus 25:23)
• “Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.” (Job 41:11)

Stewardship is further supported and sustained theologically on the understanding of God’s holiness as found in such verse as: Genesis 1:2^[1:2], Psalm 104, Psalm 113, 1 Chronicles 29:10-20, Colossians 1:16, and Revelation 1:8.

WHAT ELSE DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT STEWARDSHIP?

• Give with gratitude – “We thank you, our God, and praise your glorious Name …for all things come from you and we have only given back what is yours already.”  (I Chronicles 29:13-14)
• Give without show – “Let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (Matt.6:3).
• Give with regularity in proportion – “Upon the first day of the week let everyone of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him.” (I Cor. 16:2)
• Give liberally – “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (II Cor. 9:6)
• Give cheerfully – “Let everyone give as his heart tells him, neither grudgingly, nor under compulsion, for God loves the man that gives cheerfully.” (II Cor. 9:7)

Stewardship is not about paying dues—it is about offering thanks to God for His grace and generosity. The question we ask is not, “What do I owe?” but rather, “How can I thank God for the many blessings He has given me?”

When the Archdiocese moved from a system of fixed “membership” dues to stewardship, it created a more prayerful and personal way of giving. Stewardship invites each person or family to reflect on their own circumstances and decide what they can offer back to God. Because everyone’s situation is different, pledge amounts naturally vary and remain a personal commitment between Christ and you.

No matter the amount, your annual Stewardship pledge affirms your connection to Holy Transfiguration and your place within our parish family. Every pledged steward is a valued and full member of the Church.

We invite every parishioner age 18 and older to complete a stewardship form for the current or upcoming parish year (January 1 through December 31). Married couples may submit a joint form if they wish.

Stewardship is about much more than financial giving—it is a prayerful offering of our time, talents, and treasures back to God. Young adults who may not yet be in a position to give financially are especially encouraged to participate through volunteering, ministry involvement, and active engagement in the life of the parish.

For those who are able, even a modest weekly offering makes a meaningful difference. A small, consistent gift—such as a few dollars each week—helps support Christ’s work in our parish and allows us to plan responsibly for ministries, outreach, and the care of our church community.

We ask everyone to give prayerful consideration to what they can offer, trusting that every contribution, large or small, is a blessing to our parish family.

The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Parish Regulations requires us to fill out an initial pledge form and to recommit our stewardship pledge each year. The Uniform Parish Regulations (UPRs) and bylaws specify the following to be a member in good standing…

Each person who is 18 years of age or older, who was baptized according to the rites of the Church or received into the Church through Chrismation, who lives according to the tenets of the Faith, who abides by the UPRs and these Bylaws, who is active in the Parish, who cooperates in every way toward the wellbeing of the Parish and has completed and returned a stewardship form (including a joint form with his or her spouse) for the current or ensuing parish fiscal year (January 1 through December 31), is considered to be a member in good standing with the Parish.

Our Archdiocese asks every parishioner to complete a stewardship pledge form when joining the parish and to renew that pledge each year. Our stewardship year follows the calendar year (January through December), and forms for the upcoming year are usually distributed each December.

Each year brings new needs, new opportunities for ministry, and changes in the life of our parish family. By renewing our pledge annually, we take time to prayerfully reflect on how we can continue supporting Christ’s Church—His living Body here on earth—through our time, talents, and financial gifts.

Annual pledging also helps the parish keep accurate and up-to-date information about our members and their families. Just as our own circumstances may change from year to year, so too can our ability to give and serve. Updating your pledge allows your commitment to reflect your current situation while helping the parish plan wisely for the year ahead.

We are grateful for every offering of time, talent, and treasure, and for the love and faith that inspire them.

YES! The Stewardship form is available on our church’s website: http://www.holytransfiguration.info/join-our-parish/

Our parish flourishes through the generous sharing of our members’ time and God-given talents.  Each of us has gifts that can strengthen the Church, and when we share those gifts, we offer a beautiful expression of gratitude to Christ for His blessings in our lives.

No matter where you live, there are many ways to participate—whether by joining, leading, or supporting one of our parish ministries.  Your involvement helps bring Christ’s love to life within our parish community.

Our annual Stewardship pledge primarily supports the General Fund, which covers the parish’s day-to-day operating needs. This includes our Archdiocese fair-share contribution, staff and clergy support, utilities, insurance, supplies, and the many ministries that serve our parish community. Submitting your General Fund pledge each year allows the Parish Council to prayerfully develop a responsible budget and to better understand how you may wish to participate in or support our more than 40 active ministries.

In addition, the Building Maintenance Fund helps care for and preserve our church facilities and supports longer-term improvements and strategic initiatives, including those planned for 2026 and beyond. This fund ensures that the spaces where we worship, gather, and serve remain safe, welcoming, and well maintained.

For your convenience, the Treasure section of the pledge form includes separate lines for the General Fund and the Building Maintenance Fund. We kindly invite you to consider supporting both, so that together we can continue to sustain the spiritual life of our parish and care for the beautiful home God has entrusted to us.

You are absolutely right that your gift of treasure is, first and foremost, a sacred offering between you and Christ. Your pledge is not about judgment, pressure, or comparison—it is about commitment and care for the Church.

When you prayerfully write down a pledge amount, you are doing two important things. First, you are making a personal, intentional commitment to God about how you will support His Church. Second, you are helping the parish responsibly plan for the year ahead. The Church relies on these pledges to prepare a budget that supports worship, ministries, outreach, staff, and the care of our facilities.

Without written pledges, the parish has no way of knowing what resources will be available, which makes it very difficult to plan wisely or respond to the needs of the community.

Your pledge remains private and between you and God—but sharing that commitment with the parish allows the Church, as Christ’s living Body, to carry out His work in the world with faith, responsibility, and good stewardship.

We recommend that you commit to a regular weekly or monthly schedule as this greatly improves our cash flow expectations to meet the church’s ongoing financial obligations, such as payroll, utilities, insurance, ministries and facility expenditures.

By using these methods, you will be able to see how much has been given at any time versus how much has been pledged.

1. Vanco Online Giving – This is the preferred method so as to limit the physical handling of checks and currency. Visit our GIVE webpage for a link to our Vanco page https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z20M/home. You can then create your Vanco account.Vanco gives you the ability to set up auto-pay with your frequency and amounts. Vanco also allows you to contribute towards many categories such as Candles, Capital Campaign (ie., the Building Fund), Green Lawn Cemetery Plots, Philoptochos and other ministry donations.
2. Set up regular bill pay with your bank. Your bank will mail the checks for you at no extra charge.
3. Mail in your contribution or drop off in the offering basket in the church narthex.
   • If submitting checks, please write separate checks for the General Fund and Capital Campaign (i.e., the Building Fund).

We understand that your financial situation can change and it may be difficult to continue to contribute according to your pledge amount. Or, you may be fortunate to be able to contribute more than you originally planned. In either situation, simply contact the church office and let the Office Administrator know what your new pledge amount should be for the remainder of year. Contact by phone (770-924-8080) or by email (office@holytransfiguration.info).

The best place to begin is prayer. We ask each parishioner to prayerfully ask Christ how they can support the work of His Church and then make a sacrificial pledge according to their ability.

To help provide context, here is how stewardship supports our parish:

Our parish is a self-funded non-profit, meaning we do not have sponsors and are not funded by any 3^rd party organization nor the government.  Our annual stewardship funds our parish’s operating expenses which increase each year due to rising costs for payroll, utilities, insurance, facility maintenance, and our Archdiocese fair-share contribution. For 2026, the stewardship budget is increasing from $967,000 in 2025 to $1,033,327 in 2026 (approximately a 7% increase) in order to meet these needs.

Many families choose to pledge a percentage of their annual income, which allows giving to scale fairly with each household’s circumstances. This approach helps ensure that everyone participates in sustaining the parish in a way that is appropriate for them.

We also recognize that some parishioners—such as those living primarily on Social Security or those experiencing a loss of income—may not be in a position to make a monetary pledge at this time. That is completely understood. We still ask that everyone submit a Stewardship Form so that we can include every household in parish planning; if needed, a $1 pledge may be entered.

As a general guideline, many parishioners find that contributing $20-30 weekly is a meaningful and manageable way to support the parish, though some are able to give more and others less. What matters most is faithful participation, offered prayerfully and with a willing heart.

When we are baptized, we are united to Christ and called to live our lives in service to Him. Through that baptismal calling, we become part of His Church—the living Body of Christ—and are invited to take an active role in its life and mission. Serving the Church is one of the most meaningful ways we live out our love for Christ and our gratitude for His many blessings.

Completing a Stewardship Form is a prayerful way to express that commitment. It allows you to reflect on how you will offer your time, talents, and treasure to God throughout the year and to take an active part in the ministries and life of the parish.

Stewardship also helps our parish community grow stronger. It reflects your desire to be an engaged, participating member of the Church, working together with others to support worship, outreach, and service.

All adults in a household, age 18 and older, are encouraged to become pledged members. Married couples may complete one joint stewardship form together, while adult children should submit their own forms as they begin their own journey of stewardship and faith.