Stewardship

Stewardship is the spiritual discipline of looking at the gifts that God has bestowed upon you, prayerfully considering His bountiful mercy, and returning to God a portion of these gifts in thanksgiving. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ commands us to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal” (Matt:6:20).

This personal sacrifice of material things toward the spiritual has been a fundamental part of the life of the People of God for millenia, as recorded in Genesis and continues to be so today in the New Testament Church. By donating towards the upkeep of the Temple, we give honour to our Creator and we remind ourselves that in truth, nothing in this world belongs to us, but that we are merely custodians of it for a short time until we leave this world.

The gifts that are given are generally in three types:

Treasure (financial or material donations),
Time, and
Talents (and abilities)

Each of these are able to be returned to conduct God’s work and to minister in His Name.

We ask that each parishioner (along with any person who wishes to support our work) considers the gifts that God has given them, and to respond appropriately. Below are some suggestions on how this can occur:

Treasure
If you are in the financial position to give money to St John the Baptist Orthodox Mission, Toowoomba, there are three easy ways of doing so.

Electronic Funds Transfer
You are able to set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) with your bank account on a regular basis (e.g. weekly or monthly). We find that this is a convenient way for people to ensure that they have cared for the Mission without needing to consciously remember – and without needing to carry cash.

BSB: 114-879
Account: 440626189
Name: St John the Baptist Orthodox Mission
Reference: we suggest Donation [surname].

In Person
You can donate to our Mission via cash or via cheque, either at our services or through our Treasurer. Please speak to Peter after services.

Purchases
Sometimes, there are purchases that our parish needs to undertake, and people are sometimes wish to purchase these as part of their donation. Please speak to Fr Andrew if you wish to donate in this way.

Some examples of purchases we need to make are:

Finances to purchase property for a permanent Orthodox church in Toowoomba (Estimate: $20k for deposit)

Time and Talent
At St John’s, we have areas where we are in need of assistance from people who can contribute either their spare time or their expertise, including: