What’s All This Talk About Stewardship?
(And why do we need a campaign for it?)
Stewardship is the faithful care of the gifts God has entrusted to us—our time, talents, and resources. At Christ Church Cathedral, stewardship is a spiritual discipline that supports our mission to glorify God, serve our neighbors, and transform our city. Through prayerful pledging, we sustain ministries and outreach. This year’s theme, Today’s Gift, Tomorrow’s Blessing, reminds us that our giving creates future blessings. Join us this fall as we reflect, connect, and commit to our shared purpose.
Below, Rick Bailey and Julie DeSutter, co-chairs of CCC’s Stewardship Team, offer their views on stewardship and why it is important in the life of the Cathedral.
Origins of Stewardship
Stewardship is a word you won’t often find in the Bible, but the idea is everywhere. In 1 Peter 4:10, we’re invited to be good stewards of the gifts God has given us in our service to one another. From the very beginning, God gave human beings the responsibility to care for what we’ve been given. Stewardship is about caretaking, tending to something that does not fully belong to us but rather has been entrusted to us by God.
That is true of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and it is also true of your spiritual gifts. Maybe you have been given the gift of hospitality or generosity or listening. God gives these gifts to be used, not stored away, for the building up of the Church and the strengthening of our community. Whenever we offer our gifts faithfully, that is stewardship. The same is true for our money and resources. Psalm 24 reminds us, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” That means everything we have, our time, talents, and treasure, comes from God and belongs to God. We are stewards, not owners, of all that we hold.
In Malachi 3, God’s people were asked to bring a portion of what they had (e.g. grain, livestock, produce) to the temple. Their offerings kept the temple functioning and helped care for those in need. We do not drop squash or chickens in the offering plate anymore, but the principle is the same: Faithful giving fuels the ministry of the Church. As Episcopalians, we take a thoughtful and intentional approach to stewardship. We invite our members to pray, reflect, and plan when we make a financial commitment. We give thanks for what we have received from God, and, in turn, we pledge to support the work of the church and its leadership.
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.
This Year’s Campaign
If the phrase “stewardship campaign” feels unfamiliar or even a bit heavy, think of it as a pledge drive. You have likely participated in pledge drives for a school, hospital, or with a nonprofit organization that you care about. This is similar, but it is also something more. Stewardship is a way for us to offer our support for God’s work. At Christ Church Cathedral, our annual pledge campaign helps us raise the funds we need to Glorify God, Serve Our Neighbors, and Transform Our City. The theme of this year’s campaign — Today’s Gift, Tomorrow’s Blessing — reminds us that what we give today becomes a blessing for someone else tomorrow as we continue to live into our mission. Our giving becomes an act of care, connection, and transformation.
Each fall, we set aside a season to reflect on our gifts and to make a financial pledge for the year ahead. During this season, you will hear from fellow members who will share what Christ Church Cathedral means to them. Dean Gray Lesesne will host several Sunday forums looking at the spirituality of giving and the practical impact of your giving. We’ll also offer some creative, hands-on ways to engage with the theme.
At the conclusion of our campaign on Nov. 9, we will come together as a community to offer our pledges as an act of thanksgiving. Your commitment helps us live out our mission, and it also helps us plan for the year ahead. Just like any household, the church needs to know what income to expect for the following year so we can budget wisely and make thoughtful decisions about our ministries and outreach.
How Will You Respond?
However you participate, we hope you will be inspired not just to give, but to feel even more connected to our shared purpose. At its heart, stewardship is a spiritual discipline—a faithful, intentional response to God’s goodness that deepens our commitment to care for what we’ve been given together.
Your Stewardship Committee at Christ Church Cathedral has been preparing for months for our campaign. While our endowment provides long-term stability and supports special projects, our day-to-day ministry depends on your faithful giving. Whether your gift is weekly, monthly, or annual, it matters deeply. We have set a 2026 goal of $410,000, one that invites us all to stretch together in faith. We are already praying for you, that your giving will be joyful, thoughtful, and encouraged by the knowledge that you are part of something bigger than yourself.
We hope you will begin praying now about how you might contribute in the coming year. We look forward to celebrating this season of generosity with you!
Mark your calendars for Ingathering Sunday on Nov. 9 when we will offer to God our commitments for the coming year.
