Passionate Steward - 10th Anniversary Edition

138 THE PASSIONATE STEWARD
elderly, and the dispossessed; and setting them before the magistrate,
said, “Here are the treasures of the Church.” Laurence understood, as we
must, that it is above all people who are our greatest gift and resource.
At the heart of any volunteer’s first gift is time. Unfortunately,
time is the most abused of all of our resources. How often are
parishioners told that a meeting will start and end at a specific time,
only to have the meeting start late and end even later, forcing them to
neglect other responsibilities? Considering that most parish meetings
take place in the evening, the Church needs to remember that most
participants have already made a sacrifice of precious time with their
families in order even to be present. Beginning meetings on time,
ending on time, and coming fully prepared to each meeting is the first
principle of demonstrating good stewardship of the gift of time.
The recognition of individual parishioners’ talents is also cause
for reflection. Too often, the campaign plan is “struck in stone”
before taking account of the gifts already resident within the parish
community. The result is that we end up matching parishioners to
pre-defined ministries, without prior regard for their particular
talents or gifts. A good campaign plan will draw on the talents and
gifts of as many parishioners as possible, be they great or small. It is
important, even if inconvenient and demanding, to ensure, for
example, that artists find an artistic outlet within the campaign, that
accountants be given an opportunity to assist in its financial
administration, and that particular care is taken to find appropriate
tasks for those who are infirm, or who might otherwise be sidelined.
(Preparing mailings could be one such task.) Engaging as many
people as possible in the campaign, in whatever capacity, will go a
long way to helping parishioners take personal ownership of the
communal values undergirding the campaign. To make the campaign
team as large as possible runs counter to most secular campaign
models where efficiency, return on investment, and streamlining are
the order of the day. The Church, however, values time, talent and
treasure in equal measure. Hence, every effort must be made to