Stewardship

In 1999, Balerno Parish Church had a Stewardship campaign to encourage people to think about what they gave to the church in the way of their time, their talents and their money. This was one of the articles, which appeared in the Church magazine at the time.

Working Together
A traffic cone on its own, lying on its side in the middle of the road is a nuisance which you have to swerve to avoid and it leaves you wondering what it was doing there in the first place! A line of a hundred traffic cones on a motorway, all standing shoulder to shoulder leave you in no doubt as to the fact that you are close to a hazard. Driving along in the middle of the night, you might even come upon a traffic cone with a battery-powered halo to ensure that you know the correct road to take.

As Christians with a belief in God and the power of the resurrection, we are all quite capable of being individual traffic cones, which get blown over the road sometimes. We need to remember that we are more effective when we pool our resources, work together and can be seen to be going in the same direction.

Traffic cones are passive objects, which simply go where they are put and remain beside the hazard. Christians, on the other hand, have the ability to be active in assisting others and trying to eliminate the causes of problems by working together.

This stewardship campaign has been about working together and contributing. The church is either going forwards or backwards. It cannot stand still because the world around it is constantly changing.

Whatever your involvement in the church has been so far, please consider how you can demonstrate your commitment to the Church...

An Encouraging Letter To the People of Galatia
Don't kid yourself: you cant fool God. What you get out of life depends entirely on what you put into it. If all you do is to look after your own interests and enjoyment, then you lose the ability to understand the needs of others. If you think about what God wants, then in the long term God will be there to meet your needs. Don't get tired of helping others and doing good. As long as we don't give up, then the time will come when good will prevail. Therefore, lets do whatever we can to help all the people of the world, and support others in the Christian church.
Paul Adapted from Galatians 6;7

Our Vision

• more members more directly involved in our church's activities
• a congregation playing an increased part in the life of our community
• a firm financial base for mission both within and beyond our parish

Sharing Faith
Some of our Church's activities to help you share faith

• Sunday Worship
• Mid-week Service
• The Guild - meets regularly
• Sunday Special - children meet every Sunday
• Bible Study Courses - in the church hall and homes
• Choir - meets weekly
• Girls' Brigade - meets weekly
• Navigators - S1-3 meet weekly
• Coffee Shop - every Friday

Are you making the most use you can of all these opportunities?

Sharing Concern
As a Christian community, our concern for others can be greatly enhanced when we participate in what our church and congregation are doing!

• In our parish we offer practical and spiritual help to those in need
• Through the network of congregational contact and in teamwork with other church members
• We show concern outwith our parish through the mission and in other practical ways
• Through our prayers - we bring these needs to God

Can you help your church to be more effective in its concern for others?

Sharing Resources
When we join the Church, we include in our promise "to give a fitting proportion of my time, talents and money for the Church's work in the world". Members of the congregation are encouraged to contribute to the ministry, life and work of the Church in the parish of Balerno through committing some time to :

• visiting
• cooking
• painting
• cleaning
• transporting
• cutting grass
• graphic design
• general gardening
• taking the crèche
• baking for Coffee Shop
• helping the housebound
• minor repair work
• teaching in Sunday Special
• helping with social events
• working with young people
• collating/distributing the church magazine

If you can help in any way, please let your Elder know, and they will put you in touch with the appropriate co-ordinator.

• Stewardship at the Church of Scotland