Stewardship
Your Own From Your Own
MAKE YOUR 2025 STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE HERE
Dear Beloved Parish Family,
As Orthodox Christians, we see the world as God’s gift, as a sacrament of God’s presence and a means of communion with Him. This way we are able to offer back to God, in thanksgiving and love, the many gifts we receive from Him. Like the boy in the New Testament who offered the five loaves and two fish and Jesus multiplied them to feed the 5,000, God receives our humble gifts and multiplies them to feed the world.
When we see great need in our community and in the world, we may ask, “If God is so loving, then why is there so much poverty and suffering in the world? Where is God when we need Him?” Sometimes the need is so overwhelming that to help at all seems impossible, but in the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, we are taught to offer what we have, no matter the amount, and miracles will happen.
So it is with our church, we often imagine only what is humanly possible. If we do our part in faith, God will lovingly return to us much more than we could ever imagine. This is the true meaning of the 2025 Stewardship theme: “Your own from Your own.” We will see our church, not as it is, but as it could be, with our humble gifts multiplied by God’s generosity and love. With our faithful offering, we will see in our church as they did in the early Church, “…the Lord added to their number daily, those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).
Offer Your Time, Talents & Treasures
We ask all of you to prayerfully consider your offering of time and talents to our ministries and community outreach. Your participation is vital to their continued growth. With your commitment of time, talent, and participation they will continue to thrive and unite us as one family in Christ. Please consider how you can help your Ascension Parish by offering your time and talents in 2025! You can visit our Ministries webpage where you can learn more about all the areas where you can offer your time & talents to Ascension.
Equally important, we ask you to reflect on the offering of your 2025 Stewardship pledge of treasures. Our Church is funded solely on each family’s contribution to our Parish, and we rely on your generosity to provide for: Ascension’s Liturgical and Sacramental life; educational opportunities for our children; ministering to our youth, families, the sick, and the grieving; and providing support to those in need - either directly or through charities such as Project HOPE, OCMC, Feed My Starving Children, Habitat for Humanity, and the Midwest Veterans Closet.
Guidance for 2025 Stewardship
As a guide for 2025, we’re lovingly asking all Ascension families to consider increasing your stewardship from 2024 to allow our church to enrich its Liturgical life and broaden and strengthen our ministries to bring all of us closer to Christ. Additionally, our parish is not immune to the rising costs we are all experiencing. In fact, our current 2025 budget is projected to have a deficit, meaning the money we collect from Stewardship, Candles & Trays, etc., is not enough to cover all of our expenses. While we completely understand that some families can give more than others, in order for Ascension to have a balanced budget, and cover our costs in 2025, we humbly suggest (for those who can) that steward families pledge at least $1,800 annually, or $150 per month. For context, stewardship, candles, and tray contributions account for ~80% of our parish’s operating costs, so stewardship is really key for us.
How to Pledge
Starting this year at Ascension, we are shifting to an “online first” Stewardship campaign. What does this mean? We’re asking all parish families to please use our online form to indicate where you and your family members can contribute your time and talents and to enter your family’s commitment of treasures to continue supporting the many thriving ministries and charitable works of our Parish. Click HERE to complete the online form.
If you’re not comfortable using the website to complete your 2025 Stewardship, click HERE to print and complete a paper form. There will be copies of this form available at the Stewardship counter near the Anagnos Fellowship Hall. You can also use one of our kiosks at church to complete the form online.
IMPORTANT: Please prayerfully fill out the 2025 Stewardship form - even if you are a current steward - as we need to renew our commitment to our Church each year.
We ask that you submit your online or printed form by December 1, 2024.
On behalf of our entire Ascension Family, we offer our gratitude for your dedication to our Parish as well as your participation in bringing your talents to our Parish in order for us to grow together in God’s name.
In Christ,
Rev. Fr. Sotirios P. Malamis
Parish Priest
Frank G. Kazas
Stewardship Committee Chair
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Thank you for your support as we help build strong momentum going into 2025!
To learn more about Stewardship within our Ascension community, contact our Stewardship Committee by email at stewardship@ascensiongoc.com, or by calling the church office at 847.482.1200.
2024 STEWARDSHIP
If you still need to make your stewardship pledge for 2024, please click the link below.
Download and print the 2024 Stewardship Pledge card, HERE.
A Stewardship Prayer
Gracious God, giver of all we have and hold as stewards;
grant the people of this church a deep and abiding awareness that all things come from you –
our health, our incomes, our jobs, our talents and our generous impulse.
Send your Holy Spirit to help us as we swim against the rising tides of materialism, envy, individualism and greed in our culture.
When we are tempted to think of money as a private matter, remind us that you have asked for part of what we are given,
to be returned to you as a symbol of our awareness that you give all we have.
And further, help us to help each other in this grace of giving,
for you are the lover of our souls and call us to nothing less than transformation in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
