You’ve heard about the three Ts of stewardship, but what about the four Ps?
The three Ts – Time, Talent, and Treasure – describe the personal gifts we offer to Christ the
King. The four Ps are actually the Four Pillars of Congregational Stewardship. They are –
Hospitality, Prayer, Formation, and Service. Let’s talk about each of them to understand how
we can improve in each area. Keep in mind that the Four Pillars of Congregational Stewardship as they coincide with Christ the King's core values.
Hospitality - Being Welcoming and Inclusive
“When I was a stranger, you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). The Gospel teaches that whenever we welcome the least of our siblings, we welcome Christ Himself. That is why the first mark of Christ the King is hospitality. Being friendly is one of the first ways we can be Christ-like toward others. We welcome all. To create a sense of community, be sure to smile and greet others as you enter and exit CtK. Let’s try harder than ever to be a welcoming community. You never know when that smile could turn someone's day around.
Prayer - Being Joyful and Touched By the Spirit
Do not become so involved in the work of the Lord that you forget the Lord of the work. In other words, don’t get so caught up with CtK projects and outreach efforts that you forget to spend time with God in prayer. Every great saint has taught that prayer is the most essential component in the life of a Christian. Through prayer, we nurture our most important relationship – the one that will last for all eternity. A healthy prayer life includes communal prayer, personal prayer, and family prayer. The two biggest obstacles of praying are lack of time and lack of understanding of how to pray. Being intentional and or even scheduling time for prayer are ways to make prayer time second nature in our lives. Another tip is to listen and learn from other people when they pray and incorporate what works for you.
Formation - Youth Development
Ongoing conversion is very important. From childhood through adulthood, our whole life is a process of being drawn closer to God. God never stops calling us forward to learn more and to examine ourselves more deeply. Very often our society values material things more than interior virtues. But as personal experience shows, when we finally acquire the car or house or “toy” that we wanted so badly, it doesn’t fully satisfy. What if we desired spiritual virtues with the same kind of longing we do for material things? When we value our spiritual virtues more, we then can see God’s blessings more rewarding than material things.
Service - Being Servant Centered
“Amen I say to you, whatever you did to the least of my people, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40). While we may not view ourselves as saints, we too are called to such heroic service right within our own community. As Mother Teresa once said, “To be a saint is not the privilege of a few, but the duty of everyone.” We have many service opportunities
right here at Christ the King. If you have the willingness to serve and take the initiative to find where you are needed, you’ll find that there is no end to the families and individuals who truly need help. How can you reach out to them in love?
Thanks, Aubrey Novak
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