Stewardship

To Make a Donation online:

Hacer una donación:

Friends of St. James School Campaign:

Dear St. James School Supporter,

We are reaching out to you today with an urgent need. In the last few years St. James School has made a lot of progress in many ways and we have a very good plan for our future, but this year has created an exceptional circumstance.

As you are aware the Covid-19 Pandemic has had a wide ranging and serious impact. We depend on many sources of revenue to maintain St. James Catholic School. One of our major sources, the Wine and Food Classic, was cancelled. We were able to take money from the endowment fund to cover a significant amount of the loss from this year’s event but need to find a way to cover the remaining $70,000. In addition, we are working hard to overcome the potential future difficulties this pandemic will cause.

St. James School has an important place in the overall welfare of our Catholic community. Therefore, we are asking for your help in two specific ways. First of all, through a financial contribution that, in combination with others, we hope will be enough to offset our current shortfall. Secondly, through the formation of a “Friends of St. James” core group from leaders like you who will work on development in the future.

Although this is a difficult time for everyone, we ask that you pray for God’s guidance in making this important decision. You can use the donation page from St. James School here, or you can call the office if you wish at 503-472-2661. For those who donate $1,000 or more, please make sure to indicate if you would also like to be a member of the core team to help with development and promotion.

We thank you for your prayerful consideration of this request and as always you are in our prayers.

Sincerely,

Fr. Zani and the staff and faculty of St. James Catholic School and Church.

Investing in God’s Kingdom

A lifestyle of generosity will help us to be more invested and committed as Christians and as a church to spreading the Gospel plan and message in the Yamhill Valley and in the world.

Why Give?
Money and church support can be a touchy subject, but it shouldn’t be. We all know that the church needs the generosity of its parishioners in order to survive. But let’s be honest, don’t we want a church that does more than just survive? Parish goals are reached when the parish is well managed and well supported. Our pledge is to continue to manage the parish resources well and efficiently.

From Tax to Investment:
In order to truly appreciate giving, we often need to look at it differently and move from seeing it as a tax to seeing it as an investment in Jesus’ Kingdom.
Some see giving to the church as they would a tax. We do it because it is an obligation but we aren’t happy about having to do it. Some have moved beyond that and see it as a donation. We are giving in order for some charitable activity to happen.  Some see giving as a direct investment of oneself into the Kingdom of God and our participation in it. This is the best way for a Christian to give since we are actively serving our God and seeing that as our share in his work. This helps faith to come alive.
I really believe this is our ultimate goal. If we see God’s Church as our Church and willingly give as a part of our participation in the work and ministry of the Church, our attitude will be much different. We will be excited to see God’s action and life. We will be enthusiastic seeing new people come to share in God’s grace and love. We will be doing our best to do God’s will in our own lives as well as encouraging that in the lives of others.

Additional Ways to Give
Time:
Determine your discretionary hours by subtracting out your work hours, sleep, and mandatory obligations. Consider your discretionary time and tithe a percentage of that for supporting and building up God’s work.
Talent:
Consider your talents and expertise. Could any of these be used to support and build up the Church and God’s work in the community in some way?
Wills and Estates:
When planning a will, consider tithing a portion of that as well to continue some particular work or ministry that is important to you.
Passions and Hobbies Can = Ministry:
Do you have a passion for something that can serve God? Think about how to put your interests and passions to use for his glory. You will be surprised how a little creative thinking can accomplish some great things.
Support:
Phone calls, letters, a few words of encouragement and support for others can be inspiring and uplifting to a church family.
Evangelize and Promote:
Jesus wants his message of love and salvation to go out to all. Do your part to get it out there.
Prayer:
Offer prayer for the sake of the Church and the people who are ministering in God’s name.