Tag Archives: Stewardship Foundation

Meet Me in St. Louis

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st louis downtownFor several years now we have been blessed to partner with Heartbeat International whose mission is to provide pro-life pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. They represent the very touchstone of the foundation’s mission. In past years, we’ve always exhibited at their annual conference, but this year we are additionally blessed with the opportunity to present a workshop at the 2015 Annual Conference in St. Louis, April 7-10.

Our workshop, in many ways, reflects our own story of tenacity and survival. Like many of the pregnancy help centers across the country, we too have a bootstrap mentality. Competition in the donor pool is fierce, and it takes hard work, a creative mind, and constant prayer in order to survive.

For those involved with attracting donations and planning for sustainable growth, we hope to offer a compelling story. Our workshop, Beyond Survival: Generating Sustainable Gifts, is part of six workshops in the Fundraising Dynamics track. If you are going to the Conference, we hope you will choose to join us on Wednesday, April 8, as we share some of our creative techniques to turn cash donors into sustainable donors with gifts of stock and property. We’ll present simple to understand material that crisis centers can easily adopt into their everyday conversations with donors and supporters, and we’ll share how and why having a foundation backing development efforts is a wise move.

We will also once again support the work of Heartbeat International as Exhibitors. We look forward to networking with everyone and talking about how we can help organizations not just survive, but thrive in the coming years with sustainable gifts.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, we can’t help but say, “meet me in St. Louis.”

Gifts Fit for a King

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Three Wise Men GiftsAt the end of January our friends are more eager to make Valentine’s Day dinner reservations than reflect on three wise men from the East bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We understand. But we think you will enjoy the insight.

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary his mother, and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matt 2:10-11)

Scripture doesn’t tell us the exact number of wise men or the time of their arrival. St. Dmitri of Rostav believed they could have been present at His birth if they saw the star at the Annunciation and began to arrange for the caravan then. However, the Gospel According to Matthew says that they came to a “house” not a cave or a manger and that Jesus is called a “child” not a “baby” as in Luke’s chapter when the shepherds were to find a “baby wrapped in cloths…”

It’s a tradition of the Christian faith that there were three kings, though there could have been more. The names are also tradition; they were never named in scripture.

Tradition also surrounds the meaning of the gifts. Balthasar was a young man and brought myrrh, a burial ointment, a gift for one who would die. Malchior was middle aged, and brought frankincense, the gift for a priest. Gaspar was an old man and brought gold, a gift for a king. All together, the men represent us, humanity, welcoming Jesus into the world as suffering redeemer, God, and King.

Gaspar’s gift invites me to reflect on the wealth we possess. Gaspar was the first of the magi to kneel before the King of Kings and offer his gift. Because he is older and wiser, he more readily understands the real gift that is present, and is most willing to give up what the world would deem valuable in return for the gift of the redeemer.

Many of you understand that your wealth is truly valuable when you give it to the service of the Lord and His kingdom. In the process, you instill values and legacy to your children and grandchildren. During the last five years, the Stewardship Foundation has enabled your generosity to benefit those organizations on the front lines promoting life, family, and religious freedom.

We look forward to your continued backing and the valuable partners we have developed. Now is the time to set your philanthropic goals for 2015. The Stewardship Foundation has proven it can foster successful, yet morally approved investment strategies for you and the organizations you support. Contact us to ensure that your investments are morally sound and your donations promote the culture of life ushered in by the newborn King and honored by the magi.

College Kids Growing Up Catholic

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Imagine this! Your college-age child or grandchild home for Thanksgiving break wants to talk about his faith – he speaks about the joy of worship, reading the Bible, and meeting regularly with friends for prayer and sharing. Sounds unbelievable? It’s not.

This student is involved in St. Paul’s Outreach (SPO), active on several college campuses throughout the country. Recently, the Columbus chapter serving the Ohio State and Ohio Dominican Universities celebrated its 10th anniversary. At the annual banquet attended by over 700 supporters and alumni, my nephew Andrew Kebe, SPO’s Ohio Senior Mission Director, recounted his past ten years of service to this organization that has empowered and inspired so many young people and made such a lasting impact on college campuses.

The Stewardship Foundation is honored to partner with this inspiring organization. As a leadership mentor, I’ve been personally blessed with my involvement and proud to be a father and uncle to several students impacted by SPO.

Watch the video God Has Given The Growth – Ohio 10 Year Anniversary from Saint Paul’s Outreach:

If you are moved by what you see, please consider supporting SPO with a tax-deductible donation to the Stewardship Foundation’s Donor Advised Fund where 100% of investment returns benefit the Columbus SPO Chapter.

In the donation form, Under Optional Information, enter “SPO” in the Comment box. If you’d like to learn more about this particular DAF, please call me directly at 614-800-7985.

If you have a child or grandchild who has strayed from the faith, you can make your donation to the Donor Advised Fund in their name and we will pray for them – because it’s never too late for the Holy Spirit to enflame a heart.

If you have a college-age child or grandchild who could benefit from this ministry, contact Andrew Kebe.

From the Ohio Mission Center

God has given the growth! As we look back at the 2013-2014 school year, we can truly see the effectiveness of God’s grace upon our work. Here is a glimpse of the impact from last year:

  • More than 225 students were involved in small groups on the Ohio State, Ohio Dominican, and West Virginia campuses.
  • 4 SPO Ohio alumni entered formation for priestly or religious life and 11 more agreed to serve as full-time missionaries with a Catholic ministry. In 10 years, 72 SPO Ohio alumni have served at least one year of full-time missionary work, 21 are currently in religious or priestly formation, and 73 are now married and starting families.
  • SPO Ohio continued to collaborate in close partnership with the St. Thomas More Newman Center at OSU, particularly on building a stronger Catholic Bible Study program and kicking off the school year with Catholic Rush Week.
  • We completed the renovations on our new home on 13th Avenue, bringing our evangelization efforts to a new frontier in the heart of OSU’s off-campus housing and Greek houses.

Read more on our website.