Almighty and most merciful God, from you comes every good and perfect gift. We give you praise and thanks for all your mercies. Your goodness has created us, your bounty has sustained us, your discipline has chastened us, your patience has borne with us, your love has redeemed us. Give us a heart to love and serve you, and enable us to show our thankfulness for all your goodness and mercy by giving up ourselves to your service, and cheerfully submitting in all things to your blessed will; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen                                                         

Stewardship is the "management of God's household." Stewardship is the way we manage our entire lives: our gifts and talents, our resources and possessions, our time and our energy. Stewardship is our "whole life" response to God.
 

Song writer William W. How writes "We give thee but thine own, What e'er the gift may be." 
"What e'er the gift may be," speaks not only to your tithes, but to your time and talents. Your monetary giving is your personal journey towards wholeness and is essential to the mission of the ministry of the gospel through the church. Your church budget depends on your tithes. Your church budget is your money, your prayers, and your concerns translated into action. Your church budget can only do what you make possible by your gifts and sacrifice.
 

Your time--In order to have effective ministry in the church, it takes helping hands. John Wesley said: "Do all the good you can: by all the means you can; in all the places you can; at all the times you can; to all the people you can; as long as ever you can.                                                         
Your talents--Well, we all can't sing, play an instrument, but to be involved in ministry such as evangelism (reaching out to others and bringing them in); children and youth ministries (to make a difference in the life of a child brings hope fosters hope for our future) or any one of the church ministries presently at work and the door is always open for suggestions for other ministries.
 

Your time--Without you taking time to be a part of this congregation and giving of yourself, there would be no St. Paul.  We would not be celebrating 210 years of worship had those early congregants not been  "Good Stewards."  We stand on the shoulders of those who sang the song "Steal Away," to sing the song "We Gather Together to Ask the Lord's Blessing" for another 210 years.