Stewardship | St. Christopher's Oak Park

The people of St. Christopher’s are our service ministers and, working with the staff and vestry, are full stewards of the mission and ministry of our congregation. Steward is an ancient concept. A steward is a person who is responsible for someone else's property, finances, or affairs.

As stewards, we are:

reminded us that everything we have - our property, work, health, family and indeed our very life - is a gift from God. In this use, we are called to take special care of the world and ourselves, because we are responsible to the God who created them.
encouraged to dedicate a portion of our talent and resources to support the work and life of the church. In this second capacity, we invite parishioners to consider what proportion of their time, talent and financial resources they will offer back to God in thanksgiving for all they have been given. St. Christopher's has little source of income beyond the pledges and contributions of its people. There are reserved funds and a few small donations from outside groups that share our space, but almost all of our parish's day-to-day life and ministry is dependent on the gifts of its people.

Fast facts about stewardship at St. Christopher's:

Each fall, we ask you to consider a financial pledge for the upcoming year so we can make plans and allocate resources responsibly.
To make a pledge at other times of the year, please pick up information and a pledge card at the Welcome/Information Table in the Parish Hall or contact the church office at 708-386-5613.
We encourage you to think of your pledge in proportion to your income. Statistics show the average pledge to churches is 2.6 percent of income; the biblical standard is 10 percent. You pick the percentage that's right for you.
Personal checks are the most common form of pledge payment, but pledges can also be paid in cash (providing an offering envelope is used) and by automatic payment from your bank. To make a gift of appreciated securities, please contact our treasurer, Marty Dunlavey.

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We look forward to welcoming you to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, an open and affirming congregation in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

We pray that you will find here the love that is Christ’s law – love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things – knowing that God’s love is bigger than anything we can ask or imagine.

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In the Episcopal Church, we call holy life events sacraments. We acknowledge that God is present in every occasion of our lives. Some of these we mark together with special celebrations of worship to highlight the ways in which God is always at work throughout our life’s eventss. As Episcopalians, we believe that these observations reveal God's grace to us in new ways and call them sacramental.

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We have created a Sunday morning for Children and Families beginning with worship at 9:30AM. Then, immediately following snack, the young people participate in the Whole People of God lectionary-based Sunday School curriculum, so that everyone in the church is reflecting on the same scripture. Children engage the themes and stories of the day in our 9:30 worship. Art, activities like acting out the story, and music reinforce what happens in worship.

In the Episcopal Church the people of God, ordained through baptism, are to be ministers of Jesus wherever they live, work, and play. The Priest is the pastor to the people who proclaims the gospel; administers the sacraments; and blesses and declares pardon in the name of God.

Supporting the Ministers of God are the Staff and Vestry. The Rector is elected by a vestry with the bishop‘s approval.

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We as Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. St. Paul's is part of the Episcopal Church, a church that is both rich with ancient tradition and relevant to life in the 21st century. We believe that God loves you - no exceptions.

We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the whole world.

Everything on our beautiful church campus is paid for by the people of St. Christopher’s. Our worship, our music, our Sunday School, our outreach, our staff, our buildings and every candle is made possible by the generosity of our church members, friends, and supporters. Please give now so that we can continue to build the Kingdom of God together.

The people of St. Christopher’s are our service ministers and, working with the staff and vestry, are full stewards of the mission and ministry of our congregation. Steward is an ancient concept. A steward is a person who is responsible for someone else's property, finances, or affairs.

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