What Is Stewardship?

We were fortunate to hear the inspiring words of Dr. Bob Stephen this Sunday as he spoke on Stewardship. I wonder what went through your mind as Father Ram said we would be hearing a message on Stewardship. What does the word "Stewardship" mean to you and how would you define it. No fair googling it! Respond to this blog with your definition. Pam Piedfort

When somebody tells you, “The Lord put you in my path today!” you are the one who feels blessed.

As a St. George volunteer working for Christian Assistance Ministry or CAM, I try to help the homeless and poor families by working at the front desk and in the food pantry on different days.

I like working at the desk because I enjoy meeting people, and I am able to interact with each person who comes to us. Since the desk is the first exposure people have to our ministry, I try to be welcoming, to be sensitive to our clients' need to maintain their dignity in the face of poverty, and to be a bit light-hearted. I also try to keep order in the "system" by finding or preparing files for our interviewers, like Susan Keehn, or for our social workers. We have a number of guidelines, and I try to keep abreast of any changes.

I enjoy working in the food pantry because everything we prepare goes out the door that day to help someone, making the gratification immediate. In the food pantry, I help make dozens of sack lunches; a lunch consists of a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich, a can of pork and beans, a can of juice and a cookie or two, and we include a spoon and a napkin. We apply a Bible verse on the sack for a little contemplation.

The St. George Church and School community has always been very generous to CAM. Every time I put out a desperate call for food, diapers, children’s underwear and clothing, men's underwear and jeans, shoes, warm jackets or other needs, you come through. Every can of tomatoes or box of cereal keeps someone from being hungry. Everything is used and appreciated. We keep track of every item on each client's card by date, so that your donations are as fairly distributed as possible.

Bishop Lillibridge calls us “to bear one another’s burdens”. Perhaps that means cultivating the spiritual gift of mercy, of empathy. Perhaps we need to learn, by listening, or by imagining, because of the pain in our own lives, what someone else’s hurt, despair or fear feels like. Then, we might just want to do something to relieve that pain.

Some us can bear such burdens more easily than others. During my long life I have been blessed emotionally, supported materially, and nurtured intellectually. More than any other blessing, I was born into a Christian community which gave me a distinct sense of right and wrong, fostered in me a sense of purpose and a sense of responsibility toward others, and promised the hope for eternal life. Many people who need help at CAM have had few such blessings and opportunities.

As Christians, we are called upon to see the face of Christ in the faces of all men, women and children we come into contact with. From some of my past behavior, it’s sure been a stretch for others to see Christ in me. So it’s hard. It means seeing Christ, not just in our friends and fellow worshippers at St. George Episcopal Church and School, but everybody. We’re called to see Him in people that, on the surface, we might not have anything in common with—nothing in common, that is, except basic humanity, nothing except that we are all part of the human family.

I am not saying that having personal responsibility and making sound choices are not important values in life. These behaviors affect our lifestyles and our levels of personal security. But, sometimes, it is impossible to judge or weigh what makes some people thrive and others not. Everybody at CAM is there for a reason. Often their being destitute is not their fault. And it is not for me to judge whether they “deserve” my help.

We are called to see and believe in the best that is within people--to have the faith in Christ, or in others, that our bearing their burdens will help lead them out of dependency to strength. Or, if that is not possible, that we can help someone struggle through another hour or another day with more hope than despair. When somebody tells you, “The Lord put you in my path today!” you are the one who feels blessed.

Almost every needy person I’ve met at CAM expresses gratitude for any bit of help they receive, even a peanut butter sandwich and a can of beans. Many do not want to ask for help and are ashamed to have to do so. Most, if they have been self-sufficient for a few years and have to come back into our system, were proud to be making it on their own and are reluctant to have to ask for assistance again. We try to make them feel comfortable about their decision to come back to us. And we try to make everybody who brightens our door feel welcome.

Won’t you help make them feel welcome too?

Marti Nodine, CAM Volunteer








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Of all our sacraments the Holy Eucharist is the most important to me, and many others feel the same way. People who are home bound obviously cannot take part in this holiest of our services, and need to have the communion brought to them. The several occasions I have done this for our parishioners, I find them to be most appreciative, and I seem to benefit from this service as much if not more than they do.

If you would like to be a Home Eucharistic Minister get in touch with Rachel Graves. She would be glad to talk to you about this very important ministry.

Jerry Fulenwider

Rodeo Offers Unexpected Blessings

The San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo is a fantastic event that annually hosts more than 1.3 million people. What a fair number of people do not realize is that the money raised from this seventeen day event goes to providing scholarships to the youth of Texas. Last year's show raised $8,500,000 in scholarships bringing the total for the last several years to over $105 million. Steve and Susan Alwais serve as the chairman and vice-chairman of the Public Affairs Committee.

According to them, equally as important to the good that is done for the youth of Texas, are the lives that are touched both on the committee, with other volunteers, and the general public. Committee members working with them put in 36 hours during the 17 days of the show. Both Steve and Susan will tell you that the numbers of hours is very easy because of the good that is being done in so many ways in God's kingdom. If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact either Steve or Susan Alwais and they will be happy to discuss it with you.

~Written by Steve & Susan Alwais

Christian Action Ministry Is a Blessing to Many

Christian Action Ministry (CAM) offers a range of services to people in need.
Direct services include providing food, clothing, payment for medication, assistance in procuring birth certificates and IDs—documents that cost money that our clients do no have—as well as providing sack lunches and an address for mail for the homeless. The impact of the economic downturn has been very evident in two ways—many first-time clients and countless people unable to pay bills.

On the afternoon of the last Monday in July, eight different families came into the CAM facility for the first time. All were seeking food assistance. In all cases, a parent had lost employment and the family’s monthly allotment of food stamps was exhausted. All eight families left with bags of food.

A woman with three children, now living at the SAMM Shelter, came in because her ID had been stolen one night when she was sleeping on the street. This mother expressed her determination to create a better life for her girls. She had secured part-time employment and had signed a contract with the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA). However, she could not take possession of her apartment without an identification document. Once SAHA confirmed the woman’s need for an ID, CAM provided the check.

A male resident of Haven for Hope arrived all excited that he had gotten a job. However, the job mandated that he wear steel-toed shoes. After confirming his impending employment, CAM was able to provide the man with a voucher for use at Payless Shoes.

A Spanish-speaking man came in because his employer had moved from downtown to North Austin Highway. He had relied on his bicycle to get to work, but now the distance was too great. A bilingual volunteer confirmed the man’s employment situation, and CAM provided him with a week’s worth of bus passes, until he received his next paycheck.

A homeless woman brought in a prescription for cream to treat a skin
condition. Her arms were scratched raw. After confirming both the prescription and cost with the pharmacy, CAM provided a check to pay for the medication.
A woman came in with year-old twin boys, her grandsons. Her son had been killed in Afghanistan three months earlier, and his wife had driven from North Carolina to leave the children on her mother-in-law’s front porch. The grandmother was quite overwhelmed. CAM was able to provide the grandmother with diapers and clothing for the boys. The CAM counselor also arranged for an interview at the YMCA childcare facility near the woman’s home.

An important role of CAM is to provide information regarding other agencies and other sources of assistance.

The 40 school uniforms and backpacks that CAM procured were all given out in just two hours. Subsequently, many parents have come into the facility requesting help with school clothing. CAM provided a handout with all the back-to-school events in the community, as well as the United Way number to call to learn about assistance closest to their home.

An African-American father of three explained that he had been laid off six weeks earlier. Although he had applied for food stamps, there was a delay in receiving that government assistance. Tearfully he said, “My kids are hungry. Can you help?” He left with a bag of groceries and information regarding where he can take his children to eat as part of the Summer Nutrition Program of the San Antonio Food Bank.

A 75-year-old White woman reported to the reception desk and burst into tears. “I can’t go on,” she announced. A CAM counselor visited with her and learned that she had recently buried her daughter and grandson, victims of a car accident. Funeral expenses took the money that she would normally use for her expenses. She held a CPS shut-off notice and an overdue rent notice. The counselor, an ordained minister, prayed with the woman and calmed her. He provided a list of resources for rent support and via telephone and negotiated a payment postponement with CPS because the woman had never defaulted previously.

~Written by Susan Keehn

God Sighting

This summer I had the honor of taking care of 4 children as their Nanny. I'd worked as their tutor for the past year, and the grandparents invited me to be more involved with them over the summer. As with any family, each child had his own special quirks that made him lovable, frustrating, engaging, and challenging. Put all four together and you have a possible 'perfect storm', but I jumped at the opportunity anyway.

Yes, there were days when they challenged me to the point of pulling out my hair, but I wouldn't have traded the experience at all! One of the four was particularly challenging, and I'll call him Caleb. His mom is currently working to figure out why his behavior is so erratic, and the doctors so far say ADHD and dyslexia with many other possible learning disorders. He, above all the others, was my focus for the summer. He is one of the sweetest, most loving children I know, and he has been saddled with such heavy burdens so early in life. There were days when he wouldn't listen at all, he acted out, chose the 'wrong' behaviors, and this is just to name a few. There were many tears shed as he got frustrated, but many smiles as well. I know it's bad to have favorites, but Caleb was one of mine.

In July, the grandparents and I chose to enroll the four children in St. George's Vacation Bible School. I was excited to take them, and I knew that they would have a lot of fun, but they fought me about going. They would much rather have stayed at home swimming or playing on their own land, but I knew that the interaction with the other children would be great for them. What I didn't anticipate was what they would take home from VBS.

Each day of VBS, the children were given a new phrase, "God's word is true," "God's word is comforting," etc. The children (and volunteers) would respond by shouting "Let's go!" at the top of their lungs. They were on an adventure to learn more about how God works everyday in their life. One of the lessons of the week was "God Sightings." Each child was asked to watch for how God was working in their own life. Some kids said, "Butterflies!" while others went a little further and said, "Friends and family." For my four, the real God sighting came a few weeks later.

We were at their house, I was cleaning up after lunch, and the boys were driving me absolutely crazy. They had all kinds of pent up energy and they were running around being boys. I chose to kick them out of the house to play in the front yard and work off some of their craziness. My little Caleb was the first to get to the door, he opened it, and yelled, "God's word is surprising!!!" All the others quickly chimed in, with fists in the air, "Let's go!!!" They ran outside, and I welled up. This child that I had worked with for so long, that struggled to remember the simplest of directions, that couldn't sit still for lessons, had been listening all along, and he took home the most important message of all.

All this time I had believed that God had placed me in their lives for a purpose. I was to help them grow and learn in the best way I knew how. What I hadn't realized was that God had also placed them in my life. That moment was my God sighting. I had no idea that the time I was devoting to them would pay me back in such a profound and life-affirming way.

~Written by Haley Bankey

The Power of Half

Hannah Salwen was a lucky young woman. She was a member of a family of four, including loving parents who were successful professionals and a younger brother who wasn't too gross. The family lived in a famous three-story historic home in Atlanta, so large that it was often used for galas. But Hannah wasn't content. She felt that her family lived in too much opulence compared to most of the people in the world. And even though her parents tried to explain their yearly charitable giving, Hannah felt it was something of an afterthought.

Hannah and her father Kevin were stopped in Altanta at a stoplight that often took several minutes to change. At the side of the intersection stood a disheveled homeless man with a sign asking for help. Kevin, who typically carried five-dollar McDonald's Arch cards to hand out in such situations, discovered he was out of cards. Reluctant to give cash that might be spent on alcohol or drugs, Kevin tried not to look at the homeless man. Hannah, however, looked at the man and saw a Mercedes convertible pull in between her and the man. She said, "Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal." And thus began a voyage for the Salwen family that would result in a house half the size of the three-story Atlanta mansion, an $800,00 donation to charity, a book, and a new family reality.

The book is The Power of Half by Kevin and Hannah Salwen. Tenacious Hannah started a campaign to convince her family to do something large and meaningful for less fortunate people of the world. Her mother Joan, knowing teenagers can blow hot and cold on such things, asked what the children would be willing to sacrifice for this goal. She said, "If you guys really want to make a difference, we don't need this large house. Enough is as good as a feast. We could live in a place half this size, and use the excess money to really do something to help others."

To her mom's surprise, Hannah shouted, "Dude, we should definitely do this!" The family ultimately donated $800,000 to two villages in Ghana, but more about what the money accomplished later.

Of course, Kevin and Hannah's book does not suggest that every family give away half of its belongings. There are benefits to all families in just having the "giving" discussion. As a father watching his family decide how to spend such a sum on others, Kevin noted that three "Cool Things" came out of the project other than charity. Deciding who to help and how brought about Cool Thing #1. The family was brought together more than ever before. They established a working plan whereby everyone had the same information and every family member had one vote in decisions. Kevin praised his children's growth as critical thinkers and the democratic atmosphere that was birthed in their home.

Cool Thing #2 is that just about everything the family did can be reproduced by other families. The important thing is to choose a measurable giving amount that fits your budget and have democratic conversations about how to spend it for good.

Cool Thing #3 is that the process works for all kinds of families: divorced families, nontraditional families and intergenerational ones. Any family can be enriched by those "Three Cool Things."

Now about that $800,000. The family researched the effectiveness of all kinds of charitable business plans. They were shocked to find out that so many of these plans were not effective because they were basically handouts, so they knew they wanted to work with an organization that required some "sweat equity" from recipients similar to Habitat for Humanity. Ultimately they decided on the Hunger Project.

The Hunger Project requires that the villagers who receive funding do the physical labor to construct an epicenter which will contain a bank, a meeting room, nurse's quarters, and food storage facility, and is wired for electricity in the eventuality that the power grid reaches the village. They must create a management board of which 50% are women. A paradigm shift happens in the villages moving them from "Here are the things we need" to "Here is what we can do for ourselves." The Salwens' $800,000 will be divided evenly between two villages to build an economic structure to support themselves.

For any family preparing to make its giving practices part of the its family dialogue, I strongly recommend The Power of Half as a must read.


Written by Pam Piedfort