Stewardship Ministries Report

It has been a privilege to serve the NEC constituency in the capacity of Stewardship Director, along with Associate Directors Dr. Roberto Garcia and Dr. Jean-Jude Lors, since 2021.  From the outset and continuously, we have shared a vision that stewardship is a transformational experience rather than a transactional one.  Our core mission in the Stewardship Department, therefore, has been to present stewardship for what it really is:  A transformational experience in which we do not give in order to be blessed; rather, we give because we are already blessed (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:3; and Hebrews 11:3).

Using the transformational model of stewardship, we set a conference-wide goal of sixty million dollars per year in tithe remittance within our four-year term.  Our key function, therefore, has been to teach the true meaning of stewardship to all our stewards across the conference. We have conducted workshops to highlight the transformational model of stewardship.  We invited Pastor Michael Harpe, Stewardship Director of the North American Division, along with his team,  to present seminars via Zoom in this area in order to educate our stewardship leaders.

As a result of sharing this transformational message, in our first year in office (2022), we experienced, for the first time in the history of the Northeastern Conference, a total tithe remittance of over fifty-two million dollars.  This was a major milestone in that in the NEC’s seventy-seven years of existence, the yearly tithe had never reached fifty million dollars.  That changed in 2022. We wanted to reach sixty million in our first year in office.  We came very close to our goal in 2023 with a total remittance of over fifty-seven million. However, in 2024, we had a total remittance of nearly fifty-four million, a shortfall of  the previous year due to the global financial downturn. We continue to hold steady and believe that we are still on track to hit our target. In all things, we give God thanks.

As I continued to share our mission in churches, I realized that in order for our constituency to better receive the mission, our people needed to be reminded of their true identities, which is that they are one with God. Thus, sharing this truth became an extension of our mission.  Within our stewardship messages across churches, I began to teach about our oneness with God and the power His indwelling gives us to conduct business as He does on this earth. In this way, we can inhabit the plenitude that is our birthright, rather than the scarcity sold to us in this world. Our goal has been to empower and equip our membership to live full, joyful, and abundant lives, which is our divine inheritance.

As I have shared our vision and mission in our churches these past three plus years, many members have received the message with amazement, excitement, relief, and great curiosity. Feedback has flowed in from those who have embraced their true identities, which is their oneness with God.  From Long Island, NY, there is the medical student who was discouraged after taking a key exam repeatedly without success.  Despondent and fearful of yet another failure, the student was on the point of surrendering a lifelong dream of becoming a doctor.  And then, one Sabbath he heard a stewardship message that transformed his thinking. Embracing his oneness with God, he lived out the truth that the One for whom all things are possible resides within him.  Therefore, everything is possible for him, too, because he is the very address of the living God. Joyfully armed with this belief, he sat his exam for the final time and achieved success.

Then, there is the mother from Connecticut whose son kept getting rejected by employers and complaining about it.  She reminded him of a message I shared during a Stewardship day service that God has given us all things pertaining to life (2 Peter 1:3).  We just have to claim it. He wanted to know how to do that.  She was happy to share what I said in the sermon:  Gratitude is the foundation for fullness.  Jesus gave thanks for the food for feeding five thousand prior to five loaves and two fishes turning into a feast of gigantic proportions.  When He began breaking bread and dividing the fish, nothing ran out.  Instead, there were twelve baskets of leftovers. She advised her son to stop entertaining sadness at the rejections.  Apply again.  Imagine yourself getting up in the morning and going to work.  See yourself at a place of employment, fulfilling your daily tasks.  Thank God for the job, and be at peace.  Obedient to her counsel, he acted on it and is currently employed.  Beyond these individual successes, some churches have reported that they experienced an increase in tithe and offering after the Stewardship messages.

As a means of follow up to my messages, I made the Oneness with God Newsletter available to members who wished to learn more about the subject.  We were able to share approximately five hundred digital copies.  Further, I shared the “References that Remind Us of Who We Are” sheets with members to further an understanding of what it really means to be one with the Creator. Approximately five hundred of these have also been shared.

While our mission has been articulated to much of the constituency, there is still work to be done.  The vastness of the NEC territory has presented a challenge in reaching the entire conference membership. However, we continue to work to overcome this.  We also continue to work on all levels to afford our membership the opportunity to hear and embrace our vision and mission in Stewardship.

In closing, I, along with my associates, thank the NEC administration and the membership of our conference for entrusting us with the opportunity to lead God’s people in the Office of Stewardship.  I trust that our messaging through this department has made a positive impact and will continue to do so for the future.

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