Pastor’s Stewardship Letter | November 2025
And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28
Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
“What are we here for?” What did God create us to do?
We’ve pursued an answer to this question concerning our purpose in life during Midweek Table Talk. It’s important to ask as we seek to live out the life of faith. After all, how can we be good stewards of all that God has given us if we don’t even know what we’re put here to do?
To rightly answer, we’ve gone to the beginning, when God first created man and revealed His intent and design for us. You might be surprised how much there is to find in Genesis 1 & 2 if you stick around for a while. Our students learned that all the major doctrines of our faith take shape in the garden. From God creating the heavens and the earth, to His forming Adam and Eve, to them delighting with Him in His creation on the Sabbath, the whole Small Catechism is present.
Especially, we see all the gifts God gives us, which after the fall into sin He protects with the Ten Commandments. But the commandments are summed up in God’s dual commands to Adam and Eve: “Do not eat from the tree in the midst of the garden,” (love God) and, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and have dominion,” (love others). These are the tasks God gave and still gives to us, and He gives us all creation to accomplish it. All we have comes from God and is meant for these two purposes. This is proper stewardship.
This is why we spend time each year to specifically ponder and plan how we will make good use of the gifts we receive: time, talent, and treasure. I challenge you to consider how you might increase faithful stewardship this coming year in one or more areas. Pick something and stick with it. Could you attend Wednesday Morning Bible Study or Wednesday Evening Table Talk? More faithfully attend Divine Service and Sunday School? What ways could you serve your brothers and sisters in Christ and spend more time with them? Serve people in the community? Could you increase your giving at all, even just a bit?
Sunday, November 16th is Stewardship Sunday. Please prayerfully consider how you may steward the good gifts God has blessed you with, then return your Time & Talent Survey and Commitment Form so our leaders can begin planning for the upcoming year.
May we Thy bounties thus as stewards true receive and gladly, as Thou blessest us, to Thee our firstfruits give! Amen.
In Christian Love,
Pastor Roth
1 Gracious God, You send great blessings
New each morning all our days.
For Your mercies never ending,
For Your love we offer praise.
Refrain
Lord, we pray that we, Your people
Who Your gifts unnumbered claim,
Through the sharing of Your blessings
May bring glory to Your name.
2 By Your Word You formed creation
Filled with creatures large and small;
As we tend that endless treasure
May our care encircle all. Refrain
3 In His earthly life, our Savior
Knew the care of faithful friends;
May our deeds of dedication
Offer love that never ends. Refrain
4 Heav’nly Father, may our caring
Bear the imprint of Your grace;
With the Son and Holy Spirit,
Praise be Yours in ev’ry place! Refrain
Text: © 2004 Gregory J. Wismar. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110002175.
2026 Time & Talents and Commitment Forms
Click the buttons below for the corresponding forms. Please complete the Time & Talents Survey and a Commitments Form.
Fill out and submit the form online through Microsoft Forms. You do not need an account to fill out and submit.
Fill out and submit the PDF online through Adobe Acrobat Sign. After you submit the form, it will send you a link to verify your email. You must verify your email before it will submit your form. You do not need an account to fill out and submit.
Download a fillable PDF, fill out and save the document on your device, and return as an attachment to office@faithottawa.org.
Fill out and submit an anonymous form online through Microsoft Forms. You do not need an account to fill out and submit.
Examples of Proportional Giving
“Proportional” refers to the amount contributed based on the amount of income. Income can be gross wages, net wages, or whatever you determine. Contributions may fluctuate as your income fluctuates. Below are a few examples of calculating proportional financial offerings. The formula is income times a percentage. If you’ve never contributed proportionally before, you might start at 3% and grow from there. Faith Lutheran tithes its general fund offerings.
Ways to Contribute
Here is a list of many of the ways that you can choose to make donations to Faith Lutheran Church, with brief explanations of some. Offerings received in pre-assigned offering envelopes and all other checks appear in your year-to-date quarterly giving statement. Giving statements enable you to verify that your offerings have been recorded accurately, and provide a valid record supporting income tax deductions.
In 2026, taxpayers who do not itemize deductions may deduct some donations in addition to their standard deduction — $1,000 for unmarried, $2,000 for married, filing jointly. Those who donate with loose cash in the offering plate may wish to start using a pre-assigned offering envelope. Request forms will be available in December.
The list:
1. Cash in offering plate
2. Check in offering plate
3. Cash in offering envelope
4. Check in offering envelope
5. Check mailed to church,
6. Bill pay service by your bank—order a payment on your bank app. You control the amounts and issue dates. There are no service charges to you or the church.
7. Faith Lutheran website—you may make payments from your credit card, debit card or bank account (ACH). The church is charged an administration fee of 2.75% plus $0.75 for each card transaction by Vanco. Each ACH is free.
8. Qualified Contribution Distribution (QCD)—members who are at least 70 1/2 on 12/31/25 and have a traditional, not Roth, IRA, may arrange to have the account custodian distribute donations directly to Faith Lutheran to be received before 1/1/26. If timely, your distribution is not taxable. The QCD counts as a required minimum distribution (RMD) if you need those. Several FLC members donate regularly with QCDs throughout the year.
9. Life insurance proceeds—Faith Lutheran Church named as a beneficiary.
10. Real estate and personal property—require stewardship board acceptance and have valuation reporting requirements.
11. Securities—stocks, bonds and mutual funds have valuation reporting requirements. The following items may require experienced, competent professional services, some quite sophisticated.
12. Will
13. Trust
14. Charitable remainder trust
15. Charitable lead trust