By Paula Day

Stewardship brings its own rewards.

That message is repeated in various ways by Marietta parishioners who have had the experience of committing their time, talent and treasure to the church.

Taking an active role in parish life became a way of life. "It was just more than 'come and do your part,'" observed Transfiguration parishioner Darragh Browning. "It was where you wanted to be rather than where you needed to be."

She coordinates the Giving Tree Christmas project for the parish, is a eucharistic minister and helps in the office during religious education classes.

"It's been great for our family," commented Jim Hale, chairman of the parish stewardship committee in 1992.

He and his wife, Missy, made the stewardship decision together and that has improved their relationship with one another, he said.

Hale says the couple have a "sense of fulfillment" because they are trying to do God's will and a "sense of peace" realizing God will take care of them. These are the intangibles of forming a stewardship partnership with God. Material possessions have taken a secondary place in their lives.

The Marietta parish has a history of stewardship going back to previous pastors, Father Ray Horan and Father Henry Gracz.

"There has always been the effort to get people here to come together in terms of time, talent and treasure," commented Father Pat Bishop, pastor since 1989.

"In the early days more emphasis was on time and talent," the present pastor added. "As new facilities created financial demands on the parish, there was an increased awareness of the need to increase treasure."

"When I got here there was a well-developed stewardship program that we built on. I've been blessed with a finance committee, stewardship committee and parish council whose leadership is firmly committed to involving everyone in the parish family in the effort to support its ministries and needs.

"If you just permit people to address the needs they see -- give them enough room to creatively attack those needs, then they'll get out and do a good job, far superior to anything a (paid) staff can do."

In the four years since he has been pastor, Transfiguration has doubled in size and now has close to 2,000 households. "It's solidly middle class," Father Bishop said. "There are very few very poor families, but a lot are out of work. There are very few very wealthy."

Marilyn MacInnis directs the parish religious education program and in her six years as DRE has seen the number of volunteers in the program increase from 60 to 125 teachers and 54 aides. Additional volunteers help care for teachers' toddlers in a nursery. Each volunteer invests a minimum of three hours a week for just that one ministry.

Some less formalized tasks still involve time and talent. Steve Fick mixes sound for the choirs at Mass and other events taking place in the church.

An AT&T programmer, Fick estimates he spent 600 hours at Transfiguration last year flipping switches and modulating sounds. He and his wife, Marie, are also eucharistic ministers and he does "odd jobs" around the parish, such as making a weekly trip to pick up bread baked especially for the Eucharist and annually "baby sitting" the donkey borrowed by the parish from a riding stable for Holy Week.

Away from the Church for 20 years, Fick says coming back to Mass at Transfiguration was "kind of like a homecoming. I've gotten much more than I've given. I'm more at peace with myself and my surroundings. I'm able to deal with them, being at one again with the Church." The Fick household consists of five adults and a teenager, all of whom contribute of their treasure according to their ability.

Stewardship commitment can begin in small ways, according to Nancy Drummond. The "warm, family atmosphere and friendliness of the people" at Transfiguration first attracted her family.

"Masses were such a celebration, such an involving experience. It was more than just going to church and sitting in a pew." The example of other parishioners and the motivation of their own personal prayer life led the Drummonds to give more time, talent and treasure to the community. Mrs. Drummond began small, volunteering to help with parish social functions.

"It's an easy way to get started, just taking that first step. It's as easy as putting stickers on envelopes, a one-time thing. There are little areas in the parish that need help. It doesn't have to be something big."

Mrs. Drummond admits making the first contact can be "scary." Transfiguration devotes one Sunday a year to "The Gathering." Booths set up in the Family Life Center display and explain the various ministries and give people the chance to sign up for one fitting them.

"That way you don't have to walk into a room full of people who don’t know each other," observed Mrs. Drummond. Her involvement with social activities led to representing the social committee on the pastoral advisory board and then to membership on the board of education. Her husband, Charlie, is a sponsor in the OCIA (Organization of Christian Initiation of Adults) and helps with other adult education programs. Both facilitate Bible study groups in their home.

The foundation for her involvement is the Eucharist, Mrs. Drummond says. "It's the Mass that draws, even though I don't always agree with everything. I like the backbone; I admire the way the Catholic Church stands up to issues and I want to make the Church part of my life. I have two kids, five and three. I feel the Church is behind me (in rearing them). It gives me guidelines."

"I've grown by leaps and bounds," Mrs. Drummond added. "A lot has to do with the church, but also in my being involved. There's real comfort and real joy. It (faith) touches every aspect of our lives. We wouldn't have that if we weren't involved."

Commitment to music ministry in a parish involves time and talent, but also adds a faith dimension. Few talents are as tied up in one's sense of self as the ability to sing.

"There's nothing as personal as one's singing voice," commented Rod Voss, parish administrator and liturgy director. "It's a very personal expression of one's self. What I keep hearing from (people in the music ministry) is they feel so badly when they can't make a rehearsal. That means they won't have the experience during Mass they have when they are part of the group leading the singing. Their sense of involvement at Mass is heightened by being in this ministry."

The giving of time, talent and treasure means one puts "faith and trust in the Lord," commented Jim Hale. "It's an investment in the Lord, counting on the Lord -- a way of life."

"It's almost like prayer," he added. "You live stewardship so that you can be an example to others."