Investing with Faith / Kimberly Pohovey

In spirit of Christmas, ask how to answer God’s call to generosity

I have spent my entire career working in stewardship, development or advancement roles for Catholic churches, schools and dioceses. I am often asked how I can do this for a living, and usually those who question me quickly add that they could never do it themselves.

My reply is normally two-fold: 1) I am only successful in this profession because God is leading the conversations; and, 2) I am not asking for contributions for myself, but for the Church, schools and ministries for which I am privileged to represent.

Fundraising is not always easy, but it is incredibly fulfilling. My role, and this is true for all our staff in the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship and Development and the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF), is to help donors match their passions with God’s calling and the needs of the Church throughout the archdiocese.

Through the years, I have witnessed great generosity from the faithful. From million-dollar gifts to the sweet lady I knew who literally gave $1 to a ministry (and I happen to know she probably could not spare even that amount), I have a first-row seat to the power of the Lord working through individuals to give of their first fruits, their surplus and, sometimes, their very last dollar. All these gifts directly impact the services, activities, education and faith enhancement we offer to the more than 70,000 households in our archdiocese as well as community members in need.

We’ve all heard the adage “money is the root of all evil.” When it comes to charitable giving, I would challenge you to view money not as an “evil,” but an extraordinary opportunity to help bring about God’s kingdom. Like every enterprise, the reality is that the Church needs funding to continue serving others. Supporting the Church and its ministries allows each of us to give, not responding to a neediness on the ministries’ part, but to an opportunity to respond to God’s call to transform others’ lives spiritually, educationally, physically and mentally.

The great Catholic author Father Henri Nouwen wrote, “The kingdom is where God provides for all that we need.” In terms of our earthly kingdom, God works through each of us to provide collectively for the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Father Nouwen translates Ephesians 3:20 to mean “Even a small act of generosity can grow into something far beyond what we could ever ask or imagine.”

Most often, we give to the causes that are important to us. While there is nothing wrong with this, how many of us, in prayer, ask God where he wants us to contribute that will bring about his kingdom? Perhaps in the quiet of Advent, you can ask God to inspire you to give. And in the spirit of Christmas, ask yourself how you can answer God’s call to generosity.

The CCF is the conduit for God to work through you. Our staff members are honored to serve in this role. Please contact us if we can help you serve others.
 

(Kimberly Pohovey is the director of major and planned gifts for the archdiocese. Tax or legal information provided herein is not intended as tax or legal advice. Always consult with your legal, tax or financial advisors before implementing any gift plan. For more information on the CCF, visit www.archindy.org/CCF, e-mail ccf@ archindy.org, or call 317-236-1482.) †