RENDERING UNTO GOD
“Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.'” – Matthew 22:21 (NIV)
In this passage, Jesus’ words reveal deep wisdom about the nature of our resources and our allegiance. When asked a question which was meant to trap him—about taxes, money, and loyalty—Jesus responds, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” This isn’t just a comment on taxes; it’s a call to remember where our true devotion lies and how our resources can be used to reflect that commitment.
Just as the coin bore Caesar’s image, we are made in God’s image, created with a purpose that goes beyond the material world. Jesus’ words invite us to see ourselves, our lives, and everything we have as belonging to God. When we give to God what is God’s, we’re not only meeting needs; we’re answering a higher call to invest in God’s mission—bringing love, hope, and justice to others in ways that reflect his compassion.
As we consider the role, that each of us plays in this mission, let’s remember that every act of generosity is a way of “rendering unto God.” It is a sacred opportunity to align our resources with our faith, trusting that God will multiply our gifts to make a difference that goes beyond what we can imagine.
Reflect today on what it means to “give to God what is God’s.” Consider how you can be part of this mission, whether through time, talents, or finances, as a way to honour God and serve others. As we give, let’s witness together as God takes what we offer and uses it to create a lasting impact.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the many gifts you’ve entrusted us with. Help us see how best to use them to bring glory to you and to further your kingdom. May our giving reflect our love for you and be used to bless others. Teach us to give with open hearts, knowing that everything we have comes from you. Amen.
Ministry
SPONSORSHIP
We are truly thankful for the opportunity to empower students on their path to academic success and to make a meaningful difference in their lives.
- Muskan: She has completed her Formative Assignment-2 exams last month (September) and achieved an impressive score of 99%. She has been consistently attending her classes, showing great dedication to her studies. We are grateful to one of our donors, whose generosity has enabled us to pay her entire year fee, ensuring her continued focus on academics without financial concerns.
- Naga Prabha: She is excelling academically and is currently taking her pre-finals, which are organized and prepared by the college. The college management has notified the students that they must pay 80% of their fees and failing to do so, they would not be issued their internal records marks. She has been consistently attending her classes. To date, ₹10,000 has been paid toward her fees, leaving payable due of ₹20,000 that still needs to be settled.
- Ashok: He successfully completed his midterm exams from October 7th to 9th and is now sitting for his 5th semester exams, scheduled from October 21st to 30th. To support his continued education, we need to settle his remaining fees by November. In October, we contributed ₹10,000 towards his total college fees of ₹24,230, with an earlier payment of ₹4,000. This brings to the remaining payable due of ₹10,230, which we aim to pay promptly his continued studies without any disruptions.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude for your invaluable support, which has greatly contributed to our scholarship students’ academic success. Your generosity has made a lasting impact. If you would like further information or updates, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us—we would be delighted to connect with you.
SEMINARS
Conscientia
The eighth seminar under ‘Conscientia’ focused on ‘Stress Management,’ addressing the challenges faced by youth and teenagers. Dr. Chaitanya Hepsibah, an accomplished ophthalmologist, led the session, sharing insights from her experiences and workshops.
She began with a clear definition of stress and provided statistics on mental illness, highlighting both external and internal factors contributing to stress. Dr. Hepsibah concluded by detailing practical stress management techniques. The seminar was well-attended, with an average of 15 participants, and received positive feedback for its relevance and effectiveness.
SMALL GROUPS
In the month of October, the group, Chosen Ones, conducted a monthly seminar on the topic ‘Stress Management‘. As the title suggests, this session covered what stress is, why it occurs, and how bad it is, how it affects people, etc. It also included, most important techniques to manage the stress, whether the source of stress is internal or external. Other than this, they also held a meeting to discuss and ponder over the book, SHAPE, and learnt about how God wonderfully blesses everyone with abilities that clue in on what purpose God has planned for them. Their Friday morning prayers continue as usual, and they continue to grow individually and as a group.
On October 6, 2024, they gathered in Athmakur and enjoyed a wonderful time of fellowship. They shared personal updates and explored the inspiring story of Peter, an extraordinary individual, during their devotion time.
On Monday, October 21, they held an online gathering, shared personal prayer points, and held each other up in prayer. They also spent time in devotion, reflecting on insights from Joyce Meyer’s inspiring book, Confident Women.
They grateful to the Lord for inspiring them to change their group name from ACTS to Kadosh Sarang, meaning ‘Holy Love.’ While they couldn’t meet as often this month, they enjoyed a wonderful time together, including prayer and a character study on Joseph led by Sushma. They have learned that faithfulness and perseverance in adversity can lead to God’s greater purpose. As they strive to remain faithful in challenging situations, they desire to not lose hope but trust God, viewing the ‘gutters’ in life as protection rather than problems. They appreciate all those praying for them and supporting their journey; their encouragement inspires them to keep moving forward in faith.
The men’s group, with an ecstatic pleasure, share their progress that they have completed eleven lessons from the PBYP workbook. Their recent lesson, which is ‘Parents and In-laws’, focused on understanding the environment and background from which our partner comes from. This lesson emphasized the importance of recognizing family dynamics and building empathy, both of which are essential for creating stronger relationships.
With immense joy, they express their deep satisfactory pleasure that they could meet in person for the sexual relationship topic and had extensive deep discussion, and virtually finished their final chapter growing together spiritually with both the women groups. They have learnt the importance of Sexual Relationship that Sex is a gift designed by God, and also about spiritual disciplines like praying with spouse and for spouse, Scripture study, worship, Church involvement and using God given gifts. The final session concluded with a written exam on the entire PBYP book followed by feedback. The sharing, caring, praying and bonding with one another grew a lot. They give all glory to God for enabling them to start well and finish very well.
PBYP Small groups Gathering
The PBYP 2nd Gathering at Stewards of Nations Training Hall shifted its focus from planned discussions and activities to an evaluation of the PBYP Workbook groups due to lower than expected attendance. Intended for completion over 4-5 months, the workbook addresses various family-related topics and received positive feedback for its practical, relevant content. However, age group diversity presented challenges in engaging all participants effectively.
Key takeaways from the evaluation included the need to tailor activities to accommodate varied age groups, making future gatherings more inclusive. Insights from this session will guide adjustments to enhance both the workbook and the format of future PBYP gatherings.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
| Sl No. | Name of Program | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
PBYP Workshop |
14th to 16th November 2024 |
Ashirwad Global Learning Centre, Ghatkesar. |
|
2 |
Conscientia |
23rd November 2024 |
Zoom(Online) |
|
3 |
Board Meeting |
30th November 2024 |
Zoom(Online) |
Prepare Before You Promise (PBYP) seminar
Stewards of Nations is excited to announce the Prepare Before You Promise (PBYP) seminar, designed to empower 25 young adults (ages 18-35) with essential skills for building healthy relationships and preparing for marriage.
This transformative event will take place from November 14th at 5 PM to November 16th at 5 PM, 2024, at the Ashirwad Global Learning Centre. Participants will engage in interactive sessions and group discussions covering key topics such as Marriage as God Intended, Premarital Expectations, Roles and Responsibilities, Importance of Communication, Sex and Sexuality, Understanding God’s Will, Male and Female Differences, and Bride-Groom Hunting. The facilitators for this seminar are all from the Person to Person organization, bringing valuable experience and insights to the sessions.
The seminar aims to provide valuable insights while fostering a supportive community through mentorship and ongoing small group engagement. We have received 25 registrations with an ₹800 registration fee, totaling ₹20,000 in funding from participants. After removing this amount from the seminar’s budget of ₹110,000, we still need to raise ₹90,000.
If you feel led to support this initiative financially, every contribution helps us reach our goal and make a lasting difference in the lives of our participants. We also ask for your prayers as we prepare for this event—pray for the hearts of the participants to be open to learning and growth, and for God’s guidance in all aspects of the seminar.
ADMINISTRATION
Training Hall Development of Stewards of Nations:
We are grateful to God for blessing Stewards of Nations with the resources needed to equip our training hall. Recognizing the need for three AC units, two generous donors have funded two units, and the AoG group has provided a third. By God’s grace, we successfully installed all three AC units in October, and we thank the Lord for it.
WISPAD Workshops
In October 2024, members of our organization participated in two workshops organized by WISPAD, focused on enhancing strategic nonprofit management and human resource practices. The Strategic Nonprofit Management Workshop (October 7, 8, 10, and 11) provided insights into developing a strong foundation through vision, mission, values, and strategic planning. Key sessions covered program evaluation, partnerships, governance, and designing outcome indicators to measure program effectiveness. Participants learned practical skills such as mission activity planning, cost analysis, and the importance of aligning personal values with organizational goals to strengthen teamwork and impact.
The Nonprofit Human Resource Management Workshop (October 14, 15, 17, and 18) at the Mercury Hotel in Hyderabad, emphasized attracting, managing, and retaining mission-driven staff and volunteers. Topics included job analysis, identifying essential KSAOs for recruitment, and crafting clear job descriptions. The workshop highlighted principles of recruitment, selection, and non-financial motivation, focusing on transparent compensation and recognition programs. Additionally, participants gained strategies to effectively advertise roles that align with the organization’s mission and values.
Together, these workshops equipped our team with strategic planning and HR tools to improve alignment, enhance program planning, and develop methods to measure and increase our organization’s impact.
FINANCE
| Sl No. | Description | Amount (Rs.) |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Administration: Office Rent(10000), Current Bill(1000), Salaries(13000), Wifi (1000), Refreshments (500) and Stationery (500) |
26,000 |
|
2 |
Educational Scholarship: Naga Prabha (20000) and Ashok (10230) |
30,230 |
|
3 |
PBYP Seminar: Accommodation (30,000), Food & Refreshments(27,000), Training hall (20,000), Stationery(5,000), Administrative(3,000) and Honorarium(25,000) |
1,10,000 |
|
|
TOTAL |
1,66,230 |
Total Expenses for the month of November 2024 – Rs.1,66,230/-
We kindly ask for your prayers regarding our financial needs for the Prepare Before You Promise seminar, educational scholarships, and administrative expenses. If you feel inspired by God to support us, please know that every rupee makes a significant difference in helping us achieve our goals. Your generosity will greatly impact the lives of those we serve.
Our UPI ID is 8886668052@hdfcbank
PRAYER NEEDS
- Guidance and Wisdom: Pray for guidance and wisdom for our leaders in making decisions that will drive our mission forward.
- Strong Partnerships: Ask for meaningful partnerships and collaborations that will support our growth and mission.
- Protection and Safety: Pray for protection and safety for all members, staff, and those we serve.
- Increased Impact: Pray for an increased impact of our programs, reaching and positively influencing more lives.
- Volunteer Support: Ask for dedicated and passionate volunteers to join and strengthen our team.
- Sustainability: Pray for sustainable resources to maintain and improve our facilities, programs, and outreach.
- Blessings on Donors: Pray for blessings on our donors and supporters, that they may experience abundance and joy.
- Pray for resilience and adaptability for our students as they navigate the challenges in their lives.
- Pray for clarity and motivation for each student in setting and achieving their educational goals.
- Pray for peace and support for our students’ families as they manage their financial responsibilities.
- Pray for a strong support network around each student, fostering encouragement and guidance.
- Pray for wisdom and continued generosity for the sponsors, that they may feel fulfilled in their support.
- Pray for wisdom and discernment as we make decisions that affect our group and its mission.
- Pray for open hearts and minds, so that we may learn from each other and grow together.
- Pray for resilience and courage for each member as they face personal and spiritual challenges.
- Pray for opportunities to extend our fellowship, bringing in others who may benefit from the support and connection we share.
- Pray for renewed passion and commitment to serve our purpose and each other with compassion and love.
- Guidance and Wisdom: Pray for clear direction and discernment as we make decisions and lead initiatives, seeking God’s wisdom in every aspect of our work.
- Anointing of Trainers and Speaker: Ask for God’s anointing to empower our trainers and speakers to communicate effectively, inspire participants, and impart knowledge that resonates and transforms lives.
- Open Heart of Participants: Pray that participants’ hearts will be open and receptive, ready to embrace growth and positive change in their lives.
- Protection and Provision: Seek God’s protection over all activities, participants, and leaders, and ask for the necessary resources and support to meet every need.
- Strong marriage and Relationships: Pray for the strengthening of marriages and relationships within our community, fostering love, mutual respect, and unity.
- Community impact: Pray that our efforts will bring positive, lasting change to the community, meeting needs, inspiring hope, and promoting well-being.
- Spiritual growth and discipleship: Ask for deep spiritual growth among participants, with hearts drawn closer to God and a commitment to living out faith in daily life.
- Partnerships and collaborations: Pray for successful partnerships with like-minded organizations, allowing us to expand our reach and impact through collaboration.
- Long term sustainability: Seek God’s guidance for sustainable growth and financial stability, enabling the organization to continue serving for years to come.
- Glorifying God’s Name: Above all, pray that every initiative and activity brings glory to God, reflecting His love and grace to those we serve.
THANKSGIVING
- We thank God for providing the 3 AC units for our needs.
- We thank God for opportunities to improve our skills and knowledge.
- We thank God for the PBYP gathering and the fellowship it brought.
THANKS FOR JOINING WITH US FOR THE KINGDOM WORK