Diocesan Services Appeal
“What we give is what we have from the Lord.” (1 Chronicles 29:14)
Bishol Earl has chosen this verse from the Old Testament as the theme of this year’s Diocesan Services Appeal (DSA). It is a simple phrase that helps us to understand generosity. God gives freely to us and when we freely give back to Him and others it is a natural expression of justice, rather than keeping those gifts for merely our own use.
But as with all verses of Scripture there is a greater context. It is part of David’s prayer of praise to Yahweh after all the heads of families, tribal leaders, military commanders, and governmental leaders of Israel gave freewill offerings to fund the building of the temple (1 Chronicles 29:6), which David’s son Solomon would complete. As so many of David’s utterances are, it is beautiful expression of love and fealty to the Lord. Here is larger part of his prayer for your contemplation:
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours…Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all…And now we thank You, our God, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given you. For we are strangers before You, and sojourners, as all our fathers were; our days on earth are like a shadow… O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building You a house for Your holy name comes from Your hand and is all Your own.” (1 Chronicles 29:10a-16)
And so, the bishop asks us to respond with the same generosity to the needs of God’s Church in our diocese of Lansing. What exactly does the DSA fund? It funds a long list of 34 services that the diocese provides to the faithful. Some of them are:
- Adoption and Foster Care Services
- Campus Ministry
- Catechist Formation
- Catholic School
- Diaconate Formation
- Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens
- Hospital Ministry
- Marriage and Family Programs
- Pregnancy Counselling
- Priest Formation
- Retreats and Conferences
- Restorative Justice/Prison Ministry
It’s truly amazing what the diocese does for the souls in its care. I encourage you to go to https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/DSA and take a look at the FAQ file near the bottom of the page to see the complete list.
The 2026 goal for St. John the Evangelist Parish is $146,003. Last year, our parish exceeded our goal by over 10%, so I think this goal is achievable!
One last word on a practical note. Normally, our parish combines the DSA with our annual 5-4-1 pledge drive. If you’re new to the parish, the 5-4-1 drive represents a model of giving that encourages us to give 5% of our income to Sunday offertory, 4% to our parish’s capital fund, and 1% to the DSA.
This year we are making a change: the 5-4-1 pledge drive will be conducted in the fall instead of during the Lenten and Easter seasons. It will coincide with our annual State of the Parish near the end of Ordinary Time. This will allow you to connect our end-of-year report with how you plan your giving for the coming year. And because most households make their financial plans according to the calendar year (rather than the parish’s fiscal year that starts in July!), this should make it easier to do so.
Thank you for continuing to give to the Sunday offertory and to the capital fund, while we convey the diocese’s needs to fund its many good services through the DSA. Please consider giving the Diocese the 1% according to the 5-4-1 model, just as you do every year!