Stewardship

Guidelines for Responsible Stewardship  
 By Herb Mather a stewardship specialist with the General Board of Discipleship.

• Earn your living in a way that does not harm others.
• Be just in the way you treat others.
• Be sensitive to the needs of others.
• Don't buy what you don't need.
• Be honest in all your dealings with others.
• Share what you have.
• Be gentle with God's world.

Ash Wednesday begins the forty day season of preparation for the high holy days the Easter celebration. Traditionally, this has been a time and introspection for Christians, often accompanied by self-denial of the physical to encourage us to focus on the spiritual side of ourselves.

We want to suggest a different sort of discipline for this Lenten season, a discipline frequently neglected but essential for each one of us. We call it a "contingency notebook." A contingency notebook is a three-hole binder containing all the information a loved one or personal representative needs to know should you become seriously incapacitated or even die. When tragedy strikes, it's no time to go through drawers, filing cabinets and shoe boxes looking for pertinent information. Those who bear responsibility for your affairs need the relevant material immediately.

Your up-to-date contingency notebook can make all the difference. After you've obtained a good-sized notebook and 12 dividers, label the front cover in big letters, "Contingency Notebook." Then divide it into several sections, including:

1. Action List. Specify the immediate and secondary steps one should follow if something happens to you.

2. Key Contacts. Identify family members, friends, professional advisors and others who should be informed of your condition.

3. Medical Notes. List any medical problems and treatments. Identify types and locations of medicines. Include a copy of your living will or other advance directive to physicians, along with your health care proxy. Name your doctors and provide contact information.

4. Financial Accounts. (savings, checking, brokerage, credit, debit, etc.). Include account numbers, customer service phone numbers and copy of a past statement for each account.

5. Insurance. Include life, accident, disability, auto and health policy information. Summarize your coverage and/or include a copy of the coverage page from each policy. Identify insurance agent(s) and phone numbers.

6. Business Interests. Include copies of contracts and outline the actions to take.

7. Asset Inventory. List your major possessions (autos, real estate, etc.).

8. Funeral Instructions. Identify your wishes concerning the funeral service and burial. You might also suggest the The Cheshire United Methodist Church for those who wish to make a memorial gift in your honor.

9. Estate Planning Documents. Include copies of your will, power of attorney, trusts and other items. Also, specify where the original of each document can be found.

10. Charitable Commitments. Summarize your charitable involvements, including The Cheshire United Methodist Church. This will help your family know what organizations you supported during life, and why.

11. Personal Items. Include biographical information that can be used in preparing your obituary. Summarize your values and purpose in life. You might also provide personal notes to each family member expressing your love and your hopes for them.

12. Miscellaneous. This section is reserved for anything that doesn't fall into one of the other categories.

For the sake of your loved ones, we urge you to get started with your contingency book by Ash Wednesday. Keep working on it until you are satisfied it is complete. Then show it to your family and tell them where they can find it. All of this will produce peace of mind for you ... and for them. This is a Lenten Discipline that could be of great value to you and your family in the years ahead.