What does your ministry do?
Corinne:  As an EM I assist in the distribution of the Eucharist during liturgy.

Dan:  As ushers we welcome everyone as they enter church.  We help people needing assistance, take the collection, and direct parishioners to the Altar for Communion.  At the end of mass we hand out the bulletins at the door and wish everyone a good day.

What drew you to this ministry?
Corinne:   I love the Lord and consider it an honor and a privilege to bring Him to others, especially to those who are homebound and unable to come to church.

Dan:  A friend I worked with for many years invited me to become an usher.

How long have you been with Saints Peter and Paul?
We are members of Sts. Peter and Paul for just over four years now.  We have made many good friends in this parish and we consider Sts. Peter and Paul part of our extended family. 

What special talents did you have that might enhance your skill in this ministry?
Corinne:  I don’t believe being an EM requires anything more than having an open and loving heart for the Lord and my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Dan:  I like to greet people and Ii am a good listener.

 What do you gain from this ministry?
Corinne: The grace of humility holding the Precious Body and Blood of my Savior in my hands and bringing Him to others.
Dan:  The feeling of being an active part of Sts. Peter and Paul.          

What would you say to a parishioner if they wanted to volunteer, that might not consider this ministry except for your recommendation?
Corinne: There is such grace that one can sense in being an EM, if this is where you feel the Lord is leading you, then let your heart be open to it.

Dan: Try it.  I was not sure I wanted to be an usher, now I wouldn’t give it up.

What other ministries have you been involved with and why?
Corinne: I am also a member of the Liturgy committee as co- chair of the EM homebound ministry and I also assist in planning parish retreats.  I like taking an active part in my parish.

Dan:  I was honored to be asked to serve on the Pastoral council.  I enjoy having a role in the direction our parish is going.  I am also a member of the Liturgy Committee.

Why do you volunteer?
Corinne:  I volunteer because I think it is what we as Christians are called to do, to love and serve one another.   I am a volunteer for many organizations and I receive great satisfaction in serving others.    So many blessings flow from giving of yourself.

Dan:  Because I love God and our parish family, and I want to be an active family member.

Other comments that you would like us to know.
We have both bonded with the people of this parish and consider them part of our family.  Sts. Peter and Paul is unlike so many other parishes that we have belonged to over the years; it is here that we found the truest meaning of Church, the Body of Christ.

Recently, You Gave a Talk about Stewardship, and What it Means to You. Would you share that?

Corinne:
We first heard about Stewardship many years ago while we were parishioners in St. Frances Cabrini in Coram.   I thought it was important, in fact I thought it was so important that I became an active member of the Stewardship committee there. 

We hear a lot about sacrificial giving, but what is it actually? 
We are asked to give 10% of our income to God, 5% to our parish and 5% to other charities.  That does not mean a percentage of what we have left over, that’s where the sacrifice comes in.  I can’t imagine what our lives would be like if Jesus didn’t make the sacrifice He did for our salvation.

Dan and I feel very strongly about stewardship.  God is very important in our lives and we strive to give Him our best.  We have been working toward our goal of ten percent and expect to reach it this year. 

We give generously to many charitable organizations and we strongly believe in supporting our beloved parish here at Sts. Peter and Paul. 

Dan:
Hi, eight years ago when I retired, I was given a buy-out instead of a pension, and invested it for our golden years.  For about six years we lived quite comfortably on the monies it produced.  We even bought a lovely new home and furnishings, and enjoyed several wonderful cruises.

Unfortunately, because of the economic downturn, and a poor decision on my behalf, my investment has lost almost 40% of its value, and my monthly benefit decreased by almost half.  Now we have to consider everything that we spend and find that we have to do without a lot of the things that we enjoyed before and took for granted, such as yearly vacations, eating out fairly often and entertainment. 

HOWEVER, at no time did we ever consider giving less to God by decreasing the monies we give to the Church.  In fact, last year we made an increase in our monthly contribution to our parish. It is not always easy, but we love this parish and would love to see it grow and expand.  We expect to increase our sacrificial giving again this year.

Corinne:
The truth is, that all of our resources, our homes, our cars, the clothes we wear, and our monies, are all God gifted, and one day we will be held accountable for how we used what God expects us to administrate for Him.

Sacrifice is never easy and no one likes to do without, or to give up anything that they enjoy, but God blesses our sacrifices when given from the heart.
Last year Dan and I had put aside monies for a vacation for this year, but we gave up that vacation to give a nice down payment on our capital campaigan fund pledge.  We did it because we felt it was the right thing to do.  God has blessed Dan and I abundantly.  This year I received good news on health issues that I am dealing with, a good result from a breast biopsy,  and Dan has had surgery on his back giving him considerable relief from the pain that he had been enduring.  This is not luck, it is God’s grace. 

I’d like to read a passage from 2 Cor.9

“Consider this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each must do as determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
MOREOVER GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE EVERY GRACE ABUNDANT FOR YOU, SO THAT IN ALL THINGS, ALWAYS HAVING ALL YOU NEED, YOU MAY HAVE AN ABUNDANCE FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.”
“The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” 

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul challenges them to Godlike generosity, and reminds them of the fudamental motive for encouragement which is that God cannot be outdone in generosity.

This parish is our home and we are one family in God.  We urge you to prayerfully consider what you will be giving this year to the our parish, and what offering you will be giving to God for all the blessings He has given to you. 
Let us take up Paul’s challenge and give from the heart.

Thank you for your time and May God bless you abundantly.