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You may feel that the pledge or gift is “in” and that the whole, long process of cultivating and then asking for the gift is over; but you are wrong. In a way, it has only just begun.
Allowing our congregation or diocese to come together to express their hopes and dreams for the church mission and life before being asked to fund it inspires us to be vulnerable, to share openly, and to persevere together during times of hardship; whereas not gathering to express our longings openly together early keeps us small, resentful, withholding and afraid.
As disciples, we have been given a glimpse into the dream God has for us as human beings, born to seek relationship with each other and with God. The question is, what do we do with that vision? Do we continue about our business, thinking that how we live our lives doesn’t matter as long as we claim to believe in Jesus? Or do we acknowledge the grace that is God’s gift of love to us, that can’t be bought or earned.
I have a huge box marked “Stewardship” which contains, among other things, a bazillion schemes for encouraging giving. Some new, some forty years old. They all look the same.
when we give away a gift such as a pledge card or a check for a mission or ministry; what is lighting up in our brain when we “give” is, surprisingly, the area which is usually reserved for “receiving.”
The greatest potential for growth in a stewardship program is to be found in prayer and planning. The two go hand-in-hand. We discern and then we plan, so that, we can act.
Interfaith Power and Light has been working with churches and other houses of worship in Ohio to help them become more energy efficient. As a result of the non-profit’s work, three churches have received the Energy Star certification from the EPA, a high achievement.
Are you interested in creation care? Have a good idea to address climate change? There may be an opportunity to get funding for your initiative from the Episcopal Church. Applications being accepted through Dec 31st
Many know of the “wailing wall” in Jerusalem, and many have likely experienced anguish in the church. But what if we had a place to share our stories, to express our hopes and the strength of our faith? What if we had a “willing wall” to collect our dreams?
Last week we had a story about a joint effort of the College for Bishops, The Episcopal Church Development Office and The Episcopal Church Foundation called Project Resource that seeks to change the culture of acquiring resources for ministry. A key part of Project Resource is the intentional evangelism program called Come and See. In this article, Project Resource’s chief architect The Rev Canon Charles LaFond explains “Come and See.”
The Episcopal Café seeks to be an independent voice, reporting and reflecting on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican tradition. The Café is not a platform of advocacy, but it does aim to tell the story of the church from the perspective of Progressive Christianity. Our collective sympathy, as the Café, lies with the project of widening the circle of inclusion within the church and empowering all the baptized for the role to which they have been called as followers of Christ.
The opinions expressed at the Café are those of individual contributors, and, unless otherwise noted, should not be interpreted as official statements of a parish, diocese or other organization. The art and articles that appear here remain the property of their creators.
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