“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
May(Be)
Maybe you’re already in “summer mode,” either personally or professionally, ready to relax and take it easy for a bit.
Maybe.
Maybe you’re a little anxious for the next few months. Congregational leaders tend to worry about things such as attendance, offerings and congregational engagement when warmer weather and vacations interrupt regular routines.
Maybe.
Maybe this year has been full of flowers for you, with things turning out exactly in your favor. Or maybe it’s been a rough year so far, a 2024 that you already wish were nearing its expiration date, though we’re not even at the halfway point.
Maybe.
Part of the stewardship of our souls means taking a moment, however we find ourselves, to just “be” for a moment.
Be present, even now. No, seriously—stop reading, sit back and breathe for a second.
Be. Breathe. Be.
In finding moments to be we can take stock of what’s going on around us, giving thanks for the flowers, processing the anxiety for a moment (rather than letting it process us!), honoring what has been and mentally preparing for whatever may come.
May is a time when we can just be for a moment. Maybe.
Maybe one of your stewardship initiatives this summer is to highlight how those in your community are being Christ wherever they may be: on vacation, at camp, out for a hike. Collect some stories from those who are taking your community with them as they travel. Share these stories in the bulletin and on social media (with permission, of course) as a witness to how your community forms and shapes people as divine ambassadors of Christ’s love for the world, no matter where they happen to be.
However you find yourself this May, Beloved, I encourage you to be a good steward of your soul and find a way to just be, if only for a moment. After all, the spring rush can take a lot out of us, and though we often say we’ll “rest during the summer,” that doesn’t always happen.
Maybe there’s no time like the present, right?
It’s May. Let’s be.
Pax,
Tim Brown
Director of Congregational Stewardship
P.S. Congregational Stewardship has a Vimeo page! If you ever miss a webinar (though we encourage you to show up for these in person if you can!) or miss a presentation, we are doing our best to capture them all on our ELCA Congregational Stewardship Vimeo page. They’re perfect for stewardship teams wanting to do some continuing education or for councils curious about what’s happening in the realm of stewardship. |
|
|
| UPCOMING EVENTS |
Webinar: Grant Writing for Congregations
As communities work to incorporate new funding streams into their ministries, grant writing can be confusing and intimidating. Not all communities of faith are eligible for every grant, but there are some grants available for groups doing new and innovative ministry, especially with vulnerable populations and communities on the margins.
This webinar will explore both the technical side of grant writing (what are you funding, and why?) as well as the process of finding grant opportunities and deciding if you fit the criteria. Finding opportunities and writing grant applications can be intimidating, but it’s rewarding to bring to life something new for your community. |
Mark your calendar:
“Grant Writing for Congregations”
Monday, Aug. 19
6-7 p.m. Central time
Join webinar
Meeting ID: 847 9500 8544
Passcode: 869038
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,84795008544# US (Washington DC)
+13052241968,,84795008544# US
|
|
|
Stewardship Conference: Stewardship Kaleidoscope–Portland
In partnership with the Presbyterian Foundation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the ELCA Stewardship and Generosity team is proud to present a three-day conference dedicated to digging deeply into stewardship and generosity. Workshops and plenaries will highlight diverse and authoritative voices from across the ELCA, the PCUSA and partner church bodies. This year the conference will be in Portland, Ore., where attendees will explore what “makes stewardship weird” and hear from a number of people with thoughts on both practical and cutting-edge aspects of fueling ministry.
Stewardship Kaleidoscope offers real tools for real ministry and is perfect for both rostered and lay leaders. The mission of the conference is to ignite generosity, give attendees practical tools for encouraging congregational generosity, expand leadership capacity for stewardship leaders, and cultivate adaptive approaches to funding Christ’s mission throughout the world.
Limited partial scholarships are available! Contact the Rev. Tim Brown at [email protected] if interested.
For information and registration (opening soon!), go to Annual Conference — Stewardship Kaleidoscope.
|
Mark your calendar:
Sept. 23-25
Portland, Ore.
$325 individual rate
$125 virtual rate
Group discounts available for those from the same congregation
|
|
|
Cultivating Generous Congregations: Fall Cohort
How do we, as communities of faith, change our thinking on stewardship and generosity to meet the challenges of the moment? In partnership with the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the ELCA is offering congregations the opportunity to reexamine their stewardship thinking and imagine ways to act on their findings in their communities. The six-week webinar “Cultivating Generous Congregations” will offer virtual cohort sessions where congregational leaders can discuss, dissect and collaborate on how generosity might work in their contexts.
The cohort now costs just $350 per congregation plus workbooks ($40 each). Sign up soon!
Register here.
For a deeper look at what the webinar entails, watch this brief Cultivating Generous Congregations video.
Please contact the Rev. Larry Strenge and the Rev. Tim Brown if you’re interested in participating! They will work with your synod to get you registered for the fall cohort. |
Mark your calendar:
“Cultivating Generous Congregations” Fall 2024
Tuesdays, 5–6:30 p.m. Central time
Oct. 15-Nov. 19 |
|
|
| STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES |
Are you looking for stewardship resources to fuel your ministries and your imagination? Here are a few places to find guidance and support:
Cesie Delve Scheuermann is a leader in The United Methodist Church who writes the blog “Inspiring Generosity.” Not only is her blog well-written, but it does exactly what it promises: it inspires generosity! Cesie has a whole host of resources she has written and collected over the years on stewardship and generosity practices, ranging from the practical (year-round stewardship calendar) to the theological. Check out her blog!
Bill Whitt of the Center for Church Renewal just wrote an enlightening and concise post on how a faith community can be intentional about reaching folks who are on the margins of the faith or outside the circle altogether. “How to Become an Outward-focused Church” provides practical tips and ideas that a church council or leadership team can use to think differently about their welcome, their processes and how those unfamiliar with the faith might view what’s happening inside church walls. Spoiler alert:
Imagine every aspect of your space/place/practices through the eyes of someone who has no idea what’s going on.
For those of us who geek out on scriptural references and thematic threads that run through the Bible, the “Interpretation” commentary series from Westminster John Knox Press offers a comprehensive guide to how economics and stewardship play key roles in the Bible. Money and Possessions, written by Walter Brueggemann, offers an expansive and thorough look at how both the Hebrew Scriptures as well as the New Testament can be seen and interpreted through economics, and how economics can therefore be seen and studied through the lens of faith.
Have a great stewardship resource? Send tips on articles, books, movies and other media to [email protected]. The best gifts are those that are shared! |
|
|
| STEWARDSHIP IN THE TEXT |
Finding organic ways to speak about stewardship can be difficult, especially in relation to the lectionary texts. Not every sermon should be a “stewardship sermon,” but on any given Sunday, stewardship themes arise from the biblical witness and can be highlighted. Remember that stewardship is about how we live our lives, not just how we use our finances. Stewardship is a life trajectory.
Below are just a few readings for Eastertide and the following Sundays that might inspire thoughts on stewardship:
Mark 2:23-3:6 | June 2
The idea of “now” comes into play in these two brief episodes in Mark. Whereas the religious leaders are concerned that the rules limit how God’s love can be known and shown, Jesus reminds them through action that there is no time better than now to reveal God’s grace in someone’s life through food, healing and help. Though summer might be the start of “vacation brain” for many of us, we are still called to be stewards of God’s grace and love, now. Always now. How will your community steward God’s grace in these summer months?
Mark 4:26-34 | June 16
Jesus leans into agrarian metaphors to describe the realm of God. Seeds scattered with abandon. Small sprouts that grow into monstrous weeds. The realm of God infects all who come in contact with it. It gives generously and without discrimination, inviting us, too, to live and give generously to the flourishing of spaces of love and grace. How is your community both scattering seeds and like a seed scattered, infecting and injecting the world with divine love and grace? How are we called to fuel that work, continuing to water the good work begun through us?
Mark 6:1-13 | July 7
Jesus invites the disciples to pack lightly for the journey ahead of them. In some ways this seems foolish. Provisions are necessary! In other ways, though, this kind of invitation relies heavily on the community and those they encounter to engage in mutual aid with one another. How can we be in community together if we don’t rely on one another for support and for sustenance? How do we, as a community, steward our needs? Are we good at asking for help? Are we quick to respond in aid when asked to fulfill a need? Jesus invites the disciples, and us, to consider a bit of radical reliance today. How can our community members and leaders respond both honestly about their needs and generously with what God has already given them?
Know someone who should receive this e-newsletter? Forward this email and invite them to subscribe.
|
|
|
You’re receiving this email because you or your congregation indicated you are a stewardship leader in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
We'd love to hear from you! Have a link or idea you want to share in our next issue?
Email [email protected].
© Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL. 60631-4101
800-638-3522 |
| Home | Privacy | Subscribe | Unsubscribe |
|
.
|
