August 2011 – Ecumenical Stewardship Center

17Aug 2011 by Marcia Shetler No Comments

Leadership Council of Faith-Based Foundations & Development Offices Initiates Salary and Compensation Study

At their January 2011 meeting, the Leadership Council of Faith-Based Foundations & Development Offices (formerly the Estate & Financial Planning Forum Group) approved developing a salary and compensation study for faith-based foundations and development offices. The study is one initiative that the Council developing to serve the needs of the group and promote the common good. "While the denominations, faiths, and creeds of those who participate in Leadership Council are different, we face many of the same challenges and have a great deal in common," said Paul McLaughlin, President of the Moravian Ministries Foundation in America and a member of the Compensation Study Committee. "We hope the study will provide information that will help our organizations as they wrestle with questions such as: What is a fair, reasonable, and competitive…

16Aug 2011 by Marcia Shetler No Comments

It’s Not About You!

General

For some of us it is difficult and maybe a little scary to get up before a large group of people. I had been able to avoid doing this most of the time, but one Sunday I needed to go up front and make a short announcement during the worship service. I had written my few lines on a piece of paper. Another fear is that my mind will go blank. As I was waiting for my time to go forward, I took a deep breath trying to calm myself, then another deep breath and then a deeper breath and then another deeper breath—I was beginning to think I was going to hyperventilate and pass out before I made it up there. And so it took many years before I…

16Aug 2011 by Marcia Shetler No Comments

A Money Lesson with Noelle

General

Becoming a parent involves learning about a lot of things that we hadn’t even heard of before, and one of those things is American Girl Dolls. A year ago, we were blissfully unaware that any such product existed, and now American Girl catalogue is one of our daughter’s favorite things to read. Noelle is five, and one day while reading the latest catalogue, she announced, “These dolls cost one hundred dollars, which is more than we can afford, so I don’t think you should get me one.” We were taken aback, not because Noelle was entirely wrong, but because we didn’t realize she had any concept of the worth of one hundred dollars, or that it is perhaps too much to spend on a doll. Not wanting to burden Noelle…

16Aug 2011 by Marcia Shetler No Comments

November Leadership Seminar will Focus on Generosity in Congregations

General

Carol Johnston Jill Schumann Paul Johnston Creating Congregational Cultures of Generosity in the twenty-first century is the theme for this year’s Ecumenical Stewardship Center Leadership Seminar November 28-30 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. The Seminar will offer timely, energizing, and cutting-edge content to engage and inspire steward leaders through plenary sessions and discussions featuring theological thought, current research, and practical application possibilities. Plenary speakers will offer individual presentations, share in small group/talk back sessions, and engage in a panel discussion to explore the intersections of their disciplines with the topic. The Seminar’s three plenary speakers are Carol F. Johnston, Associate Professor of Theology & Culture and Director of Lifelong Theological Education at Christian Theological Seminary; Jill Schumann, President and CEO of Lutheran Services in America; and Paul Johnson, Director of…