Month: February 2016

The Ecumenical Stewardship Center is pleased to announce the launch of COMPASS Live Chats. The COMPASS initiative’s mission is to engage young adults in conversations about faith and finances by providing resources that are relational, informational, and practical. COMPASS resources include a web page, a Facebook page, and a Wordpress blog. Live chats will build on these resources by providing additional opportunities for interaction between young adults and stewardship and generosity thought leaders on a variety of topics. Sandy Crozier, Development Director for the Free Methodist Church in Canada, will be the resource person for the first chat on Tuesday, March 22, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, 7:00 p.m. Central time, 6:00 p.m. Mountain time, and 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. The conversation topic will be debt management. Space is limited:…

The Ecumenical Stewardship Center is pleased to announce the launch of monthly author chats. Author chats provide the opportunity to interact with thought leaders who are authors of some of the most recently-published books on faithful stewardship and generous giving.   The Rev. Dr. Clayton Smith, Executive Pastor of Generosity at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, will be the guest author for the first chat on Tuesday, March 29, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, 1:00 p.m. Central time, Noon Mountain time, and 11:00 a.m. Pacific time. Rev. Dr. Smith has recently written Propel: Good Stewardship, Greater Generosity. Pastors, stewardship leaders and those preparing for ministry will appreciate the clear vision Clayton casts in Propel in areas such as the organization and implementation of annual…

The North American Conference on Christian Philanthropy sponsored by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center has been a premiere event for decades. In 2016, the Ecumenical Stewardship Center is partnering with Canadian organizations to offer THE PURSUIT ’16: Challenging Boundaries, April 27-29 in London, Ontario. Laypersons, pastors, and judicatory and denominational staff who attend THE PURSUIT ’16 will have the opportunity to increase their knowledge about spiritual principles and best practices relating to faithful stewardship, generous giving, and much more. The format of THE PURSUIT ’16: Challenging Boundaries is unique: it combines the benefits of online learning and face-to-face interaction. The online community includes year-round access to training videos, handouts, and  online forums. The live conference includes worship sessions, engaging keynote speakers, and over 90 learning choices that will renew your passion…

Live Simply, based on Philippians 4:11, is the theme for just-released stewardship resources published by the Ecumenical Stewardship Center. The Ecumenical Stewardship Center offers resources that together provide a creative, comprehensive, and thought-provoking approach to encourage faithful stewardship that leads to generous giving. Live Simply is the second of four planned themes that focus on 1 Timothy 6:18-19 and the phrase "take hold of the life that really is life."  Other themes are Live Free, Live Generously, and Live Courageously. Live Simply includes four sub-themes: Live Simply, Follow Jesus; Live Simply, Face the Truth; Live Simply, Act Together; and Live Simply, Share Enough. Volume 18 of the Giving: Growing Faithful Stewards in Your Congregation magazine includes articles that provide theological reflection on Live Simply and each of the sub-themes, practical…