2018 – Ecumenical Stewardship Center

14Dec 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

Devoted to Generosity

You want year-round stewardship resources. You’ll find them in Devoted to Generosity. Based on the story of Tabitha in Acts 9:36-42, the Devoted to Generosity year-round stewardship resource has everything a congregation needs for an annual stewardship focus. Guidelines are included for spring, fall, and year-round emphases that are user friendly for any size congregation. Theologians, educators, and practitioners from a variety of Christian faith traditions have contributed more than 200 pages of materials with a focus on holistic stewardship: a whole-life response to the abundant generosity of God. Devoted to Generosity includes materials for worship and study: one for each month of the year based on scriptures from the Revised Common Lectionary Year C. Adult studies, youth studies, and children’s stories provide a stewardship focus for every generation. Here’s what you’ll find in Devoted…

05Dec 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

Generosity Transformed 2019

Generosity Transformed

At the Generosity transformed! your mission * your ministry * your money Conference, April 30 – May 2, 2019 in Indianapolis, church and organizational leaders will learn how to energize and revitalize their strategies for faithful generosity by connecting their missions, ministries, and resources. More than a typical workshop-based conference, Generosity Transformed! Conference participants will engage deeply in peer discussion groups and subject-based roundtables to develop practical implementation plans, and leave ready and able to help their churches and organizations thrive through transformative practices of faithful generosity. Generosity Transformed!’s keynote speakers will provide theological grounding and inspiration. The Rev. Dr. Anthony Bailey is senior pastor at the Parkdale United Church in Ottawa, Ontario. He has provided leadership for the Festival of Homiletics and has academic degrees in social work, theology,…

06Nov 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

Stu Bear Children’s Book Now Available

Resources

The Ecumenical Stewardship Center is pleased to announce that the book Stu Bear: A Story about Stewardship for Young Children has been republished. Loveable Stu Bear was created by the Presbyterian Church USA to teach younger children about stewardship. Recently the Ecumenical Stewardship Center received permission to reprint Stu Bear resources and create new ones using Stu Bear. Stu Bear: A Story about Stewardship for Young Children is an adorable, full-color book in which Stu Bear learns about stewardship from young children as he accompanies them at home, at church, and in the community. Order today in the Ecumenical Stewardship Center web store.

09Oct 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

New Resource: 40 Words of Generosity Graphic

Resources

Stretch your imagination about faithful generosity with this colorful 40 words of generosity graphic, available in 6’ x 4’ banner size, 3’ x 2’ poster size, 7” x 5” for use in print applications, and 3” x 2” size for use in digital applications. Purchase individually or as a bundle. Find them here on the ESC website.

27Aug 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

September Author Chat Will Feature One Minute Stewardship

Author Chat

The Ecumenical Stewardship Center September 2018 Author Chat will feature the book One Minute Stewardship: Creative Ways to Talk about Money in Church, written by the Rev. Charles Claughen Jr. The live chat will take place on Wednesday, September 26 at 2:30 pm Eastern time, 1:30 pm Central time, 12:30 pm Mountain time, 11:30 am Pacific time. The Rev. Charles Claughen Jr. has been an Episcopal priest for over forty-eight years, serving in parishes in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Texas, and Maryland. He is presently the Director of Planned Giving for the Diocese of Maryland. His book One Minute Stewardship includes a plethora of wisdom about faithful generosity gleaned from nearly fifty years of ministry, and a collection of short reflections inspired by scripture, theme, event, and testimony designed to promote…

13Aug 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

How Much Do You Value Generosity?

Generosity NOW

At the Pathways to Generosity: Signs of Hope Conference, Rev. Dr. James F. Miller set the tone for the event during the opening worship with his sermon, “How Much?” Miller asked the question, "What do you value?", and masterfully served the attendees an inspirational feast full of word-pictures and phrases that illuminated Matthew 13:45-46 in a new light. Instead of envisioning the pearl of great price on display, sitting regally on a tufted cushion, Jim invited us to imagine the original owner of the gem reaching deep down into boggy, dense ground, releasing the pearl of great price from its hiding place. Through the stories, workshops, and plenaries of the conference, values related to faithful generosity were unearthed, examined, and polished. We value generosity when we extend the hand of…

16Jul 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

Pathways to Generosity Recordings Now Available!

General, Generosity NOW

The Pathways to Generosity: Signs of Hope Conference helped God's people thrive by digging deeply into faithful generosity and encouraging taking new, bold steps on their generosity paths. But if you missed the conference, don't dismay! Get access for one year to the recordings of the four keynote speakers and opening worship service, featuring: Rev. Dr. Katie Hays, lead evangelist at Galileo Christian Church Rev. Dr. Eric Law, founder and director of Kaleidoscope Institute; author of Holy Currencies and numerous other books Aimee A. Laramore, owner/lead consultant of ALlyd Image Solutions Rev. Pedro Suarez, Bishop of the Florida/Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Rev. Dr. James F. Miller, pastor of DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church and Director of Stewardship for the 4th District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church…

21Jun 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

Church Financial Leadership Grants

General

Applications Now Being Accepted for Church Financial Leadership Grants Matching funds available for Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastoral leaders seeking continuing education opportunities in church financial vitality and management JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. – Applications are now being accepted for the Presbyterian Foundation’s Church Financial Leadership Grant program. Applicants must be a pastor, commissioned ruling elder, (CRE), or leader of a 1001 New Worshiping Community within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The grants will enable pastoral leaders to institute best practices for church financial leadership, introduce them to new models of giving and stewardship, and offer new ways to talk about money and form generous disciples within their church. I received a grant to attend a stewardship event last year and came away with new energy and imagination for a better way of doing…

22May 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

Abundance or Sufficiency? A Biblical Vocabulary for Sustainable Stewardship

Generosity NEXT

“Abundance or Sufficiency? A Biblical Vocabulary for Sustainable Stewardship” is the topic for Generosity NEXT, November 28-29, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. Cameron Howard, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, will be the plenary speaker. Cameron B. R. Howard holds the Bachelor of Arts degree from Davidson College, the Master of Theological Studies degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and the Master of Theology degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. She received her Ph.D. from Emory University in 2010. Among her publications are contributions to The New Interpreter’s Bible One-Volume Commentary (Abingdon 2010), the twentieth-anniversary edition of the Women’s Bible Commentary (Westminster John Knox 2012), Connections: A Lectionary Commentary Resource (Westminster John Knox 2018), and the journal Word & World. She has…

14May 2018 by Joe Tolton No Comments

Generosity

COMPASS

The ultimate result of connecting faith and finances. Learn more through a video from the Free United Methodist Church in Canada and three videos based on John Wesley’s encouragement to Gain/earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can. Videos Generous Stewardship by the Free Methodist Church in Canada John Wesley video series Gain Save Give