Surprising Gifts
description
Transcript of Surprising Gifts
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2013Best Practices
inBasic Stewardship
Surprising Gifts
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*Opening Prayer
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Where we are today…
*In a still-uncertain economic climate
*Moving from a relaxing summer
*to the quickening pace of a new church year
*Yes, it’s September, and November is coming!
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…or to build on your year-round stewardship ministry.
*This is a great time to get started on your Fall stewardship campaign…
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the “big picture” of the life of the church…
and
Stewardship
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an everyday spiritual practice for Christians
Stewardship
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From now to November…
Ten Best Practices for your
Fall stewardship
campaign
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1. Build the stewardship committee
If you have a committee that’s meeting, great! * Re-connect with a fun autumn gathering* Add a few new members* Consider an ad hoc campaign committee
If you don’t have a committee, form one!* Invite the unexpected* Create a timeline
www.ucc.org/stewardship
Enlist all of the leadership of the church
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2. Set the tone
Adjust your perspective:
* abundance, not scarcity
* positive, not negative
* joy, not anxiety
Shape your language:
* “the budget” is really
the mission spending plan
all mission: local and wider
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“Abundance is not something we
acquire; it is something
we tune into.”– Wayne Dyer
Abundance
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3. Nurture Financial Wellness
*Don’t shy away from the topic of money
*Provide support and education
*Ask for the same gift from everyone: not the same amount, but meaningful
Challenge the comfortable, comfort the challenged
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4. Approach giving as a year-round,
whole life spiritual practice.
A practice forms us as disciples:
We grow into more generous people as we give generously.
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Practice Pledging
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*The spiritual practices of first fruits giving
and proportional giving…
*challenge us to grow our giving by a regular percentage each year
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Our time and talents…are also shared with joy
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Theme art may be used with a Time and Talent Pledge form you’ve created
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5. Understand motivations
*Reasonability
*Challenge
*Commitment
*Compassion
*CommunityKennon Callahan
Stewardship and Giving in an Effective Church
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992)
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Compassion and Community:The Universal Motivations
We often TRANSMIT on the Commitment and Challenge
frequencies,
but our RECEIVERS are set
on
Compassion and Community.
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6. Ground your work in Scripture
*Surprising Gifts: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
*Other Scriptures in the theme materials
*Abundance Bible study www.ucc.org/stewardship
*Share Scripture in all of your communications to the congregation
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7. Teach giving by modeling it
*First fruits: the first line on your budget
*Ask preachers to share the story of their own giving
*Talk/write about the church’s giving
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Our Church’s Wider Mission
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8. Make giving moments life-giving
*The offering A time of delight in giving?
*Consecration Sunday A celebration you
wouldn’t want to miss?
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9. Tell the story of your church’s vision
*Creativity: gather an ad hoc committee of story-tellers
*Create a narrative budget
*Use DVDs, photos, skits, etc.
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Review of the Ten Best Practices:
1. Build the stewardship committee.
2. Set the tone.
3. Nurture financial wellness.
4. Approach stewardship as a year-round, whole-life
spiritual practice.
5. Understand motivations for giving.
6. Ground your work in Scripture.
7. Teach giving by modeling it.
8. Make giving moments life-giving.
9. Tell the story of your church – lay out the vision!
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10. Use the UCC 2013 stewardship theme materials
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Use the theme in your communications
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This year a graphics package is available
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*Surprising Gifts
Scripture assures us that first God gives to us: “God reached out in love and
surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence.” We can take heart; God knows our needs and hopes and wants
only the best for us.
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Surprising Unmerited Love
We are encouraged to keep our focus on God, confident that God wants the best for us.
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Surprising Unmerited Love
* The world may ignore us
* Take heart – God knows who we are
* Pray, ask, engage deeply in your faith
* Engagement aligns us with God’s love and intent
* We might surprise ourselves with Godly giving
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Surprised!Isn’t it surprising that God does not look and point a finger at us for what we do wrong but rather loves us enough to show mercy and grace?
Quite simply, the reason for all giving is God’s
surprising grace!
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Surprised!“Our prayer life can help us to face ourselves honestly, our faults as well as our gifts… Honesty flows from openness:
* An open heart,
* An open mind,
* A life opened to God and to transformation.
– Kathryn Matthews Huey
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Transformed Giving
*Zacchaeus had a transformative encounter with Jesus
*Transformation comes for us when we remain willing to see, to ask, to believe, to grow
*Transformation comes from our hearts
*Our giving is transformed when we let our hearts be surprised by the power of salvation
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“Casi Cielo” Almost Heaven
* First, God gives to us
God… reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence
* With confident and hope-filled hearts, we respond
It’s “casi cielo,” almost heaven
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*Question:When have
you experienced surprising
gifts?
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When have you offered a
surprising gift? Who was
surprised – you or the recipient?
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When has
giving
led to deeper
connections with others in your life?
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*Discussion