“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
The Hearth and the Heart
What is at the center of your activity in these increasingly shadowy days?
In the summer months many of us find ourselves occupied with outdoor sports, yardwork or leisure activities to take advantage of the warmer weather. But as the weather cools, even if just so slightly, what takes up space in our lives?
Our ancient forebears saw two centers of light in their lives: the sun and the hearth. The sun took center stage in the warmer months of the year, but as the sun started to turn in earlier, the other warm center, the hearth, came more into focus as outdoor competitions were replaced by quiet hobbies and as leisure in the sun was traded for lounging by the fire.
And it was around that hearth, that fire — what they called the “heart of the home” — that stories were shared, especially in these colder months. These stories were meant to shape not only the hearer but also the teller, keeping alive the history of the family and the importance of community, and reminding everyone of what their common purpose was.
Around the hearth they would open their hearts and stories of life would pour forth.
While most of our society is singing “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” those of us in the stewardship world are singing “It’s beginning to look a lot like year-end appeal letters.” As well we should! This is the time of year to imagine how you’re going to set your mission up with strength to start next year’s work!
But instead of simply asking for year-end gifts, let’s take a page from the ancient wisdom of our ancestors and tell a story or two of how these gifts have changed lives this year, by God. Get to the heart of the matter, as if you were sharing these stories by that ancient heart of the home: the hearth.
It is not too late to invite people to be generous in their year-end intentions, but invite them to do so through story and imagination, not just as a response to shortfalls or unmatched expectations.
God has invited your community to do wonderful and purposeful things in this world! Share how you’re doing them and why you’re being called to do them next year too.
That life-changing work is, after all, the heart of the matter.
Pax,
Tim Brown
Director of Congregational Stewardship Support
P.S. Congregational Stewardship has a Vimeo Page! If you ever miss a presentation or webinar (though we encourage you to show up for these in person if you can!), find them on our ELCA Congregational Stewardship Vimeo page. It’s perfect for stewardship teams wanting to do some continuing education or councils curious about what’s happening in the realm of stewardship. |
|
|
| UPCOMING EVENTS |
RESCHEDULED Stewardship Webinar: “The Spiritual Side of Capital Campaigns”
We are so sorry that the link to this webinar was corrupted and unable to be used. We know this topic is important, so we've rescheduled it for December! Mark your calendars now — we've been assured the link is good.
Many people view a capital campaign as a “necessary evil” (or even an unnecessary one!). But what if there’s a deeper spiritual calling inside capital campaigns that gets drowned out in the anxiety over the bottom line? Could God be inviting people to “dream dreams” in these often-ambitious endeavors?
In partnership with the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the ELCA will host a webinar on Monday, Dec. 11, in which the Rev. Meredith McNabb and the Rev. Tim Brown will explore the spiritual side of capital campaigns and invite you to think differently about the opportunity that awaits you.
|
Mark your calendar:
“The Spiritual Side of Capital Campaigns”
Monday, Dec. 11
6:00-7:00 p.m. Central time
Join us on Zoom
Meeting ID: 811 0881 1052
Password: 933561
|
Learn How to Construct a Narrative Budget for Your Community, Step by Step
You’ve heard about narrative budgets. You’ve probably even seen some examples or a demonstration explaining what they are, how they’re assembled and why they work to convey your community’s impact. But maybe the process is still too confusing or daunting for you.
If so, this webinar is for you.
On Monday, Nov. 27, the Rev. Tim Brown, director for congregational stewardship support, will lead a webinar going step by step through how to create a narrative budget. Bring your current budget (2023) and pieces of your projected budget (2024), and get ready to do some work in real time to start the narrative budget process. Over the course of 45 minutes (with plenty of time for questions), this webinar will prepare you to present a narrative budget for your next annual meeting. Pastors, council members, stewardship teams and all other interested parties are welcome to attend!
|
Mark your calendar:
“Narrative Budget Step by Step”
Monday, Nov. 27
6:30-7:30 p.m. Central time
Join us on Zoom
Meeting ID: 813 1042 0337
Password: 327160
|
|
|
| STEWARDSHIP RESOURCES |
Are you looking for stewardship resources to fuel your ministries and your imagination? This newsletter’s offerings are all about stories. Here are a few places to find guidance and support:
The Lake Institute on Faith & Giving has just released the report “2023 Giving Trends in Christian Congregations,” and the results are both inspiring and fascinating. As the global pandemic wanes, congregational giving has seen a bit of a rebound, and though worship attendance looks different than it did pre-pandemic, having options for hybrid worship have proved important for continued worship community engagement. Take a look, share this information with your church council or leadership board, and assess how you might use it to plan for 2024.
“Black Friday.” “Small Business Saturday.” “Cyber Monday.” It seems as if every day immediately following Thanksgiving in the United States has a particular designation. Are you familiar with “Giving Tuesday”? The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been popularly designated as a day to give to your favorite local nonprofit. Perhaps you’ll encourage your community to give to a local charity, or invite others into the life-giving work your community does; regardless of what you do, becoming aware and making others aware of this day might enliven your congregation to think generously in this season so often associated with overconsumption. Click the link to learn how you can participate in or spread the word about Giving Tuesday in your congregation.
Our final recommendation is a bit outside the box, but if we want to understand the societal trends being reflected in our pews, we must play in other sandboxes. A recent book by Seth Godin, the marketing strategist and pop culture guru, illuminates what we’re seeing in not only the business world but also the church world, especially when it comes to the whys (and why-nots!) of occupational and communal participation. The Song of Significance gives a glimpse behind the motivational purposes of society, especially this next generation, and provides interesting insights into how we might honestly engage folks in our communal work, our search for meaning and the faith story we’re invited to live out. Explore this short, accessible and deep resource!
Have a great stewardship resource to share? Please 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 about how we use our finances. Stewardship is a life trajectory.
Below are just a few Advent and Christmastide readings that might inspire thoughts on stewardship:
Mark 13:24-37 | Dec. 3
Advent always starts in the shadows, right? These apocalyptic texts stand in stark contrast to the “merry and bright” mood surrounding us, so don’t let this contrast go to waste! Advent highlights the notion of “stewardship of time and attention,” and we are encouraged to notice what we notice in this passage from Mark. The old teaching adage “What you intentionally notice, grows” comes to my mind with this text. What gets our attention these days? What are we invited to give attention to, beloved? How do we steward our attention to what is needful, what is life-giving, and what needs more life in these days of waning light?
John 1:6-8, 19-28 | Dec. 17
Anytime John the Baptizer takes center stage, we have an opportunity to discuss our “stewardship of voice” or, in other words, advocacy. John advocates to inject the Messiah into the status quo of society, and we would do well to both listen to him and mimic that Spirit-infused voice in our own day and time. John the Baptizer, the prophet, continually encourages us not to look at the next shiny object for salvation but to keep our eyes on the Christ whom God promises will give us all the love and life we need, by God. In this season of gifting and getting, are we relying on what’s under the tree (or in the checkbook) to save us? Or are we listening to the voice speaking from the wilderness of commercialism who points us back to the manger, not the market?
Luke 2:22-40 | Dec. 31
On this first Sunday of Christmastide you may be tempted to do a “Lessons and Carols” service, and for good reason! Fatigue has certainly set in for both preacher and parishioner, and a good, old-fashioned hymn sing may be just what the doctor ordered. But don’t let this moment slip by! This text from Luke is full of songs, and whether you preach on this sing-songy Gospel or do lessons and carols, liner notes that explain both the theology and the reasons behind our songs is a good way to speak deeply into the music of the season. If Saint Augustine is correct and “singing is praying twice,” we might associate each carol with a deeply needed prayer for the world and make that clear and plain. Preface each carol with that prayer or print it in the bulletin, but don’t pass up the opportunity to connect communal song with the needs of the world! In this way we steward our prayers for people even as we sing beauty into the world.
Know someone who should receive this e-newsletter? Forward this email and invite them to subscribe.
|
|
|
| Follow Us |
  |
|
|
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 |
|
.
|
