Cassoulet
Posted by Charles LaFond, February 22, 2012
Cooking up a campaign – a year’s worth of blogs on Campaign basics and spirituality
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One Hillside on the Other Side of the World
Posted by Greg Rickel, February 17, 2012
There we stood, perched on the side of a steep hillside, looking down at new growth trees, planted to protect from landslides, to produce a sustainable crop, to help our earth. Fabulous people, living simple and not so easy lives, deeply attuned to their role in protecting our environment.
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Who Is The Owner?
Posted by Jesus Reyes, February 15, 2012
I live in Seaside, California. Here there is a little hamburger place that people can drive by without paying much attention to it. It is small, simple and without much of a special appeal. It is just a simple hamburger joint. Nevertheless, for those who know the area, this place is very special as the food is great and the owner is quite welcoming. Once one gets in the little place, with its four or five small round outdoor garden tables in one side, then the person gets the immediate impression that this is not just a simple, random place. Everything in this locale has been purposefully positioned to adorn and bring some meaning to the place. Nice pictures here and there, some interesting phrases in strategic locations –some of them serious and some funny. The place has been adorned with good taste, and the food is delicious.continue reading...
Trans-figure Stewardship
Posted by Laurel Johnston, February 13, 2012
This coming Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration, which will bring to a close the Season of Epiphany, a season in which the person and mission of Jesus is more fully revealed. We mark the end of this season on a mountain top—where Jesus is transfigured into the dazzling bright fullness of God’s glory.continue reading...
The Golden Buddha: Longing to be Free
Posted by Kristine Miller, February 9, 2012
One of my favorite stories is of the golden Buddha of Bangkok. When the Burmese were about to attack the city, the solid gold Buddha was covered in mud plaster to hide its value. Two centuries later, still in encased in plaster, the Buddha was thought to be worth very little. But in 1957, when the Buddha was being moved to a new temple in Bangkok, it slipped from a crane and was left in the mud by workmen. In the morning, a temple monk, who had dreamed the statue was divinely inspired, went to see the Buddha. Through a crack in the plaster he saw a glint of yellow, and discovered that the statue was pure gold. It's now officially the world's largest solid-gold Buddha at nearly 10 feet high and weighing over 5 tons.continue reading...
Stewardship with the Baby Boomers
Posted by Susan Snook, February 6, 2012
This is the third in a series that discusses William Strauss and Neil Howe’s theory of generations in American history, and its implications for stewardship. Click Here to read Part One: Generations of Faith. Click Here to read Part Two: Stewardship with the GI Generation. Click Here to read Part Three: Stewardship with the Silent Generation.continue reading...
Stewardship and Lent
Posted by JR Lander, February 3, 2012
As we near the Season of Lent, lay and clergy leaders are busy planning how we will honor this season, and strengthen formation opportunities for our people. As members of a liturgical tradition, we understand the importance of this season in the life of our congregations. Among the many opportunities this season provides for us, it also gives us many chances to broaden the discussion of stewardship.continue reading...
Gratitude is Good for Your Soul
Posted by Bruce Rockwell, February 1, 2012
Two and one-half years ago, a parish in our diocese focused on gratitude as being as essential aspect of Christian stewardship. In fact, to remind members of the parish about the importance of gratitude, they gave away purple wristbands that said, “Gratitude is good for your soul.” When I visited the parish that November the stewardship chair gave me one of the wristbands. I wore it until one very hot day last summer it broke. But I wore it as a daily reminder about the importance of gratitude.continue reading...
What Can We Give Away Today?
Posted by Susan Lee Vick, January 30, 2012
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18continue reading...
The Annual Meeting: What Message Do We Send?
Posted by Lance Ousley, January 28, 2012
This time of the year many churches are preparing for their annual meetings if they haven’t already held them. Annual Meetings are an integral part of Year-Round Stewardship formation, whether we realize it or not! continue reading...
