Stewardship Conference

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Plenary Session

Faithful Stewardship in Tough Times, Bishop Gary Lillibridge

Sursum Corda, Bishop David Reed

The Results Are In (from Spring Stewardship Survey), Robert Stephens, MD

Do-It Yourself Stewardship, Nancy Stinson, Development Officer

Click the Thumbnail Pictures Below!

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Workshop I

• Annual Giving – The Framework for Success

o Participants will be provided with an outline for conducting an efficient, effective annual campaign.  The structure provided will ensure maximal congregational participation while allowing for customization based on the needs and culture of the parish.
o Speaker: Robert Stephens, M.D., a pediatrician from Seguin, Texas, has over a decade of experience in discipleship, stewardship education, and annual giving.  Prior to moving to Texas in 2009, Bob served as Chairman of the Diocesan Stewardship Network in The Episcopal Diocese of Ohio and provided stewardship consultation services to several parishes in that diocese.  His stewardship team at his former parish was awarded the Best Practices in Stewardship Award from The Episcopal Network for Stewardship at General Convention in 2006.  Bob currently resides in Seguin with his wife, Kim, and two children, Nick and Katharine.

• Capital Giving - Tools for Growth
o As congregations determine the need to provide for growth, what is the process to conduct a Capital Campaign without impinging on Annual Stewardship?  Gleaned from the processes used by professional consultants, an outline for completing a successful Capital Campaign will be presented.
o Speaker: Ted R. Burkhart - Treasurer of the Diocese of West Texas. Chair of the Department of Stewardship and serves as Consultant to congregations for Annual Giving and Capital Giving campaigns.  Is an Investment Adviser with 38 years experience in the Securities Industry.

• Telling your Stewardship Story
o Everyone has a story -- both laity and clergy. This workshop will help us think about our own stewardship stories and how we might articulate them as we recognize God’s generosity to us and our faithful response. 
o August 21 - John and Shirley MacNaughton have been living their story together for 56 years and have raised five children. As a clergy family – John served several parishes as priest before being elected Bishop of West Texas in 1985 – the MacNaughtons have been tithers for over 30 years. Their story is one of trusting God above all else with their material as well as spiritual lives. As a priest, John is able to speak about the importance of clergy sharing their own stewardship story.   John is author of several published works on stewardship among them his book, More Blessed to Give on the practice and theology of stewardship that is used widely throughout The Episcopal Church. Together John and Shirley MacNaughton taught Bible study courses in all of their parishes.  These included the published Path of Life Bible study course which is also used throughout the church.

o August 28 Speakers: Ned and Annie Bowersox.  The Rev. Ned Bowersox has extensive experience in congregational stewardship as previous rector of four different Episcopal parishes, two of which he guided from mission to parish status. He retired as rector of Church of the Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi, after serving there for 12 years. Ned is a graduate of Flordia State University and Virginia Theological Seminary. Annie graduated from the University of Florida and served as an educator and administrator in public schools throughout her career. Their personal stewardship story is honest and inspiring.

• Writing a Narrative Budget
o A narrative budget presents ministry in terms of lives changed, not money collected or dollars pledged. Rather than discussing the $20,000 outreach budget line item, the narrative budget discusses numbers of children fed, homes built, GED diplomas received, and the like. People will support financially what they feel passionate about and what they understand.
o Speaker: Marjorie George - has been editor of The Church News for 20 years and diocesan communications officer for 14. She has taught communications courses at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has served as the stewardship chairperson at two Episcopal churches in this diocese.

• Christian Financial Planning – Sampling of Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey
     o You’ve heard the names - Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, Living with Money, Good Sense Budget Course, Crown Financial Ministries –these Christian financial planning courses challenge participants to examine money in the context of their Christian Faith.  The courses focus on eliminating personal debt, building savings, and learning to use money in healthy ways. That includes putting God first financially.  Rather than asking, “How much of my money should I give to God?” we learn to ask, “How much of God’s money should I keep for myself?”  This workshop will provide an introduction to one such program, Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.
o Speaker: Haley Bankey - Haley has been the Communications Director at St. George Episcopal Church since May of 2009 after working in retail leadership for years. She and her husband have also been the Coordinators for the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Program at St. George for the past 6 sessions. They are starting their 7th session at the church this fall!  By using this program, she and her husband have become debt free by paying off $73,000 in three years, and they have been able to help, guide, mentor, and teach many in their congregation about financial freedom as God would have us do it.

New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program
o Learn the nuts and bolts of this program that centers on the need of the giver to give for his/her own spiritual benefit.  People do not drift into good giving habits.  They grow into them through prayer and because someone asks.  The program book leads the stewardship committee in step-by-step detail from the first planning meeting to the final celebration.  Learn from two of our own clergy who have adapted the program to their congregation and seen the dramatic increases in financial contributions.
o August 21 Speaker: The Rev. Jim Friedel, Rector, St. Peter’s, Rockport
o August 28 Speaker:  The Rev. Ripp Hardaway, Vicar, St. John’s, New Braunfels

Legacy Giving – Planning the Gift
o Death is a reality.  Many of us deal with this reality by preparing for our eternal spiritual lives, yet we fail to adequately plan for the disposition of our worldly estate.  This talk will center on the topic of what happens to a person’s worldly estate at their death and will cover:
1)  What immediate issues arise after a person’s death
2)  What happens when a person dies without a will
3)  Challenges that can arise when a person’s plan is out of date or is not entirely clear
4)  Strategies that can alleviate these issues
If time questions about the current state of the federal estate and gift tax laws and potential legislation are welcome.
o Speaker:  Matt Brysacz – Matt is a second career attorney.  Matt spent 10 years in technology sales for Lucent Technologies and Cisco System before returning to law school at the age of 35.  For the past three years, he has been working in the Estate Planning and Trust practice group for Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated, in San Antonio.  He is a board member of the 100 Club of San Antonio, a frequent child and adult Sunday school teacher and the father of three (11, 7, 15 months).

The Annual Campaign, It’s Not about Money!
o Participants will be shown how to move the focus of their annual giving program away from the pocketbook and toward the development of giving as a spiritual discipline that helps individuals move closer to God.
o Speaker: Bob Stephens – See above bio.

Generational Giving Patterns
o What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem.  The question is how do we change the behaviors of the younger generations so that they become better supporters of the church and its work?  The answer begins with changing their beliefs, but it is a little more complex than that.  Explore the challenge and possible solutions as we begin the conversation on more fully engaging our younger members.
o Speaker: Keith Hughey - is a management consultant with over thirty-five years of consulting and managerial experience spending much of his time facilitating corporate planning retreats, consulting on organizational health (human systems), corporate governance, change management, productivity, and performance improvement.  He is also a noted speaker and the author of the widely read e-letter, Monday Morning Musings.   As a long-time member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in San Antonio, Keith has participated in the finance and stewardship areas for years.

Year Round Stewardship & documents from the 2010 Stewardship Conferences

• Year Round Stewardship Formation Explanation
• Year Round Stewardship Planning Grid
• Year Round Stewardship Planning Grid - Sample

Charge #4 from Council 2010 Bishop's Address concerning Stewardship

• Resolution 4 Stewardship - Council 2010 Bishop's Address

“Financial stewardship does not stand in isolation from the rest of your congregation’s purpose, life, and ministry. Stewardship is always faith-raising, not fund-raising.”

~ Bishop Gary Lillibridge