San Antonio, Tx 78209
address
San Antonio, Tx 78209
address
facsimile
e–mail
domain
|
Stewardship - Notes to God's Stewards
As Christians, we are a people of gratitude. Easter, and the Great Fifty Days of Easter, is truly a season for great thanksgiving. It is a season of gratitude as we offer great thanks for the gift of the Risen Christ. Read more.
Show and Tell
"You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works,and I will show you my faith by my works." ~James 2:18
There are some times I wish I could simply blend in with the back pew and plead the fifth, not wanting to call attention to myself, my actions, or especially to my selfish actions! However, as a church leader, I often find myself up front and center, standing in a pulpit or behind an altar. I don't particularly enjoy the spotlight when it comes to getting up close and personal about my stewardship practices. Read more.
Registration is now OPEN
Saturday, June 9, 2012
9am - 3pm
TMI-The Episcopal School of Texas
The Abide in Me IV Conference will take place on the campus of TMI - The Episcopal School of Texas in San Antonio. Twenty-one workshops provide an opportunity forus to learn from each other as leaders from across our diocese share what is working for them in all areas of ministry. Cost is $20/person and that includes lunch and materials. There is no charge for the children's program or childcare. For more information, and to view the catalog, click here. Registration is open until June 1. Please register early, as some workshop sessions will accommodate only 30 participants.
|
|
|
Bishop Lillibridge- Abide in Me 2012 Invitation |
New Consecration Sunday
People do not drift into good giving habits. They grow into them through prayer and because someone asks. The New Consecration Sunday program recognizes this and centers on the need of the giver to give for his/her own spiritual benefit. The program follows step-by-step detail from the first planning meeting to the final celebration. Presenters: The Rev. Jay George and The Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson
Legacy Giving
Today's financial planning can have future benefits for you and your family, as well as your church and the diocese. This workshop will look at simple techniques that might be utilized as part of your financial planning. It will also present a concise understanding of the "death" tax. Congregations who are interested in starting estate planning programs are encouraged to attend. Presenter: Allan Paterson, retired lawyer specializing in estate planning.
Gratefulness, Entitlement and Stewardship
Author Wilkie Au and others are pointing out that the American culture encourages attitudes of entitlement that rob us of grateful hearts. Yet, spirituality of stewardship starts with a life of gratefulness. The Rev. Mary Earle will present and invite conversation on gratefulness, blessings, entitlement, and their relationship to stewardship.
Telling your Stewardship Story
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. Presenters The Rev. Ned Bowersox and wife Annie, have extensive experience in congregational stewardship, and their personal stewardship story is honest and inspiring. Ned has been rector of four different Episcopal parishes, two of which he guided from mission to parish status.
Year-Round Stewardship
Stewardship is more than the annual event we hold in October. Stewardship is what we do with all that God has given us, all the time. Our online year-round stewardship calendar takes stewardship out of the "annual occurrence" category and places it where it should be - right in front of us, all year 'round. The calendar gives concrete suggestions and resources for incorporating stewardship into the activities and programs that are already in place in the life of a congregation. Learn how you can use the calendar in your congregation. Presenters: The Rev. Lisa Mason and Leslie Mixson.
FULL Brochure is on the diocesan website, click here
Cha Cha Slide Richelle Thompson
It's time to add the slide to our pew-aerobics repertoire. We all know the rule of real estate: location, location, location.Of course, this is true in the pew as well. Prime spots tend to be about a halfway back, close enough to be noticed but not so close that the priest can tell if you're playing Words with Friends during the sermon. Read more
How
can you tell when a ministry is no longer viable? Can a ministry come
to an end without being seen as a failure? How can the generations of a
parish support one another in their different ways of carrying out the
ministry of Christ? These are difficult questions, and they are often
avoided by vestries as they seek to make everyone happy by supporting
every old ministry and every new ministry about which someone is
enthusiastic. Read more.
For March Vestry Papers Online
Topic this month: Death and Resurrection, in this issue you'll find:
"From Death,New LIfe," Tommy Dillion writes about what to do when a once-vibrant ministry that defined a parish's commitment to social ministry outlives the needs of the surrounding community and the resources of the parish to sustain it? That was the challenge facing Saint Aidan's, San Francisco, when Aidan's Way, our flagship ministry, had to face the reality that we as a community could no longer maintain this beloved program in the parish.
Cam Miller, Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Buffalo, New York shares creative approaches to supporting church facilities and programs in his article "Dating the Presbyterians." First, we learned how to rent and manage a parking lot. Then we learned how to lease large sections of our sprawling downtown campus. Then we sought to reduce expenses and perhaps make a little income, and at the same time help smaller congregations save money by paying us to do everything from answering their phones to producing their bulletins.
In "Real Collaboration," Greg Syler offers a 10 point starter kit to bring about positive structural changes by doing church together in new and different ways.
Free to everyone, Vestry Papers at www.ecfvp.org offers us opportunities to create community among Episcopal leaders and foster learning about congregational issues among not only vestries and rectors, but also all lay people and clergy who lead congregations.
Sign up now to receive ECF Vital Practices.
Quick Links
