Flourish in Faith: Celebrating the Harvest

Transcription

1 Flourish in Faith: Celebrating the Harvest J.R. Lander & Angie Emerson The Episcopal Network for Stewardship Hosted by the Episcopal Church Foundation September 18, 2013 Episcopal Church Foundation Empowering Congregations! 1

2 The Rev. Angela Emerson (Angie) Minister of Stewardship Development The Diocese of Vermont Past-President & Current Member, TENS Board of Directors The Rev. J.R. Lander (J.R.) Vicar St. Columba s Church The Diocese of Olympia Current President TENS Board of Directors 2

3 TENS: The Episcopal Network for Stewardship Our ministry is one of: Training Encouraging Nurturing Supporting 3

4 STEWARD Stewards exercise God s dominion over all that God has created. 1 Peter 4:9-10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace in its various forms. 4

5 OWNER RESOURCES STEWARD OWNER AND STEWARD ARE OF ONE MIND Beneficiary GOD Jesus and The Holy Spirit Steward GOD AND STEWARDS ARE OF ONE MIND 5

6 FLOURISH IN FAITH Effective Fundraising is about Relationships Vision and Mission Storytelling Making a difference Why give to us Why now Why this amount Inspire Hope Make a difference Why Narrative? We are a faith of stories Hebrew Scripture Gospels The stories of Paul s missionary work The lives of the saints The history of the church The stories of our own Episcopal Church The stories of our local parishes The stories of our own faith journeys God made man because he loves stories. -Rabbi Nachman of Bratzley 6

7 Stories & Stewardship Stories pass on culture, and form us Stories engage our imagination Stories help us understand God s redemptive power in the world Stories help us know God s abundance Stories invite us in Stories & Stewardship People give to causes they are connected with and passionate about Stories can help people grow in their emotional connection to a cause Stories can help people feel God s action and presence in the midst of a church community Stories do not have to be Road to Damascus moments 7

8 We all have stories We believe that God is active in our lives We believe that God has blessed us We all have examples of when we have felt that blessing One Person s Story Carol s Story 8

9 Carol s Story What do you notice? Take a few moments to reflect on her story with your small group, or on your own. Consider these questions Do you identify with Carol? If so, how? Is this a church community you would connect with? If so, why? Imagine you were at St. Columba s when Carol s story took place You might remember when she first arrived at St. Columba s You might remember Barney, and his illness You might remember caring for her and her daughter through Barney s illness and death 9

10 Imagine you were not at St. Columba s when Carol s story took place You might connect with the feeling of love and support You might remember how St. Columba s loved you in the midst of a crisis You might recognize how you have always felt loved for being just who you are Telling your story Choose a story with personal Tell of a specific time or event Avoid generalizations Speak about your emotions Connect story with life of your congregation 10

11 Telling your story after we are finished this evening. Identify a story of your own Practice sharing it with others Invite others to share theirs Telling the story of your parish or mission Stories about our congregations can also be powerful Too often, we use data without connecting it to our mission Consider the following 11

12 Story #1 We have a large building that costs a lot of money to keep functioning. Our building costs include $20,000 utility expenses, $12,000 in maintenance expenses and $5000 in cleaning expenses. We also have $10,000 in insurance costs each year, and are attempting to catch up on deferred maintenance. Story #2 We are blessed with a wonderful facility. Our building, with total expenses of $47,000 per year, is host to our 3 12-step programs, a feeding ministry, 2 mothers day out programs in addition to our own transformative worship and rich Christian Formation programming. In the new year, we will continue upgrading our facility so that it can continue to be a welcoming place for us to carry out mission. 12

13 Which story is more compelling? Which one inspires you? Telling your story Consider abundance Share how you are using your assets to carry out mission Use pictures and videos (words, if necessary) Show how you are using your facilities to transform peoples lives 13

14 Telling your story after tonight, consider the following Identify how you are using your facility for mission Come up with 2 or 3 sentences that tell this in positive and compelling way Share these How does this connect to Flourish in Faith? Flourish in Faith is Story-telling The most powerful stories are the ones of your congregation Flourish in Faith is most effective when you combine it with your stories 14

15 Contact Information - TENS Angie Emerson Minister for Stewardship and Development The Diocese of Vermont aemerson@dioceseofvermont.org J.R. Lander Vicar St. Columba s Episcopal Church jrlander@saintcolumba.org Recorded Webinars to Empower your Leaders Basics of Planned Giving for Parish Leaders Basics of Endowment Management for Parish Leaders Prospective Donors of Planned Gifts Basics of a Capital Campaign Annual Stewardship Vestry Leadership 101 Contact Jim at Jmurphy@episcopalfoundation.org for links to recordings. 15

16 Upcoming Free Live Webinars Basics of a Capital Campaign October 2, :00 PM 8:00 PM Eastern Time Basics of Parish Finance October 8, :00 PM 8:00 PM Eastern Time Basics of Endowments October 29, :00 PM 8:00 PM Eastern Time Check our website, under Events, for more info. 16