in Vital Posts and filtered by Youth, Stewardship, Hospitality
By Lisa G. Fischbeck
As the holiday season approaches with its tables of bounty, Lisa Fishbeck advises us to consider how we think about food and how sharing our reflections might deepen our connections with God, one another and our planet.
By Melissa Rau
In our latest blog, Melissa Rau educates us about the best ways to accommodate our friends with gluten allergies. It’s not just the offering of gluten-free wafers, it’s the avoidance of cross-contamination that helps people not get sick.
By Richelle Thompson
A church coloring book? Sure, why not? It’s a creative and accessible way to teach both children and adults about the church and its traditions. Using drawings done by artists in the congregation also honors their talents.
By Melissa Rau
Melissa Rau writes our latest blog from the viewpoint of young parents who are interested in getting involved, but are ultimately turned off by their church. They are welcomed, but not welcome to change anything.
By Sarah Townsend Leach
Sarah Leach contributes our latest blog. She wants the Episcopal Church to use the word “stewardship” the way the rest of the non-profit world uses it, not just to mean the solicitation of funds.
By Linda Buskirk
St. John’s of Grand Haven MI uses a personal approach to stewardship that has proved very effective and pleasant for its practitioners. Starting in the spring and continuing throughout the entire year, stewardship team members reach out individually to parishioners on their lists through personal notes. Giving to St. John’s has increased about 25% over the past five years.
By Linda Buskirk
Many faith communities are about to launch annual giving campaigns. Linda Buskirk suggests that thinking of the annual campaign as an invitation rather than an “ask” changes the dynamic and will help more people give.
By Lindsey Harts
Lindsey Harts grew up doing “code red drills” where she hid from a pretend shooter. She feels that this common experience among millennials helped lead to the generation’s demand for radical authenticity. As she says, “in a world where shootings are live-streamed on the internet…you tend to have a very low tolerance for nonsense.”
By John Lynch
John Lynch was always expected to be a leader as a millennial. He thinks it’s because he continued to show up in church. Here he shares his impressions of leadership and a lesson that he learned from members of the oldest generation—Trust in God and pray.
By Erin Wolf
As a millennial leader in Youth Ministry, Erin has walked with students as they’ve gone through serious traumas. She hopes that adults remember how valuable young people are and work to keep them safe.