Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices

September 2012

Practicing Generosity

Brick by Brick
By Elizabeth McKay Moosbrugger
How do you get people to say yes? First you say yes.
Cosi, Cosi, Iyaphela
By Lisa Meeder Turnbull
In the European tradition, we say, “the end” as if the story has no life outside of that moment. Cinderella and Prince Charming live happily ever after. The end. There’s nothing more to say. But in African storytelling, we say, “Cosi, Cosi Iyaphela—Here I rest my story.” It is the story that has life. The speaker merely picks it up for a while, holds it, and shapes it for a time.
Generosidad
By Armantina R. Peláez
Si decimos “el tiempo es oro”, vemos que cuando el feligrés latinoamericano ofrece sus servicios al canto, a la música, a limpiar la iglesia, a organizar bazares, o ser maestros de educación religiosa, vemos cómo esas horas además de ser un verdadero ministerio ahorran mucho dinero a las iglesias.
Generosity: A Latina Perspective
By Armantina R. Peláez
Latin Americans in the United States generously donate money, leadership, and talent to the Church. It’s important for them to see their resources being used prudently and to know that they’re truly contributing to the welfare of their church community.
Legacy and Generosity
By Celeste Ventura
That idea of legacy as the way we live, not simply the things we leave, is fundamental to our Christian understanding of generosity. What are the practices you are living forward and what do you understand about practice, generosity and legacy by looking back? Is your legacy, as reflected in your financial plans and action, congruent with, and integrally a part of, the wholeness of God’s image in which we were created?
No More Pledge Cards – Please!
By Angela Emerson
In being good stewards, we advocate giving of our time, talent, and treasure continuously throughout the year. Are pledge cards distracting us from our efforts to practice good stewardship? What alternatives might we use instead of making a financial pledge once a year and calling it a day?
Recipe for Spiritual Growth
By Doreen Rice
The congregation at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in Olathe, Kansas, understands stewardship to be both holistic and organic. They've built their stewardship plan around what they see as a recipe for spiritual growth....
Reframing Stewardship
By Greg Syler
Stewardship is about life, the whole of life. It’s living the life of God, in fact – living more generously, more boldly, and more faithfully. Stewardship is everything. This is why we don’t have a stewardship drive at St. George’s in Valley Lee, Maryland, the dynamic and growing congregation I serve. Instead, we have an annual pledge drive: An appeal for people’s financial generosity.
Stewardship Presence-Making: A Parable
By Charles LaFond
Stewardship campaign chairpersons may perceive themselves as congregational “nagger” or “scolder.” Might we suggest a self-perception of “coach” or “cheerleader?”
Una Nueva Manera de Encarar la Mayordomía
By Greg Syler
La mayordomía lo abarca todo. Es por eso que no tenemos una campaña de mayordomía en St. George’s en Valley Lee, Maryland, la dinámica y creciente feligresía en la que sirvo.