Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Dear Friends,

“…give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” Luke 6:38

In a world where humans are becoming increasingly self-serving, Jesus calls us to overflowing, unending generosity. Our issue this month focuses on generosity, and the deep and lasting impact it can have on both the giver and the receiver.

What does it mean to be generous of spirit? In A Wonderful Time To Be Generous, ECF’s new Director of Development Yvonne Lembo, shares her passion for generosity that is habitual, flexible and planned, and includes several relevant resources to help get us thinking of generosity in new ways.

In Questioning Stewardship, Miguel Escobar shares insights from his new book – The Unjust Steward: Wealth, Poverty, and the Church Today – where he wrestles with the notion of stewardship as a way of describing a faithful relationship to God’s abundance and describes the nuances he uncovers in the parable of the Unjust Steward. This article is available in English and Spanish.

On the Ute Reservation in northeast Utah, leaders Forrest S. Cuch and Michael Carney have been learning that every day is a gift from the Creator and our natural response should always be gratitude. In Gratitude + Generosity = Abundance they share their personal journey of thanksgiving for the earth and all God’s gifts.

In 2016, the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire received ECF’s Ministerial Excellence Fund (MEF) grant to help address the financial and leadership challenges of congregational ministry. In New Life for Congregations and Clergy, Benge Ambrogi describes the impact of this grant, and how it invigorated and inspired ministry in multiple churches in the diocese.

Stewardship resources

Are you looking for reliable stewardship resources this season? Take a look at our Stewardship page on ECF Vital Practices for ideas, tools, stories and more.

Have you explored ECF360 yet? ECF360 is low-cost, self-service, subscription site featuring a variety of new resources for annual giving/stewardship, capital campaigns and planned giving. ECF360 includes many downloadable template letters, spreadsheets and resources for conducting annual giving campaigns along with resources to enable successful year-long stewardship efforts such as narrative budgeting, calendar guidelines and much more.

To learn more about ECF and our programs, please visit our website.

Faithfully,

Charis Bhagianathan
Editor, ECF Vital Practices