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Prayer | God, of your goodness give me yourself for you are sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask anything less, to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should always be in want. In you alone do I have all.
Julian of Norwich (1342-1466 A.D)
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This e-resource is a ministry of the
Office of the General Secretary ABCUSA |
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Greetings!
Welcome to this early autumn issue of GENERO$ITY,
an American Baptist e-resource for pastors and church
leaders who are about the work of "nurturing generous disciples to serve as the hands and feet of Christ."
On Labor Day Sunday, I worshiped with a congregation who, after fifty years of ministry, was celebrating their final worship experience together. This church was planted as a mission of another American Baptist church that recognized the opportunity for mission and service in a growing area of their community in the 1950s and 60s. Indeed, mission and service were distinctive characteristics of this church as they reached out to nearby university students and welcomed them, especially those who came to study from other nations. They were one of the most knowledgeable churches in our region when it came to understanding, being connected to, and participating in the wider mission and ministry of American Baptists in the region, the nation and the world. We celebrated communion even as those eager believers had done on their first Sunday together fifty years ago. As the pastor led us in preparation, he read the familiar words of Paul from 1 Corinthians 11, "...for I passed on to yo  u what I received from the Lord Jesus..." We were reminded that faithful disciples don't hold onto what they have received, including the gospel. Instead, they recognize that which they have received is an abundant gift from our generous God and then look for ways to share that abundance with others. In a beautifully symbolic moment, the pastor then led in the distribution of the communion elements served by the church's first full-time pastor (visiting from out of state) and the pastor of a new congregation who will be receiving the gift of the church facilities. Unlike that of the United States, God's economy is not difficult to understand. Stated simply, God's economy is this: receive and pass on. Paul's words remind us that even the stories surrounding the life of Jesus are a gift to be received and shared through the symbols of the bread and cup. As we make the transition from summer into the fall, can you identify a gift you have received from God that can be shared, or passed on? Soozi Whitten Ford, Stewardship Facilitator
Mission Resource Development
American Baptist Churches USA
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National Money Night Talk
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| Don't forget that Thursday, September 16th, is "National Money Night Talk," an opportunity for family conversations around issues related to money. Jean Chatzky,
financial editor for NBC's Today and a columnist for the New York Daily
News, is a mother of teens and is determined to change the way North
Americans think about money. Resources parents can use for "The Talk"
with middle school, high school, and colleg e-age kids are available at www.moneynighttalk.com. The resources are faith-neutral, and parents or caregivers are encouraged to
include a question on the topic of giving and sharing of God's gifts as
part of the conversation.
If the designated date doesn't work for your family, choose another "Money Night Talk" that fits your schedule. It's more important to have "The Talk," than to conform to the schedule.
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New Stewardship Resources
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| The latest Footprints of Generosity bulletin insert, suitable for the back-to-school season, is available as a free download. Click here.
Here are two resources you may find helpful if
your church uses an annual stewardship emphasis as one part of its
overall plan for educating and nurturing persons to be generous
disciples. Both may be ordered online from Judson Press.
 A newly redesigned version of a popular church stewardship resource, Adventure in Thanks/Giving is a
simple and easy-to-use program that invites participants to name the
hopes and dreams they have for their church's ministry in the coming
year and to share them with one another. It is designed to be directed
by three leaders working with the pastor and includes an all-church
celebration dinner, the sharing of stories by individuals who have been
blessed by giving, worship and communication resources, and much more. Adventure in Thanks/Giving is available for purchase now either as a file download or as a CD. Click here for more information and to order.
Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation includes informative articles for church leaders as well as a center
pull-out stewardship program. The 2010 theme is "More Than Enough," and
the eleven articles in this issue include:- "Sharing Abundantly - A Theological View"
- "Stewardship With Generation Next"
- So You're The New Stewardship Chair"
Click here for more information and to order. |
Book Review
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| | Creating A Climate For Giving (by Donald W. Joiner) reviewed by David A. Lundholm This
book is a quick read and should be one of your first  choices as you
seek to develop a stewardship process for your congregation....the author
explains a systems approach to fundraising. "Each local congregation has
a financial system that encourages or discourages giving, receives
gifts, and manages gifts." He also contrasts two different approaches to
stewardship; challenges some myths about money; and offers new way of
focusing on giving. He concludes: "The reason people are not giving is
that the system has created a climate for people to give elsewhere." Read more...
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Risk Taking and United Mission
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| "The great need of our time is for men and women individually, and the church collectively, to envision themselves as stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to take the risks necessary to break out of restrictive molds and to live out the implications of the Reign of God...When we realize that we are the treasure for whom Jesus died, we will treasure doing God's will, at whatever risk." To read more of Dr. Ron Vallet's thought-provoking challenge to risk, click here. |
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Please feel free to:- share your ideas, questions, and resources for
future issues. To do so, simply hit "reply" to this message, or send a
separate e-mail by clicking here;
- forward this on to your friends and colleagues; and
- use the buttons at the top to easily pass this on via your social media networks.
With Gratitude For God's Abundance,
Soozi Whitten Ford, Stewardship Facilitator
Mission Resource Development
American Baptist Churches USA
© 2010 Mission Resource Development, American Baptist Churches USA
This resource is provided to you as a ministry of the Office of the General Secretary ABCUSA
because American Baptists are united in mission through United Mission.
Thank you for your gifts to United Mission!
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