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Surprising Gifts

Surprising Gifts. 2013 Best Practices in Basic Stewardship. Opening Prayer. In a still-uncertain economic climate Moving from a relaxing summer to the quickening pace of a new church year Yes, it’s September, and November is coming!. Where we are today….

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Surprising Gifts

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  1. Surprising Gifts 2013 Best Practices in Basic Stewardship

  2. Opening Prayer

  3. In a still-uncertain economic climate • Moving from a relaxing summer • to the quickening pace of a new church year • Yes, it’s September, and November is coming! Where we are today…

  4. This is a great time to get started on your Fall stewardship campaign… …or to build on your year-round stewardship ministry.

  5. the “big picture” of the life of the church… and Stewardship

  6. an everyday spiritual practice for Christians Stewardship

  7. Ten Best Practices for your Fall stewardship campaign From now to November…

  8. If you have a committee that’s meeting, great! • Re-connect with a fun autumn gathering • Add a few new members • Consider an ad hoc campaign committee If you don’t have a committee, form one! • Invite the unexpected • Create a timeline www.ucc.org/stewardship Enlist all of the leadership of the church 1. Build the stewardship committee

  9. Adjust your perspective: • abundance, not scarcity • positive, not negative • joy, not anxiety Shape your language: • “the budget” is really the mission spending plan all mission: local and wider 2. Set the tone

  10. Abundance “Abundance is not something we acquire; it is something we tune into.” – Wayne Dyer

  11. Don’t shy away from the topic of money • Provide support and education • Ask for the same gift from everyone: not the same amount, but meaningful Challenge the comfortable, comfort the challenged 3. Nurture Financial Wellness

  12. 4. Approach giving as a year-round, whole life spiritual practice. A practice forms us as disciples: We grow into more generous people as we give generously.

  13. Practice Pledging

  14. The spiritual practices of first fruits giving and proportional giving… • challenge us to grow our giving by a regular percentage each year

  15. …are also shared with joy Our time and talents

  16. Theme art may be used with a Time and Talent Pledge form you’ve created

  17. Reasonability • Challenge • Commitment • Compassion • Community Kennon Callahan Stewardship and Giving in an Effective Church (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992) 5. Understand motivations

  18. We often TRANSMIT on the Commitment and Challenge frequencies, but our RECEIVERS are set on Compassion and Community. Compassion and Community:The Universal Motivations

  19. Surprising Gifts: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 • Other Scriptures in the theme materials • Abundance Bible study www.ucc.org/stewardship • Share Scripture in all of your communications to the congregation 6. Ground your work in Scripture

  20. First fruits: the first line on your budget • Ask preachers to share the story of their own giving • Talk/write about the church’s giving 7. Teach giving by modeling it

  21. Our Church’s Wider Mission

  22. The offering A time of delight in giving? • Consecration Sunday A celebration you wouldn’t want to miss? 8. Make giving moments life-giving

  23. Creativity: gather an ad hoc committee of story-tellers • Create a narrative budget • Use DVDs, photos, skits, etc. 9. Tell the story of your church’s vision

  24. 1. Build the stewardship committee. 2. Set the tone. 3. Nurture financial wellness. 4. Approach stewardship as a year-round, whole-life spiritual practice. 5. Understand motivations for giving. 6. Ground your work in Scripture. 7. Teach giving by modeling it. 8. Make giving moments life-giving. 9. Tell the story of your church – lay out the vision! Review of the Ten Best Practices:

  25. 10. Use the UCC 2013 stewardship theme materials

  26. Use the theme in your communications

  27. This year a graphics package is available

  28. Scripture assures us that first God gives to us: “God reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence.” We can take heart; God knows our needs and hopes and wants only the best for us. Surprising Gifts

  29. Surprising Unmerited Love We are encouraged to keep our focus on God, confident that God wants the best for us.

  30. SurprisingUnmerited Love • The world may ignore us • Take heart – God knows who we are • Pray, ask, engage deeply in your faith • Engagement aligns us with God’s love and intent • We might surprise ourselves with Godly giving

  31. Surprised! Isn’t it surprising that God does not look and point a finger at us for what we do wrong but rather loves us enough to show mercy and grace? Quite simply, the reason for all giving is God’s surprising grace!

  32. Surprised! “Our prayer life can help us to face ourselves honestly, our faults as well as our gifts… Honesty flows from openness: • An open heart, • An open mind, • A life opened to God and to transformation. – Kathryn Matthews Huey

  33. Zacchaeus had a transformative encounter with Jesus • Transformation comes for us when we remain willing to see, to ask, to believe, to grow • Transformation comes from our hearts • Our giving is transformed when we let our hearts be surprised by the power of salvation Transformed Giving

  34. “CasiCielo” Almost Heaven • First, God gives to us God… reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence • With confident and hope-filled hearts, we respond It’s “casicielo,” almost heaven

  35. When have you experienced surprising gifts? Question:

  36. When have you offered a surprising gift? Who was surprised – you or the recipient?

  37. When has giving led to deeper connections with others in your life?

  38. Discussion

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