STEWARDSHIP ACADEMY #2

            The Stewardship Academy has been announced, both on my blog last week and on the Upper New York Conference website, and in this week’s Conference Digest. It will be held on Saturdays, April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th. At least the first three will be held via Zoom.

            Last week, I talked about some of the resources and books we will be using during the Stewardship Academy. This week I wanted to introduce the first session, which will be held on April 23^rd from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Various topics will be covered at this first session:

1.    Theology of Stewardship/Money/Giving - We must challenge the false connection between money and blessing; stewardship is not Legalism; materialism is the ultimate de-humanizer; and our theology of money impacts the church and impacts our personal stewardship.

2.    United Methodist Stewardship – John Wesley said: "Of the three rules which are laid down ... you may find many that observe the first rule, namely, 'Gain all you can.' You may find a few that observe the second, 'Save all you can.' But, how many have you found that observe the third rule, 'Give all you can'? Have you reason to believe that 500 of these are to be found among 50,000 Methodists? And yet nothing can be more plain than that all who observe the first rules without the third will be twofold more the children of hell than ever they were before."

3.     Economy – Stewardship and money are always affected by the economy, but stewardship and money and church have all definitely changed during the pandemic and the effects of all of that. How do we “do” stewardship in the “new normal”?

 4.    Sins of Stewardship – Here are some of the ways we “mis-use” stewardship: confusing stewardship and finances; begging instead of motivating; lowering the river instead of raising the drawbridge; selling vs. marketing; assuming everyone is alike; not having targets for giving; selling dead horses; protecting the people; talking only about one pocket; and not encouraging people.

 5.    Leadership in the Area of Stewardship – As leaders, we must transform challenges into opportunities; we must take action; and claim the power of our purpose.

6.    Giving in the Local Church – there are three ways of giving in an effective stewardship program of a local church: operating, capital and planned.

            If you are interested in more information or in participating in the Academy, please contact me at susanranous@unyumc.org or (315) 427-3668.

 

 

                               UPCOMING STEWARDSHIP ACADEMY #1

            The Stewardship Academy has been announced, both on my blog last week and on the Upper New York Conference website, and in this week’s Conference Digest. It will be held on Saturdays, April 23^rd, May 21^st, June 18^th and July 16^th. At least the first three will be held via Zoom.

            There are a few books that I am suggesting to participants, which I wanted to talk about here, to encourage folks who are considering participating in the Academy, to consider reading.

 Ministry and Money by Janet T. Jamieson and Philip D. Jamieson. This book is, for me, a great read. The co-authors are husband and wife, with the wife being a Certified Public Accountant and the husband being an ordained elder. The book combines, in a wonderful way, money and faith. It is written to help pastors, in particular, better understand church finances, reports and budgets. All the stuff we don’t learn in seminary

Generosity Rising: Lead a Stewardship Revolution in Your Church by Scott McKenzie. This book is founded on the concept that what we have as a church right now isn’t working, and we have to change everything, essentially a generosity boot camp, forming a team, throwing out old money habits and creating new ones. For this to work, we need: (a) to start with a clear and compelling vision (not a vision statement, but a vision); (b) identify and embrace stories of changed lives; (c) make it easy to give; (d) say thank you; and ( e) embrace and enable leadership.

3.    Don’t Shoot the Horse Until You Know How to Drive the Tractor by Herb Mather. This is the very first stewardship book I ever read (and owned). It holds a special place in my heart. It was the first time, after reading this book, that I sat in a Finance committee meeting and talked about something that might be different from what we’d been doing all along!!

4.    Happy Surprises: Help Others Discover the Joy of Giving by David Heetland. The shares how he experienced the joy of fundraising, encouraging and inspiring others to see fundraising not as a necessary evil, but a joyful opportunity. I learned to always pray and say thank you. It became obvious that every church or organization must have three components in its fundraising: annual, capital and planned giving.

5.    Propel by Clayton L. Smith. This book offers a comprehensive course in church stewardship, giving clear instructions for the organization and implementation of annual campaigns, planned giving programs, memorial gifts, and much more. I have met Rev. Smith and heard him speak on a few occasions and this information comes from a heart for stewardship as well as realistic church work.

            I did book reviews for the books listed at 2 and 4 above. They are available on the Facebook page for Stewardship with Susan Ranous.

            I know not many of us read stewardship books for fun (unlike me), but these books are all excellent sources of information that will help anyone interested in stewardship or involved in church finances, including pastors, to better understand and implement good financial work in the local church.

            Some of what I will be sharing will come from these resources (and many others).

            If you are interested in more information or in participating in the Academy, please contact me at susanranous@unyumc.org or (315) 427-3668.

 

                                 UPCOMING STEWARDSHIP ACADEMY

 

            As some of you know, I am the Director of Stewardship for the Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. As part of that appointment, I have been working on offering a Stewardship Academy. It will be four sessions, three of which will be via Zoom. They will be on Saturdays, starting April 23^rd, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

            Topics covered will include Theology of Stewardship, Generosity Audits, Finance Analysis, Narrative Budgets, and Giving in the Local Church.

            There will be a hands-on project, and is available for CEU for clergy and lay servant credit for laity. There are a number of readings suggested and other resources that we will be using.

            Copies of Power Point slides/outlines will be provided as part of the cost of $300.

            I hope you will consider participating, or letting someone know that you think might benefit.

            This is an opportunity to read and learn about stewardship and all that it entails.

            A brochure is available. At the bottom is a flyer of information.

            If you’re interested in participating, please feel free to email me (susanranous@unyumc.org) or call me (315-427-3668) for more information or to register.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upper New York Stewardship Academy When 2022:     April 23   May 21   June 18   July 16     10am – 3pm Where Sessions 1-3 via Zoom   If interested, contact Rev. Ranous at susanranous@unyumc.org or (315) 427-3668	For: clergy and laity (those passionate about stewardship) cost $300 per person Why attend? To read and learn about stewardship and all it entails. Topics include Theology of Stewardship, Financial Campaigns, Generosity, Reports and Narrative Budgets Facilitator Rev. Susan Ranous, Director of Christian Stewardship for the Upper New York Conference

 

                                  TEACHING KIDS ABOUT GIVING

             Do you remember how you learned about giving at church? Was it when the giving plate was passed along the pew you were sitting in? I don’t know about you, but I remember sitting with my grandmother at church, and seeing her reach in her purse for money that she had specifically put in there to put in the offering plate when it was passed to her. As I grew up and went to Sunday School my parents would send my brother and me with change for the Sunday School offering. As I grew older and went to church on my own and then with my husband, we used offering envelopes to help track our weekly giving to the church.

            How do we teach kids now about giving? Prior to the pandemic, some people had started giving electronically and weren’t putting offerings in the plate. I know there were some months, when I was ushering at my home church, that people would just shake their head or wave their hand, indicating not to pass them the plate. What does this behavior show kids or others who are wondering about giving? Of course, for many churches, the children are excused to Sunday School, Children’s church or child care before the offering is even taken, so they don’t even hear it announced, much less see it.

 

            Who are good role models for children? Parents, of course, and us. In my stewardship work, I have purchased a Moon Jar and a piggy bank that were both designed to help children learn about setting money aside for giving. Moon Jars are divided into three boxes: Give, Save and Spend.

            The piggy bank has four separate slots, one for Donate, one for Save, one for Spend and one for Invest.

            Each of these are a good way to talk about money and help to set money aside for specific purposes, including donations.

            Other ways to talk about money is to have conversations during Sunday School, share and read stories about generosity and giving, and there are always the stories in the Bible and in the family.

            Be intentional when talking about money and generosity, whether you’re talking to adults or to children.  Just as each of us should have a health relationship with money, so should children. We must be stewards or money rather than being controlled by it.