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Gulp… It’s Vestry Time Again…
Whether it is called the Annual Congregational Meeting, the Annual Meeting, or Vestry – that once a year special time is once again upon us. Most parishes across this country will, in the first several...
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People Need to be Asked
As stewardship educators, we hear this question often: “What is the fastest way to increase the parish offertory?” From the evidence of those on the front lines, the quickest way to uptick financial...
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Inviting Newcomers to Give
Last summer a friend of mine – we’ll call him John – shared with me his experience of moving to a new parish. He explained that from the very beginning, he was made to feel especially welcome. The...
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What if we all gave?
In 2011, 23% of taxpayers claimed charitable donations on their income tax returns. This level of giving is down sharply from the mid 1990’s when about 1/3rd of all taxpayers claimed a donation....
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Turning forward, looking back
Sunset, St. Phillips, Conception Bay There has been so much to contemplate and reflect upon in ministry this week. Many of my one-on-one interactions have involved a listening as persons have shared...
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Ten really good reasons to give
In an earlier article I outlined ten common objections that I have encountered for why people don’t give. Most of the excuses originate out a sense of scarcity of resources as opposed to abundance....
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Money and the church
The start of a new year often gets people thinking about money: budgets, financial planning, spending habits. We do it personally, we do it in the church (God bless the treasurers preparing for Annual...
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Resurrection commune-ism?
Lections for the 2nd Sunday of Passover/Easter Jesus said: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” making it quite explicit that the way God the Father sent his Son into the world has much to do...
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Generosity 101
As a stewardship educator, most of my time is dedicated to teaching—and hopefully inspiring—members of our congregations to embrace a life of generosity and enthusiastically commit to supporting the...
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Make giving regular, reliable and real
I have a confession to make; I’m not a tither. After you get over the shock that the Director of Stewardship Development for the diocese of Toronto does not set aside ten percent of his gross or net...
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The mathematics of tithing
I don’t know about you, but it seems like every single month the world throws money my way. Weeks after clearing a credit card, my wife and I were told that we were pre-approved for a Line of Credit....
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Entitlement and creation
I’ve known that I wanted to do a post about the environment for a while, but I haven’t really known what to say. Not because there’s nothing to say, but because it’s all been said so many times by so...
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Demographic change isn’t coming. It’s here!
Canada has reached a milestone. For the first time in its nearly 150 year history, the number of seniors is greater than the number of children. The figures, released by Statistics Canada on September...
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Over your dead body
Regardless of whether you are Christian, Atheist, Muslim, or Buddhist, religious or non-religious, we all have one thing in common: death. Yet death is something most of us have been taught to ignore....
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Turning forward, looking back
Sunset, St. Phillips, Conception BayThere has been so much to contemplate and reflect upon in ministry this week. Many of my one-on-one interactions have involved a listening as persons have shared...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ten really good reasons to give
In an earlier article I outlined ten common objections that I have encountered for why people don’t give. Most of the excuses originate out a sense of scarcity of resources as opposed to abundance....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Money and the church
The start of a new year often gets people thinking about money: budgets, financial planning, spending habits. We do it personally, we do it in the church (God bless the treasurers preparing for Annual...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Resurrection commune-ism?
Lections for the 2nd Sunday of Passover/EasterJesus said: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” making it quite explicit that the way God the Father sent his Son into the world has much to do...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Generosity 101
As a stewardship educator, most of my time is dedicated to teaching—and hopefully inspiring—members of our congregations to embrace a life of generosity and enthusiastically commit to supporting the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Make giving regular, reliable and real
I have a confession to make; I’m not a tither. After you get over the shock that the Director of Stewardship Development for the diocese of Toronto does not set aside ten percent of his gross or net...
View Article