Jesus said, ‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.’ Matthew 7:24-25
This week I’m grateful to be with seven EDOW leaders for a three-day conference called Project Resource. Sponsored by the Episcopal Church, Project Resource’s goal is building financial capacity for ministry in congregations. It has been a rich learning experience, and we will return home with resources to share.
We’re preparing to pilot a year-long stewardship process for congregations beginning early in 2017, but our goal for this summer is to provide immediate support and resources for congregations’ annual pledge drives this fall. While your annual fundraising efforts for next year may seem a long way off, we invite you to get a head start with us this summer. Think of how good you’ll feel in late September having already made plans for a successful stewardship campaign.
Check your calendars now to see if you and the other leaders of your upcoming stewardship campaign are free to attend one of these two Saturday morning workshops (locations to be determined when we know who is coming):
We’ve also set aside a September date if the summer doesn’t work:
At these workshops, we’ll talk about the spiritual foundations of our relationship to money and how to make a strong case for giving to your congregation’s ministry in ways that take generational differences into account. Different generations give money for different reasons and with different expectations, and we’ll show you ways to tailor your message accordingly.
Then we’ll share with you multiple resources for a well-executed campaign including: a proposed schedule for written communication with sample letters, hosting parish conversations, an advance campaign for vestry and other leaders, a kickoff event, tips on how to engage and equip people to speak for two-to three minutes in worship about why they love your church, video and email messages, sample thank you letters, phone call coaching, ideas for a victory celebration, and sample letters to solicit year-end gifts.
We’ll present a buffet of ideas and materials that you can choose from and adapt to suit your congregation, and we commit to walking alongside you throughout the fall campaign, offering support and further resources.
Deadline for registration for the summer workshops is July 10 and September 1 for the September workshop. Please register online here.
Cost:
Early registration (before July 1) $10 per person; after July 1, $15
Early registration for September workshop (before August 15): $10 per person;
after September 1, $15
