I've been writing around this topic for a while now, but stewardship month and all of the related activities are here!
As the finance committee was planning, praying and thinking about how to communicate principles of stewardship in an effective way, it was decided that the congregation needed an informal setting to talk about what has been happening in the church over the last several months and what we hope to accomplish together moving forward.
Thus, the idea for stewardship "Dessert and Conversation" was birthed to take place at people's homes.
And, we are now on our second of three events as of last night where I shared a few thoughts about stewardship from a Biblical point of view and a member of the finance committee shared his/her perspective about why it is we are seeking to raise the budget by 25% next year.
What impressed me the most about the conversation over our gathering last night was the energy in the room.
Sometimes, especially in churches, it is scary to mention the topic of money. Talking about finances, it seems has gotten a bad rap for being manipulative or overly pushy. Our money and how we choose to spend it can be extremely personal so much so that people don't want to talk about it.
But such was not the case yesterday! As I shared scriptural thoughts about what Paul had to say about giving, asking each person present to comment on the ways their giving most resonated and where they saw the church going, we had a lively and open discussion about our celebrations, frustrations and hopes for our own personal budgets.
This is a sign of a healthy church, I feel.
If you missed out, there is one more opportunity scheduled at this point- next Tuesday at 3 pm. But, we want everyone to be a part of these discussions who can, so if you haven't had a chance to attend, let me know and we'll schedule something for you before our big October 25th pledge Sunday.
Our hope is to continue to coming together as a congregation as we look to 2010!
