To say that the congregation with which I worship is late to the technological revolution is an understatement. We’ve been one projector short for weeks and no one seems to notice the blank screen on the left. The church’s website is difficult to navigate. Our Facebook page has racked up a grand total of 15 [...]
A scholarship with stewardship modeling on the side
April 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
For Ken and Renee Moreland, the scholarship funds they’ve established at Messiah College (the school where my husband serves as provost) aren’t just about helping students afford a Christ-centered education, as praise-worthy as that is. Nor is their giving simply what a good board member does (Ken serves on the college’s board of trustees), as [...]
Generosity in quotes: Grace Duddy
March 8, 2013 By 2 Comments
“Stewardship is an act of gracious discipleship founded upon the premise that all that we have and all that we are belongs to God. We are to be good managers of all that God has entrusted to our care. When stewardship is looked at holistically, taking into account all of what God has entrusted to [...]
The fault of too much generosity
January 14, 2013 By 2 Comments
The featured person must have been extraordinarily special if his or her family was willing to spring for a two-column wide, boxed obituary in the local newspaper. That’s my assumption, and when it happens, I take notice. This past Sunday, there were two such entries, book ending the spread of shorter obits. One of the [...]
Generosity in quotes
January 11, 2013 By 2 Comments
“Your offering is not a tip for a good sermon, nor are you paying for services rendered. Your stewardship, bringing your tithes and offerings to the community in which you worship, is a spiritual practice that comes right out of scripture. The people Jesus taught and healed lived in grinding poverty. And then there were [...]
Generosity in quotes
August 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“One image and symbol in particular brings together the dynamics of mission and stewardship in a fundamental way—the Eucharist table. It’s no wonder that the early Christians gathered daily around table for fellowship and the breaking of bread. It’s around the table that our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met. It’s to the Eucharistic [...]
Generosity in quotes
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“Grace is the presence of God in the life of the world — freely extended through the ministry of Christ to every living soul. So Christian charity becomes a ministry of sharing God’s gifts of grace. It is not a paternalistic act of giving from the abundance of those who have to those who don’t; [...]
Generosity in quotes
November 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“Because we belong to God, our time and talents belong to God all week. When accountants-who-belong-top-God help people fill out their tax returns, they are participating in God’s work of creating trustworthy economic systems. When engineers-who-belong-to-God design civic infrastructure that works, they are participating in God’s work of creating safer and more prosperous cities. When [...]
Teach your children (to give) well
June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I have to chuckle when non-church folks trot out as something new, a bit of wisdom that’s well-known and long-followed in religious circles. Consider for example an article from Reuters Wealth highlighting the role of parents in shaping kids as “charity champions.” The writer’s advice to moms and dads? Generous is as generous sees. Perhaps the most important [...]
