“Beloved, we are saved by grace through faith for a purpose,” The Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Davenport, bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, said in the opening sermon of the annual generosity extravaganza, “Tools for Today.” Her text was 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, in which Paul speaks of the need and joy of giving to help...
Category: Stewardship
January 29, 2024
“We Are The Tools of Transformation”
“Beloved, we are saved by grace through faith for a purpose,” The Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Davenport, bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, said in the opening sermon of the annual generosity extravaganza, “Tools for Today.” Her text was 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, in which Paul speaks of the need and joy of giving to help...
October 12, 2023
Your Mission Support at Work
Your congregation’s Mission Support contributions are shared with the ELCA for ministry across the church. Did you know that there is a new Congregation and Synod Support Team that includes Congregational Stewardship, Mission Support and Storytelling Engagement? The linked PDF provides contact information. This month we also highlight our Ecumenical partnerships with a story from...
May 31, 2023
Stewardship of Life Institute Innovation Fellowship
The Stewardship Of Life Institute is launching a new initiative called The Sharron Blezard Innovation Fellowship, in honor of Rev. Sharron Blezard, a beloved writer for SOLI, who entered into the church triumphant in 2021 after her journey through metastatic cancer. (You can learn more about her ministry here.) The Sharron Blezard Innovation Fellowship grants...
October 11, 2022
5 Things to Know About Mission Support
We are grateful for your support of ministries here in Southeastern Pennsylvania, across the country, and around the globe through Mission Support. In a new video, the Rev. Karen Sease, assistant to the bishop, shares five things that you need to know about how these gifts are used. You can share this video with leaders...
February 7, 2022
The Building Blocks of Congregational Renewal
“This interview is reprinted by permission from Leading Ideas, a free e-newsletter from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary and available at churchleadership.com.” What does it take to turn a congregation around? Lewis Center Director Doug Powe interviews Ed Brandt, a long-serving pastor who recently retired as chief of chaplains for...
February 26, 2021
Thanks for your generosity!
Individual giving to causes including the COVID-19 fund, donations toward medical expenses for former Bishop Munga in Tanzania, and our annual All Saints appeal tripled in 2020 — in a pandemic year. Thank you so much for your support. We thank God for you always.
November 13, 2020
2020 Annual Report Cover Available
The new 2020 annual report covers are now available. Both can be found in the Stewardship resources here: https://www.elca.org/Resources/Stewardship#Leadership Direct links are here: Pages version: https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/2020_Annu al_Report_cover.pdf Spreads version: https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/2020_Annu al_Report_cover_spread.pdf
July 13, 2020
Will Your Finances Flourish or Diminish?
Tip of the Month July, 2020 : Will Your Finances Flourish or Diminish? By 2026 checks will no longer be processed by banks! So says, one of the ELCA preferred vendors who oversees Simply Giving, in a recent webinar sponsored by the ELCA Stewardship Desk. In the past 15 years the use of checks has...
May 15, 2020
What’s Next: How will COVID-19 Shape the Church’s Future?
What’s on the horizon for congregations and parishes as we transition from the crisis of the moment to the long-term implications of the coronavirus pandemic? The pandemic has fast-forwarded us into our future at warp speed. Normal has changed forever. With the advent of the digital church, not all of our congregation is physically present....
April 16, 2020
7 Ways to Keep Donations Flowing During the Covid-19 Crisis
Stewardship expert Rob Blezard, one of our workshop leaders at our Stewardship Extravaganza in January, outlines steps your church can take to address the financial challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis. Key strategies include staying in communication with donors, including an offering time in online worship, and considering the CARES relief program. Your congregation may have...
January 21, 2020
Extravaganza of Generosity
“You can’t love Jesus and not give,” pastor and author Clif Christopher said in his keynote at the 2020 Extravagant Generosity program Jan. 10. “It’s just impossible.” Yet some churches lose the battle with money because “there are more people who think money can save them than think Jesus can save them,” said Christopher, author...
January 21, 2020
Cultivate a Heart of Love
Dear friends, If you missed our Stewardship Extravaganza in January, you missed a great event with excellent keynote addresses, an outstanding sermon and wonderful workshops. But, here is a chance to benefit from that experience. One of the workshop leaders, Rob Blezard, has a monthly “Toolkit” that provides helpful bulletin inserts, thoughtful newsletter articles and...
December 3, 2019
Giving Tuesday… And Wednesday…
Yes, after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, society has finally gotten to Giving Tuesday. And, if your mailboxes, email boxes and social media sites are like mine, they have already been inundated with multiple requests from every organization you ever donated to (including church related sites) and many more to whom some...
November 11, 2019
All Saints Appeal
More of our SEPA saints share how they are blessed by ministries of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod. Give now at https://ministrylink.org/give.
October 15, 2019
Inspire Extravagant Generosity
Save January 10-11 for a weekend of informative and useful presentations designed to inspire Extravagant Generosity in your church! This event is hosted at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446. This stewardship extravaganza features keynote speakers J. Clif Christopher (author of: It’s Not Your Father’s Offering Plate, Whose Offering Plate...
September 4, 2019
Crafting a Strategic Stewardship Campaign
Stewardship expert Catherine Malotky shares the success story of a church that approached groups of members who had different giving histories with different invitations to give and enjoyed a 30 percent increase in annual giving. I don’t know if this would work for you, but sometimes different approaches that borrow ideas from successful fundraisers can...
June 4, 2019
Save the Date for ‘Extravagant Generosity’
Save the dates — January 10-11, 2020 — for a can’t miss learning event. “Extravagant Generosity: A Stewardship Extravaganza” features keynotes by Clif Christopher, author of It’s Not Your Father’s Offering Plate, Whose Offering Plate Is It? and The Church Money Manual, and Aimee Laramore, author of Pathways to Generosity: Year-round Giving and Gratitude. Workshop leaders include: Scott Schantzenbach, Rob...
