Showing posts with label Stewardship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stewardship. Show all posts

Friday, March 22, 2019

The helpers - How Nicki became a helper to her home, her community, the planet

"The helpers" is a regular feature of UU A Way Of Life ministries blog which appears on Fridays.

How Nicki became a helper.

 

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. An example of applying is principle is to engage in stewardship of our resources of which our Mother Earth, Gaia, is our most basic one.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Stewardship Fund Drive theme

Yesterday the Brockport Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Stewardship Fund Drive committee had its second meeting. We covered a lot of topics in 1 1/2 hrs.

Edward B. Landreth in his book, Fundraising With A Vision, that a fund drive should have a theme.

We considered a few:

Give to Grow
Together We Make Dreams Come True
Invest in Our Future.

We chose Together We Make Dreams Come True.

I don't like asking people for money, but I want to grow the church so we need it to pay the bills.

Being a covenantal church we are not asking people to give to an institution but to each other so that we can support each other and pursue our mutual goals together.

What are our mutual goals? We are just beginning, less than two years old so our needs are pretty basic.
A place to meet together.
A minister/leader
Music for our services
Some advertising to get the word out.
Basic supplies of paper, stamps, etc.

People donate a lot of stuff and time and talent.

Together we are making it work.

From the Reagan era of the 80s Americans have been told that its every person for himself. Government is not the solution, its the problem. Get what you can for yourself because that is a sign of your success. Committing to the common good is for pussies. It's  a liberal, commie kind of thing.

So we struggle. A stewardship fund drive is counter-cultural, even anti American.

But our faith calls us to ask each other to contribute to the common good. People respond tentatively not wanting to get burned again by organized religion. Bono said, "The God I believe in isn't hard up for cash." We aren't asking you to share your treasure with God, we are asking you to share your treasure with your fellow human beings with whom you have common cause.

Jesus said, "Where two or more are gathered in my name there I will be." Did he mean that gathered together we are God?

Friday, February 18, 2011

Stewardship funding raising theme: "Making Dreams Come True"

In Unitarian Universalism a stewardship drive, I am learning, is not so much about giving money to "the church" as it is about contributing money to your fellow parishioners so that resources are available to pursue common goals.

Contributing money is not about supporting an institution as much as building relationships.

Pledging money is basically saying to one's fellow congregants I will contribute some of my resources to you to help make our dreams held in common come true.

Perhaps the theme of this year's fund drive for the Brockport Unitarian Universalist Fellowship should me "Making dreams come true." Another theme I liked which is a possibility is "Giving to Grow."

Have you used a theme for your fund drive? If so, what one seemed to work best?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

What's the most important thing about a stewardship fund drive?

The Brockport Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is planning on charter Sunday on May 15, 2011 after having held its first gathering on 09/13/09.

Our church year runs from July 1 - June 30 and we will begin our budgeting process shortly for 2011-2012. As part of this process we are planning right now our first Stewardship Fund drive from March 27-05/01/11.

What has been your experience with canvassing and other Stewardship fund drives?

If I asked you, what is the most important thing you have learned about fund drives, what would you say?

Leave your comments.
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