By Lydian Bernhardt Averitt Rev. Russ Post-May stood on the front porch of the Sunnyside Avenue house known as Anthony’s Plot recently, cell phone in hand, and watched the activity down the street, beyond the band of yellow caution tape roping off the area. A tragedy had occurred in the night. The space heater that…
When I worked at Laurel Ridge, one January day it snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed. I had never seen anything like it. After the storm passed, the sky was a brilliant Carolina blue and the sun was shining, so my husband and I decided to go for a walk. I will never forget…
We are grateful for the many people who contributed to a remarkable first ever Moravian Day of Giving on February 16. Moravian agencies and churches received over 200 gifts on that day — 70 of which came from first-time users of MMFA’s Giving Portal. This exceeded our previous record for the most gifts processed on…
“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Ephesians 2:10 Stewardship is about much more than money, and it’s more than what we do through our church. It’s a way of life; it’s our identity. God created us…
Summer has arrived. Typically our communities of faith make changes to their schedules this time of year: some committees don’t meet in July, certain programming is suspended until the fall, and many alter their Sunday morning routines by combining services or having fewer Sunday School offerings. But this has certainly not been a typical year,…
Isaiah 43:19 begins with “See, I am doing a new thing!” It is safe to say we are all doing new things this year, whether it’s having groceries delivered, worshiping online, or teaching our children from home. How has your stewardship changed during this pandemic? What new things are you doing to give of your…
As our world continues to be impacted by a pandemic, our communities of faith continue to look for ways to be generous stewards through giving their time, talent, treasure, and testimony to be a part of God’s work. A few weeks ago we invited people to share their “washing one another’s feet” story with us…
Many churches have made the difficult decision to cancel worship services this Sunday. Your community of faith still wants to participate in church giving, so what can you do to allow them to contribute even when the doors are closed? Your Moravian Ministries Foundation offers the following suggestions to encourage ongoing financial stewardship: Clearly communicate…
I recently attended the Lake Institute’s “Congregations Learning and Practicing Abundance” class at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Over the course of two days, we examined how congregations learn, scarcity as an invisible norm, and how to move to a mindset and practice of abundance. Using Tim Shapiro’s book, “How Your Congregation Learns” (which I highly…
Last month we began a new “Spotlight on Stewardship” series as part of our regular communications. The series offers best practices for a holistic and sustainable stewardship ministry, as well as shares “stewardship success stories” from Moravian churches, emerging ministries, agencies, and more in North America. What story does your budget tell? Once upon a…