Tag: stewardship

Navigating Violence and Money – Upcoming Webinars

Navigating violence and money…two topics that can be challenging to think about, much less discuss as a church. 

But good stewardship calls us to be mindful of protecting and supporting our ministry and our greatest resources—our people and the servants who lead us. 

Please join Pastor Carla as she attends two important webinars to help prepare us for a strong and confident future as a church!!”


Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Webinar Invite

SEPTEMBER 20TH AND 27TH, 2022

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) invites you to join a two-hour security webinar to enhance awareness of and response to an active shooter event.

Preparing for a potential active shooter incident is an integral component of an organization’s incident response planning. Because active shooter incidents are unpredictable and evolve quickly, preparing for and knowing what to do in an active shooter situation can be the difference between life and death. Every second counts.

Active Shooter Webinar Invite

Register for Tuesday, Sept. 20th Webinar at 3:00pm

Register for Tuesday, September 27th Webinar at 10:00am


Stewardship Webinar

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Narrative Budgets: Telling your Story by the Numbers

A narrative budget translates the line items of a traditional budget into a story of how your congregation makes a difference in the world. It can be a helpful tool for a stewardship campaign or annual meeting. By telling the story of our congregations’ impact, we can inspire generosity in our donors.

Click Here to Register

Upcoming Stewardship Webinars

Submitted by Rev. Phil Hodson, SCC Conference Minister

As we move through these unusual times in the life of the church, one of the challenges I’m hearing in many of our congregations surrounds giving. Our friends in the Wisconsin Conference have created a series of online stewardship courses to help congregations consider these concerns, and I encourage you to check them out! Each opportunity has a unique registration button so that you can select those most relevant to your local church. These are offered at no cost, and I hope you’ll be able to participate!

  • APR 27 – 3 BEST PRACTICES FOR INCREASING GIVING
  • MAY 25 – MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGES
  • JULY 27 – BUILDING AN ENDOWMENT
  • AUG 25 – ANNUAL CAMPAIGNS 101
  • SEPT. 28 – NARRATIVE BUDGETS: TELLING YOUR STORY BY THE NUMBERS
  • OCT. 26 – PLANNED GIVING TO SUPPORT MISSION AND MINISTRY

Keep reading for webinar descriptions & session registration…

Upcoming Stewardship Webinars

Submitted by Rev. Phil Hodson, SCC Conference Minister

As we move through these unusual times in the life of the church, one of the challenges I’m hearing in many of our congregations surrounds giving. Our friends in the Wisconsin Conference have created a series of online stewardship courses to help congregations consider these concerns, and I encourage you to check them out! Each opportunity has a unique registration button so that you can select those most relevant to your local church. These are offered at no cost, and I hope you’ll be able to participate!

  • FEB 23 – YEAR-AROUND STEWARDSHIP
  • APR 27 – 3 BEST PRACTICES FOR INCREASING GIVING
  • MAY 25 – MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGES
  • JULY 27 – BUILDING AN ENDOWMENT
  • AUG 25 – ANNUAL CAMPAIGNS 101
  • SEPT. 28 – NARRATIVE BUDGETS: TELLING YOUR STORY BY THE NUMBERS
  • OCT. 26 – PLANNED GIVING TO SUPPORT MISSION AND MINISTRY

Keep reading for webinar descriptions & session registration…

2022 Pledge Campaign—For Everyone Born, a Place at the Table

            It is rare for a modern congregation to NOT have a pledge campaign to help plan for the coming year’s budget.  Faith Church is conducting our first ever drive to request folks’ pledged giving of resources of time, talents, and finances to help support the work of the church in the coming year.

            Many thanks to those who have already pledged.  If you have not done so, PLEASE go to https://www.faithuccnb.org/2022pledge/ or complete a form on the kiosk in the Narthex.  Pledges will be accepted through this Sunday, January 9th.  Council will use these to plan our Statement of Faith (otherwise known as a budget) to be voted on at our Annual Congregational Meeting after worship January 30th.

Our On-Going COVID Stewardship

          As both Omicron and the winter/holiday surge are now in full-swing, please know church leadership continues to monitor and discuss our safety plans amongst our church family and with our Association, Conference, and National Church leadership.

            We seek to balance safety with the realities of living with a virus that continues to mutate and develop in ways that we cannot control given the multitudes who continue to refuse to vaccinate and mask.  It is a hard situation to navigate, but I can assure you we continue to do so faithfully.

            Our congregation is doing an outstanding job of vaxxing, boosting, masking, distancing, staying home when feeling even slightly under the weather, and staying home if safety deems it important for their own family health needs which helps to keep our numbers down in the sanctuary.

            Our use of filters in both buildings that match the CDC recommendation for MERV rating capable of filtering out the virus gives us an added level of comfort.

            While the transmissibility of Omicron appears to be higher, it’s virulence (severity of illness it causes) appears to be less than that of both the Delta and Alpha variants, according to the latest research reports. That means it seems to come into communities fast but also leaves very quickly and is causing less serious illness and fewer hospitalizations than what we’ve seen in previous surges.

            Some were speculating this surge would peek around January 9th nationally.  What is important to note is that the numbers for smaller areas like Comal County tend to lag behind our neighbors by about 2-6 weeks.  When numbers get high in Austin and San Antonio, for example, folks escape to the Hill Country to play and enjoy our rivers and cities, but then bring cases to us.

            One of the numbers I watch most closely, along with my medical colleagues at the national level, is this site from the Mayo Clinic.  https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/map/texas  At this time, Comal County has approximately 37 cases per 100,000, below the trend in Texas and well below what most of the rest of the country is seeing right now.

            We will continue to watch this number in the coming days and weeks, trust our Faith family to make decisions that feel right to them, follow what we know from the latest science and collective wisdom, and communicate if a decision needs to be made based on numbers to resume Zoom-only services for a period of time.

            One thing we will ask is that all who attend be mindful to use surgical masks that are well-fitted, with no gaps, or KN95 masks.  If you are using a cloth mask, please make certain it has a filter layer in addition to the two fabric layers and is also well-fitted.

            We ask your prayers as we work to be good stewards of one another’s safety each day as we all seek solutions and wisdom in living with so many variables that are rapidly changing.

Peace,
Pastor Carla

For Everyone Born, A Place at the Table—2022 Stewardship Campaign

It is common practice in most churches to do an annual pledge campaign to assist with the development of a statement of faith (otherwise known as a budget). To our knowledge, Faith Church has never held one, so we are beginning with a theme that represents what we believe and seek to provide as a ministry of God in our community and world!

Each year at our annual congregation meeting at the end of January, we vote on our statement of faith to approve our spending and allocation of resources for the coming year. If we do not know how much to anticipate coming in, we do not know how much we can, in good stewardship, plan to spend.

Please help us dream into a bright future in the coming year of Faith by prayerfully considering your pledge of resources and talents and make your pledge by filling out the form via the link below or take a form from the bulletin board in the narthex.

We will dedicate all pledges provided in a special ritual during our Sunday worship service December 26th as our own offering of a gift to the newborn Christ Child.

Together, we can make a place where everyone feels welcome AND do the outreach needed to let them know we are here and how to find us!!

https://www.faithuccnb.org/2022pledge/

Peace,
Carla

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