Mission Yearbook: A holistic approach to faith and money is discussed at workshop

Grace Duddy Pomroy had never heard the word “stewardship” before coming to Luther Seminary. But as her mother dropped her off, she told her she was no longer paying Grace’s bills. Grace quickly sought work on the campus and found her future at the Stewardship Leaders Program at Luther Seminary.

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Grace Pomroy speaks during a Stewardship Kaleidoscope workshop (Photo by Gregg Brekke).

Pomroy, now the program’s director, conducted an interactive workshop at the Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference in New Orleans. The workshop, titled “Faith & Money: Expanding the Conversation,” sought new insights from Bible stories that typically make pastors “itchy” when preaching on stewardship. She said that she intended the workshop, which was a hybrid of in-person and online participants, to “speak more to the heart than to the head.”

Pomroy’s approach was influenced by a six-month experiment called the Faith and Money Learning Lab. She worked with a group of lay leaders and pastors who were interested in using money faithfully in every area of life, not just the part set aside for the church. Together, they wondered, “Do we care about how our values influence all the ways we use money?” and “Does God care about how we use the percentage of money we don’t give to charity and/or church?”

From this lab, Pomroy developed a set of spiritual practices that the other leaders used in their congregations in various contexts. They then offered their stories of what worked and what did not, refining the practices.

After telling the story of the workshop’s inspiration, she led the participants in a meditation, asking them “What does God’s love sound like?” She asked the same question using the other senses. One participant said, “being around Lake Michigan and hearing the waves and feeling the water.” Another admitted, “I had a super weird taste come to mind. I did not grow up in church, but there was a woman who always gave lollipops at my grandma’s church. We called her the Lollipop Lady.”

Next, a participant read Mark 10:17–27, the story of the rich young ruler, from The Message. Pomroy then led a meditation called “I wonder I notice” in which she read the text a second time and invited people to interrupt her reading with questions about what they wondered and noticed. Responses included:

“I wonder what ‘eternal’ means.”

“I wonder how old (the ruler) is.”

“I wonder if he (the ruler) was lying.”

Pomroy admitted that “I used to be more judgmental of the rich young ruler, but I now identify more with his situation as one who likes to check all the boxes and ask, ‘Did I do this well enough?’”

Next, Pomroy shared some of what she and her colleagues learned at the Faith and Money Lab:

• The Bible speaks for itself — a spiritual practice can’t prepare us to hear what God has to say to us through Scripture.
• They should help listeners hear the story in a new way — for example, by engaging the senses.
• Lean into stories — the text itself as well as the stories of those in the room. Both have a lot to teach us.
• Ground rules matter, such as the importance of confidentiality and giving “permission to try” new things.
• Invite congregants and other partners to take actions and be accountable.

Pomroy then introduced one of the New Testament’s most famous stories: Zaccheaus, the tax collector of Jericho, from Luke 19:1–10. She asked, “What do you think of first when you hear this name?” As most of the workshop’s participants hailed from a North American context, they mostly responded with the song “Zacchaeus was a Wee Little Man” that was very popular at one time.

Pomroy wrapped up the workshop by reminding those present that they might use these practices in many aspects of church life: sermons, offering, Bible studies, small groups and team meetings. As people gathered their things, they continued to wonder and reflect on the workshop’s ideas. It was clear that a “faith and money” conversation transcends the boundaries of church life, and Pomroy inspired many to take that message back home.

Those who are interested in learning more about these faith and money practices can do so in this article and this online course.

The Rev. Jody Mask for the Presbyterian Foundationx Press (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Brianna Pennington, Summer Fellow, Office of Public Witness – Washington, Presbyterian Life & Witness
Henry Royal, Summer Fellow, Office of Public Witness – Washington, Presbyterian Life & Witness

Let us pray:

God our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and friend: Through Christ you demonstrate, in fullness, the depth of your love. May we reflect his compassion, which permeated all his actions, as we serve. Amen.

Mission Yearbook: Jazz musicians close Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference

When the three-day Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference ended in New Orleans, they were glad they packed a pair of dancing shoes.

Because the final worship service sure brought them to their feet.

The jazz stylings of three of New Orleans’ finest musicians, Big Joe Kennedy, Zach Lange and Kelly Cuppett, found participants not only energized for their journey and ministry, but also dancing on their way.

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Kelly Cuppett, Stewardship Kaleidoscope's Worship Co-Director. (Contributed photo)

“‘Jazz Mass’ or ‘Jazz Service’ is a common tradition here among churches during Carnival season, where a church will bring in jazz musicians to play instead of their usual pianist or organist,” said Cuppett, a New Orleans-based pianist and board-certified music therapist who served as Stewardship Kaleidoscope’s worship co-director. “The music in those services is still sacred but often features more spirituals or puts a jazz flair on traditional hymns. It's very cool and really fun.”

In planning the closing worship, Cuppett thought immediately of reaching out to two outstanding musical colleagues, Kennedy and Lange, to give attendees an authentic New Orleans experience.

Of soulful pianist Big Joe Kennedy, OffBeat magazine wrote, “BJK is one of NOLA’s better-kept secrets. He’s got a strong pianistic touch, immersed in the NOLA tradition of Dr. John and James Booker.” Lange is a gifted trumpeter and educator.

Themed “Stewardship: The Art of Resiliency,” this year’s conference was held from Sept. 22–24 at the Sheraton Canal Street, New Orleans. Drawing leaders from across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and other ecumenical partners, Stewardship Kaleidoscope was designed to ignite generosity in faith-based communities, give practical tools for cultivating generosity in congregations, expand the leadership capacity of those who lead stewardship initiatives and cultivate adaptive approaches for funding Christ’s mission.

Featured keynoters and preachers this year were the Rev. Dr. David P. King, Karen Lake Buttrey director of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving; the Rev. Dr. Corey Nelson, pastor and head of staff at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins, Colorado; the Rev. Jean Marie Peacock, organizing pastor of Be Well-Come Together in Harvey, Louisiana; the Rev. Dr. Becca Ehrlich, an ordained ELCA and author of the 2021 book “Christian Minimalism: Simple Steps for Abundant Living; and the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson, coordinator for the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People Program in the Interim Unified Agency of the PC(USA).

Emily Enders Odom, Former Associate Director of Mission Communications (Click here to read original PNS Story)

Let us join in prayer for:

Michael Wade, Production Clerk, Hubbard Press, Administrative Services Group
Donald Walker, Executive Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Investments, The Board of Pensions

Let us pray:

Gracious God, we give you thanks that, without our knowledge, you have filled our baskets to overflowing. Help us to see the hunger in others and recognize that we can share our plenty with those in need. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Reframing stewardship as a spiritual discipline of generosity

Stewardship Kaleidoscope speaker uses the example of a Minnesota congregation that worked on forging strong relationships with each other and with God

December 29, 2022

The Rev. Dr. April Davis Campbell

The Rev. Dr. April Davis Campbell really wanted to cultivate a space for her church where people wouldn’t just associate the fall season with being asked for money.

She is pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Woodbury, Minnesota, and has served in church settings since her ordination in 2004. She knows what it’s like to succeed, what it’s like to fail and what it’s like to learn in both circumstances.

Applying this to generosity during this year’s Stewardship Kaleidoscope conference, Campbell said the question she has learned to ask is not how to get people to give more, but to identify how generosity can encourage people to deepen their relationships with God and each other. Learning from failure — such as when adding an option to give to the morning offering by text message didn’t actually increase giving — and learning from success has helped Campbell understand the importance of seeing generosity as a lifelong spiritual discipline.

“This workshop will encourage participants to reframe their understanding of generosity to a spiritual discipline which empowers generosity not just as financial giving but as a way of life,” she said. “Drawing on personal and pastoral experience, the workshop will offer ideas for creating a culture of generosity which moves people in terms of their relationship to God and to giving.”

Campbell shared how Trinity Presbyterian made the journey toward reframing stewardship into a spiritual discipline of generosity. She said using specific and intentional steps — discernment, study of Scripture, prayer, personal testimony and repetition — helped their faith community. By discerning what shaped their theology of giving, Trinity was able to define where they are before attempting to jump into where they were going.

Where they were going led to 13 weeks of Scripture study and prayer using passages such as Genesis 45:1–5, Exodus 16:11–16, Psalm 25:1–5, Matthew 6:24–34 and Ephesians 3:20, among others. What these Scriptures have in common is the theme of God providing and personal giving as an act of being in relationship with God and community. By sharing the same Scriptures in social media, newsletters, announcements, in worship and other forms of communication, Trinity was able to include as many folks as possible in the process.

Rooted in Scripture and prayer, church members then engaged in monthly story sharing: personal three-minute video testimonies defining generosity, exploring how each person learned to be generous, and offering examples of personal generosity. The intentions for the congregation were clear, too, as the church offered 24 video stories for sharing in worship.

“We were not putting this out there as a way to get more money,” Campbell said. “We really wanted to deepen people’s relationship with God.”

Even Campbell shared a personal video, saying she wasn’t willing to ask people to do something unless she was willing to do it, too.

Communication, she added, was paramount, including over-communicating. Everything Campbell and the leaders of Trinity did came from a place of intentionality. An intentional change, for example, was a shift of language: saying “generosity” instead of “stewardship.” Campbell said it took two years for the congregation to fully embrace the idea of a generosity and finance committee vs. a stewardship committee. For them, it wasn’t just semantics; it was a necessary part of reframing the paradigm.

Campbell conceded change — any kind of change, including a change to how a congregation thinks about generosity — is tough. It is a challenge to change a way of thinking, which is why Campbell said her church spent a whole year of intentionally focusing on the spiritual disciplines of generosity. Giving the congregation and congregational leaders time allowed them to absorb the mindset shift and live into the new mindset, including a brand-new format for the annual report that was shorter and included more pictures of the church of Jesus in action.

For Campbell, discernment around generosity is a lifelong journey. She said it’s an ongoing journey asking, “How are we the living hands and feet of Christ in the world?”

The Rev. Rebecca (Becki) Mallozzi serves as pastor at Faith Church in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Waynesburg College (Pennsylvania) with a bachelor’s degree in English and communication and worked as a newspaper reporter before starting seminary. She earned a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

John Merten, Data Entry Representative, Relationship & Development Operations, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Terri Milburn, Accounts Payable Manager, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)

Let us pray

Grant us, O God, in the midst of all occasions in life to find the healing, the strength and the joyful anticipation of your presence. Amen.