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Reflections on Worship
As I went to bed Saturday night I knew I needed to worship Sunday morning. But I also knew that five days of more than 1,000 United Methodists was at least enough, so Google and I discussed my options. I…
Read MoreWhy Have A Campaign?
I often get a comment like “We haven’t done a stewardship campaign in decades. We don’t need to, we always pay the bills.” Or sometimes it’s “We don’t really talk stewardship in our church, it makes people uncomfortable.” Or my…
Read MoreRethinking the Committee’s Place
Last night I met with a local church’s Finance Committee. They spent a few minutes going over the financials, discussing the pluses and the minuses. They they got to me to talk stewardship. Here’s the problem. It was the Finance…
Read MoreProgram Review: Committed to Christ
This past weekend I had the chance to preview Committed to Christ: Six Steps to a Generous Life. The short version: I like it. The program is written by Rev. Bob Crossman, a United Methodist pastor from Arkansas and a…
Read MoreLessons From a 3-Day Walk
Yesterday my wife Chris wrapped up her participation in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. From early Friday morning until yesterday afternoon she and about 1,000 others walked 60 miles around western Cuyahoga County. Many of you are…
Read MoreCapital Campaign Help
I have a hunch that there are lots of churches in our Conference that have put off capital campaigns in the last four years or so. With a struggling economy and plate income a challenge, it just did not seem…
Read MoreRealigning to normal
Last week I heard a business guru give his tool to assess the success of small businesses given the difficult economy the last few years. “If you’re still open, you’re a success.” But then he admonished them to get out…
Read MoreValue of a Friend: $118
Mastercard’s “Priceless” ad campaign is world-famous and fairly well satirized at this point. In those ads you might expect to see Friendship identified as “Priceless.” But a survey by the Gallup folks in 1998 puts a definite value on friendship, $118. …
Read MoreHelping those who help
As the news broke in Japan it wasn’t too long before I got thinking about UMCOR and its role in the relief effort of many of these disasters. We are blessed to have Japan as the center of much of…
Read MoreDid you have a bumper?
Last week’s stock market fluctuations aside, the economy seems to be on the upswing. Economists point to statistics like orders for durable goods and slowly easing unemployment rates as their proof. I knew it was better in late December by the…
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