The Northeast Ecumenical Stewardship Council

Presents

SPIRITUALITY & STEWARDSHIP

Growing Generous Stewards

 FR I D AY , MA RCH 17TH 

& SAT U R D AY , MA RCH 18TH, 2006

Crowne Plaza Hotel,10 Lincoln Square

& The Wesley United Methodist Church,114 Main St.

Worcester, MA

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

•Robert Wood Lynn        •Anthony B. Robinson

•Mary Luti & Martin Copenhaver          •Bruce Rockwell

 Schedule of Events

Friday, March 17, 2006       

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Worcester MA

1:00 pm               Registration at Crowne Plaza Hotel

2:00 – 5:00 pm    Clergy or Laity Workshop

6:00 - 6:30 pm     Reception & Entertainment

6:30 - 9:00 pm     Dinner

                            “THE CULTURE OF GIVING IN NEW ENGLAND"

                                        Keynote Speaker: Rev. Robert Wood Lynn

                                            Reflections: Rev. Anthony Robinson

 Saturday, March 18, 2006  

Beginning at Wesley UMC, Worcester MA

8:00 am       Registration at Wesley UMC

9:00 am       Worship - Revs. Mary Luti & Anne Hoffmann

10:00 am     “TRANSFORMING CONGREGATIONAL CULTURE”

                                               Keynote Speaker: Rev. Anthony Robinson

11:00 am      Move across street to Crowne Plaza Hotel and pick up box lunches

11:30 am      Morning Workshop

12:45 pm      Break

1:15 pm        Afternoon Workshop

2:45 pm        Closing Devotions

3:00 pm        Dismissal

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SPIRITUALITY AND STEWARDSHIP: Growing Generous Stewards

is a premier stewardship education and motivational event for church leaders across the Northeast.  Since 1998 individuals working together as the Northeast Ecumenical Stewardship Council, with financial support from various denominations, have planned and held events each March of alternating years. More than a thousand individuals have been enriched by the keynote presenters and by the variety of workshops. It is our hope that through the presentations and workshops, pastors and members will be enriched and equipped for a fruitful stewardship ministry in their congregation.

Those involved in planning this event – and their denominations are:

              Presbyterian Church USA

                            Elder Agnes Young, Presbytery of Boston

                            Rev. Sally Newhall, Presbytery of Boston

                            Rev. Lida Dawson Price, Synod of the Northeast

                            Rev. Glenn Ramsey, Presbytery of Southern New England

              United Church of Christ

                            Rufus Cushman, Massachusetts Conference

                            Andrew Gustafson, Massachusetts Conference

                            Pat Niness, Massachusetts Conference

                            Amy Beveridge, Connecticut Conference

                            Rev. David Williams, New Hampshire Conference

              United Methodist Church

                            Gary Melville, United Methodist Foundation of New England

                            Chris McGuire, United Methodist Foundation of New England

              Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

                            Rev. Fred Wedemeyer, New England Synod

                            Rev. Dana Reardon, New England Synod

              Episcopal Church

                            Bruce Rockwell, Western Massachusetts Diocese

              American Baptist Churches

                            Rev. Robert Auld, Rhode Island Association

                            Rev. John McCulley, Rhode Island Association

              Roman Catholic Church

                            Michael Rhodes, Archdiocese of Boston

We would also like to thank these denominations for both their financial and staff support.

Without their support and participation this event would not be possible.

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For an easily duplicated brochure about this event, please go to: http://www.umfne.org/SpiritStewBrochure.pdf

                                                                                                (This is a PDF document.  If you cannot access it, click here for help.)

Featured Speakers

The Rev. Anthony “Tony” B. Robinson

The Rev. Anthony “Tony” Robinson served as pastor of four congregations, in both rural and urban settings. He served small and large congregations and churches that are multicultural and multiracial, as well as in primary euro-American. In 2004, he completed 14 years of ministry at Plymouth Congregational Church (UCC) in Seattle, Washington.  During his ministry, Tony has been active in interfaith dialogue, refugee resettlement, ministry for persons and families experiencing mental illness, and ministries in low-income housing. He led Plymouth’s partnership with Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Seattle, and Plymouth’s relationship with Iglesia Morava in Nicaragua.  His present ministry is as a resource person and consultant for church renewal and transformation.  Tony is widely published including the newly co-authored book “Called to Be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day.”   Tony Robinson can be counted on to speak “with clarity, depth and relevance. He points the way toward the reformation of conscience and competence in a changing and complex world."

The Rev. Robert Wood Lynn

The Rev. Robert Wood Lynn’s distinguished career has included serving as vice-president and senior vice-president of religion for the Lilly Foundation, as Dean of Auburn Theological Seminary, evaluation consultant for various national foundations, professor at Union Theological Seminary (1059-1976), and as a pastor. Most recently he helped to found the Lake Family Institute on Faith and Giving at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. He is well known for his research on the cultures of giving in individual congregations. His recent research focuses on the history of giving in New England.  He has written “Protestant Strategies in Education” and “Big Little School”.  Lynn has a deep faith and it informs both what he teaches as well as how he teaches in ways that touch the faith of each one who hears him.

The Rev. Martin Copenhaver

The Rev. Martin Copenhaver is pastor of Wellesley Village United Church of Christ in Wellesley, MA. He has previously served in Burlington, VT and Phoenix, AZ. Martin is the author of four books including the co-authored “Words for the Journey” with Tony Robinson.  Two years ago Martin and Mary Luti ran a one day conference for UCC ministers on ”Can We Talk About Money” that was so highly praised that we have asked them to share some of that day with us.

The Rev. Mary Luti

The Rev. Mary Luti is Pastor of the First Church in Cambridge, MA. (Congregational, UCC). Previously, she was Associate Dean of Andover Newton Theological Seminary and Director of the Center for the Ministry of the Laity. Mary began her vocation as a nun but then went on to become a minister in the United Church of Christ.  She brings a wonderful sense of humor and a deep commitment to the question of how we as pastors talk about money.

Bruce Rockwell

Bruce Rockwell is Financial Officer and Assistant to the Bishop for Stewardship in the Episcopal Diocese of Western MA. He is also the President of the Board of Directors of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship [TENS].  A banker for over twenty years, Bruce has served as stewardship consultant/mentor to congregations since 1985. In this capacity he has served as a consultant to over 30 dioceses in many parts of the country, and is well known as a stewardship workshop leader. He presents very helpful, practical information with both enthusiasm and clarity. Bruce is the author of “Spirituality and Money: Seven Questions that Saved My Spiritual Life” published by TENS in 2005 and is the editor of “The Treasure Chest of Stewardship Resources” also available through TENS.

Rev. Anne Hoffmann

The Rev. Anne Hoffman is the Minister of Congregational Life of the First Congregational Church (UCC) Shrewsbury, MA. She plans and leads worship at her church with creative communication and worship skills that spring from a previous career in stage and radio. She taught both Worship and the Arts, and Preaching at a United Methodist Seminary in Kansas City and wrote much of the liturgical materials used in the 1997 Synod worship services.  Anne brings exciting new ideas to how we “do” worship and is recognized for her creative presentation of stewardship themes and budgets.

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Bookstore

A bookstore courtesy of the Massachusetts Bible Society will be available throughout the event.

WORKSHOPS

Be sure to indicate your workshop choices on your registration form.

Registration Deadline: 2-16-06

FRIDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS   2 – 5 PM

For Clergy:

CAN WE TALK? Money and the Pastoral Role

Rev. Martin Copenhaver - Pastor, Wellesley Village UCC

Rev. Mary Luti - Pastor, First Church, Cambridge UCC

Two years ago Martin and Mary Luti ran a one day conference for UCC ministers on ”Can We Talk About Money” that was so highly praised that we have asked them to share some of that day with us.  See more information about these dynamic leaders under “Featured Speakers.”

Mary and Martin will lead the participants in a conversation about this and other tensions that arise for pastors when the subject is money. Together we will honor some of the factors that shape our practices.  We also will chat together on a tough piece of the Christian story that has plenty to say about pastoral practice and the strange nature of money talk in the church. 

Despite the rhetoric about the leading of the spirit, does money really set the agenda in your church?  Is your preaching about money and economics consonant with your personal practice?  Do you ask relatively little compromises with your wealthier members and hefty contributors?  Do you pretend to be confident and indifferent to money or are you anxious that as a pastor you might not make it?  Let’s talk!

For Laity:

EQUIPPING LAY LEADERS FOR STEWARDSHIP MINISTRY

Bruce Rockwell - Financial Officer & Asst. to the Episcopal Bishop for

Stewardship in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

See the information about this fiscally astute man under “Featured Speakers”

This comprehensive workshop, designed especially for lay leaders, will provide a biblical foundation for our stewardship understanding, examine attitudes about money and faith, and provide information about annual stewardship commitment programs.

 SATURDAY MORNING WORKSHOPS         11:30 AM – 12:45 PM

Be sure to indicate your workshop choices on your registration form.

Registration Deadline: 2-16-06

A1. EXPLORING THE CULTURE OF GIVING IN YOUR CONGREGATION.

Rev. Robert Wood Lynn – Presbyterian

See the write-up about this great teacher and theologian under “Featured Speakers.”

This workshop is based on research he did for the Lily Foundation.

Every congregation, whether it knows it or not, has a culture of giving. How do we understand this mysterious and important part of the life of our congregation?

A2. STEWARDSHIP & THE SPIRIT

Rev. Anne Robertson - United Methodist

Stewardship will not be effective until we recognize that it is a fundamental belief that we are created by God as stewards. That fact determines our relationship to money, family, society, and all of creation.

A3. STEWARDSHIP AT THE EDGES

Rev. Cynthia Bagley – UCC Pastor in Dunbarton, NH with an Executive MBA

Cynthia brings over 25 years of strategic consulting experience to her work as “pastor  with pizazz!”  She combines a deep passion for the mission of Christ’s church wit an equally deep commitment to excellence through innovation.

The central rule for any limited-resource organization is that every contribution counts.  How can one unleash the creative energy of today’s congregations? How can one engage the vibrant participation of every friend and member, right to the last pew? How can stewardship” become a dynamic, all year affair? How can today’s churches live both spontaneously and healthfully? Come hear about the sweeping trends in the philanthropic world today and about “Stewardship at the Edges,” a new, proven response that positions churches to thrive financially in the years ahead.

A4. STEWARDSHIP - A Spirit-Filled Discipline

David Okerlund - Lutheran (ELCA) Lay Leader

This architect is a lay leader for Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester.  “He is a low-key person of great faith.”  David serves on the Stewardship Committee of his church after being inspired 10 years ago at a Stewardship Retreat for young adults.

Rooted in our baptismal calling, the steward is held as the model of our disciplined lives. How do we see the tangible acts of our stewardship - vocation, financial giving, parenting, prayer, recreation, buying appliances - as spirit driven? Explore through scripture and personal witness the spiritual aspects of our worldly working as stewards of the kingdom.

A5. SOWING SEEDS OF HOPE

Amy Porter - Asst. Reg. Director, Church World Services

Amy is a vital part of the ministries of Church World Services and has a lot of knowledge and experience to share with us about world missions.

Get a closer look at how CWS and other relief ministries strive to help eradicate hunger and poverty around the world.

A6. GAMBLING: A Win, A Loss, or A Draw?

Dr. Bob Breen -  Director of the RI Gambling Treatment Program

The RI Gambling Treatment Program is a special program for compulsive gamblers combines individual and group counseling for gamblers as well as family members.  Dr. Breen is a staff psychologist at Rhode Island Hospital and a nationally recognized expert on gambling and gambling problems.

This workshop will focus on the nature of gambling in today’s society with an emphasis on the social costs of gambling. Dr. Breen will convey information, stir ideas and raise questions, regarding the implicit message sent by promoting, encouraging, or sponsoring gambling.

A7. ENDOWMENTS

Rev. Daniel J. Carlson - ELCA Regional Gift Planner

This former pastor is very astute about the use of endowments for the sake of the ministry of the church.  He is back by popular demand!

Topics include - How to Begin: Is all that detail really necessary?

              How to Encourage Gifts: Educate, Motivate, Celebrate!

              How to Spend: What’s more important - repairing the roof, or feeding the hungry? Who decides?

              Manual included.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS    1:15 – 3:00 PM

Be sure to indicate your workshop choices on your registration form.

Registration Deadline: 2-16-06

P1. THE PROMISE AND THE PERIL of Money in the Book of Acts

Rev. Anthony B. Robinson – UCC consultant and speaker

See the paragraph about this dynamic speaker under “Featured Speakers.”

The Acts of the Apostles displays the church as the community of common goods. Here, money matters: for good or ill. Explore the Book of Acts and its message about money.

P2. SAVE OUR CHILDREN: Responding to the Marketing Assault on our Children

Andrew Gustafson, Esq. – Associate Conference Minister for Stewardship of the Mass. Conference of the United Church of  Christ.

Jesus taught “if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”  $15 billion a year is spent marketing to our children. Rates of childhood obesity, type II diabetes, depression and anxiety are skyrocketing. 62% of children say “the only kind of job I want when I grow up is one that gets me a lot of money”.  This workshop will explore both the depth of the threat to our children’s spiritual, emotional and physical well-being as well as how we as parents and faith communities can respond.

P3. A BIBLICAL REFLECTION ON STEWARDSHIP IN THE EARLY CHURCH

Dr. Efrain Agosto - Professor on New Testament and Director, Programa de mInisterio Hispanos, Hartford Seminary

“With roots in the Pentecostal tradition and a PHD in the New Testament, he communicates well  and energizes his listeners.”  He is author of “Servant Leadership: Jesus and Paul.”

A scriptural look at stewardship as lived by Paul and the Corinthians (II Corinthians 8 & 9).

P4. GOOD SENSE - Transformational Stewardship

Gary Melville - United Methodist Foundation of New England

This “crazy” guy will share a bit of this new stewardship program sweeping the country.

This program frees individuals from consumer debt, restoring relationships torn by the conflict of money. It helps church leadership to become more comfortable teaching about the role money plays in our lives.

P5. INSPIRING GREATER GENEROSITY

Rev. Bill Green - UCC Local Church Ministries, Stewardship and Church Finances

This former pastor  has been a team leader for the UCC National Stewardship and is a major contributor to the UCC’s “Inspiring Generosity”.

How can we motivate stronger stewardship and help people feel better about giving? Look at ways to overcome the most frequent problems encountered when the church seeks financial support.

P6. CHILDREN, YOUTH & MONEY

Amy Beveridge – Christian Education Coordinator and Stewardship Specialist for the CT Conference UCC

Amy's background in both Christian Education and Stewardship have, in the last 4 years, brought her to seek the best resources and methods for helping children and youth become faithful stewards.

Young people spend much money and influence the spending of far more. Can we help them learn to value sharing?

P7. CONSUMING RESPONSIBLY AS A FAITHFUL IMPERATIVE

Rev. Dana Horrell - United Methodist  Pastor in Syracuse, NY

Dr. Horrell is the Executive Director of Global Disciple, a training institute providing education resources to congregations in social ministry, and is the former Executive Director of the Eco-Justice Project, Center for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy, Cornell University.

Recent scientific estimates indicate that if every person in the world consumed like the average American, four additional planets would be needed to provide the resources and absorb the waste. This interactive workshop will map out an alternative, grounded in Christian ethics, to the “more is better” approach to life.  It will offer a set of ethical guidelines as well as a few practical steps to start consuming more responsibly.

ACCOMODATIONS

Most of the event, except for Worship, will be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Worcester MA.

Saturday Worship will be at the Wesley United Methodist Church

which is across the street from the Crowne Plaza.

Directions to the Event

Heading East on Rt. 290, take Exit 17

and turn left onto Belmont St.

At third set of lights turn left on Main St.

Church will be on the right and hotel on the left.

Heading West on Rt. 290, take Exit 18,

 bear right at end of ramp and proceed through lights.

Turn right at second set of lights.

Take first left onto Main St.

Church will be on the right and hotel on the left.

Or for a map go to: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/direction/wrccp

Overnight Accommodations:

 Room Reservations at Crowne Plaza

Crowne Plaza Hotel has a block of rooms they are offering for $99 a night.

This offer is valid until 2-27-06 or until they have all been reserved, whichever comes first.

To reserve your room call 508-791-1600 and use GROUP CODE STW.

For more information about the Crowne Plaza you can go to their website at:

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hd/wrccp

Other Accommodations

             For those desiring to find other accommodations in the Worcester area,

you can find links to them at the Worcester Chamber of Commerce website at:

http://www.worcester.org/wm_accom.html

For those desiring information about Worcester, MA

you can go to the regional metro website at: http://www.worcester.ma.us/

Parking

Hotel parking is $4 per day and is probably the best bet on Friday.

Metered parking is available on the streets but please note that while parking

meters are not in effect on Saturdays they are in effect on Friday until 6 PM.

And, if there is a snow storm there will be no on the street parking

On Saturday (but not Friday) we are invited to use the parking lots at the Wesley United Methodist Church and at the United Congregational Church, UCC, (the lot is across Grove Street)

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R E G I S T R A T I O N    F O R M

S P I R I T U A L I T Y & S T E WA R D S H I P : Growing Generous Stewards

MARCH 17 - 18, 2006

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 15, 2006

One form per person

PLEASE NOTE: Only participants who register by the deadline date

will receive event confirmation by mail

Name:_______________________________________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip:________________________________________________________________________

Phone:______________________________________ Email:___________________________________

Denomination: I am a ___ Clergy person                        ___ Lay person

Please check one:     ___ American Baptist                    ___ Presbyterian

                                  ___ Roman Catholic                      ___ Congregational/UCC

             ___ Episcopal                               ___ Unitarian/Universalist

             ___ Evangelical Lutheran               ___ United Methodist

             ___ Orthodox                               ___ Other:________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________                                             

I will be attending:    ___ Friday Only - Afternoon/Evening (Dinner Included)            $60.00 enclosed

                                   ___ Saturday Only (Lunch Included)                                           $45.00 enclosed

              ___ Friday & Saturday (Dinner & Lunch Included)                     $95.00 enclosed

Please make check payable to: UMFNE Memo line: S & S Event

Dietary or Handicap Needs:________________________________________________________________

WORKSHOPS:

Friday Afternoon:                   ___ Clergy: “Can We Talk? Money and the Pastoral Role”

                                        ___ Laity: “Equipping Lay Leaders for Stewardship Ministry”

Saturday:

Please enter 2 choices for each workshop session (morning & afternoon)

Saturday Morning Workshop:            (A)        Choice 1:_______      Choice 2: _______

Saturday Afternoon Workshop:         (P)         Choice 1: _______     Choice 2: _______

Please remember that the event is limited to 400 participants.

 Every attempt will be made to meet your workshop choices.

Return this sheet with payment to:

UMFNE, Attn: S & S Event, PO Box 370, Hampstead NH 03841-0370

Questions? Call Chris McGuire at UMFNE 603-329-4444 X102

or visit www.umfne.org - click on Events