Saving Grace is a program designed to teach about financial well-being and provide tools to help with managing, giving, saving, spending and debt. The Christian-based program incorporating Wesleyan values consists of six lessons, with three special sections specifically written for clergy. The clergy sections cover the unique rules that apply to pastor compensation, clergy taxes, […]
What makes people want to come back to church when they visit? I hear people all the time tell me that they visited a church, and no one spoke to them. How is this possible? Radical hospitality is when we welcome guests with a warmth and openness that exceeds expectations. Radical hospitality creates a feeling […]
Priscilla Pope-Levison has written a book called Models of Evangelism in which she lays out five key qualities of good evangelism. I invite you to take a look at these five with me – hospitality, relationship, integrity, message-bearing and church rootedness. Hospitality – Hospitality is a place where change can take place. Henri Nouwen said […]
Everywhere I go now, people are interested in how the church is doing after the pandemic. How is your church doing? Some churches were growing and others weren’t, even before the pandemic hit. Some churches have regained their numbers while others seem to be decreasing in attendance. We need to stop comparing our numbers before […]
Each year, the Foundation awards a limited number of grants to Virginia Methodist Churches and affiliated agencies of the Virginia United Methodist Conference. Our focus is on unifying mission, ministry and impact to better assist and equip ministries in their projects, as well as help them to build a future. At year end, […]
A “none” is a person reporting no religious affiliation. Nones are not atheists or agnostics. They may be spiritual but not religious. They may consider themselves secular people who choose not to participate in a religious community. They see religiosity primarily in terms of choice, and faith as a matter of preference. Many churches tell […]
Whether your church building is old or new, heating and cooling the facility can be a challenge. When the life of your church’s HVAC expires and it’s time to replace the unit, each church will have different needs and resources to continue to ensure that congregation members feel comfortable. The first step is to devise […]
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all report that Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s.” Notice that the guidance does not say give generously to Caesar, nor does it say give any more than Caesar requires or mandates. If we interpret Caesar to be the US government, or more […]
Wishing you and yours a peaceful and blessed celebration of our Savior’s birth! Watch the eCard now
The all-time favorite Christmas hymn Silent Night was written in 1818 by Franz Xavier Gruber to lyrics by Josephus Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. Mohr was a Catholic priest, who wrote the words and asked Gruber to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for a Christmas Eve mass in 1818. […]