Category Archives: Generosity & Giving

Giving Speaks Poll–Sharing the Offering Plate

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More and more congregations are sharing all or a portion of their cash or non-pledge offering received, weekly or monthly.   The offering is then given by the congregation to a cause or organization with a mission that aligns with their faith principles and values.  Many congregation leaders report that giving overall has increased, with thousands of dollars contributed to do good works in the wider community.

I have created a short poll for you to indicate your congregation’s decisions and practices around sharing offering plate contributions.  I invite you to go respond to the poll question using the online poll below.

The responses will be visible in a graph and I will share what I learn in a future blog post.   In the meantime, I am interested in any stories of how sharing in this way enhances the culture of generosity in a congregation

There is still time to respond to the “sharing the offering plate” poll on the Giving Speaks blog, if you haven’t already.  There are many congregation leaders interested in what the overall giving trends were in your congregations before, during and after the economic recession.  Did overall congregational giving go up?  Down?  Stay the same?

Thank you for your interest and participation!

For more information about sharing offering plate contributions, go to:

InterConnections Articles

http://www.uuworld.org/life/articles/2390.shtml

http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/2389.shtml

A Communion of Flowers

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May we cherish friendship as one of thy most precious gifts. May we not let awareness of another’s talents discourage
us, or sully our relationship but may we realize that, whatever we can do, great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed to do thy work in this world.                        ~Norbert Capek

Field of Lupine, Portland, Maine

 Our spring gardens, fields of wildflowers, and roadside lupines are handy reminders of the natural beauty and generosity of diversity, with all its dazzling colors, unique shapes, and ways of being.  Each a gift.

 And so it is with people.  Each person we encounter contributes something to our lives:  a unique blend of love, friendship, joy, pain, challenge, information, expectations, attention, fear, amazement, and the list goes on.   What we learn over time is that all of our relationships are precious and need careful tending  that promotes health, beauty, and generosity.

Twice in the last month, I have participated in a flower communion, a lovely celebration of the beauty of the human community, symbolized in the gift of flowers.  Each person adds a flower to a common vase, forming a colorful bouquet which is blessed by the community and natural world that created it.  At the end of the service, each person is invited to choose a flower from the bouquet as a gift and a blessing of community to carry out into the world.

Leo Buscaglia, author and motivational speaker, is quoted as saying, “The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another’s, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.”

It is important for us to remember that we each have a gift to offer one another and our communities.  Every act of kindness, compassion, and generosity is a blessing to the world.

For more information about the history, tradition, and celebration of the Flower Communion: http://www.uua.org/worship/seasons/174534.shtml

What Matters Is How Well We Have Loved

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We may ask ourselves if we’ve shown enough kindness and generosity and compassion to the people in our lives.  Perhaps we question whether we’re doing right by our children, or our community, whether our priorities are in order.  We recognize our own mortality.  And we are reminded that, in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame, but rather how well we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better.  

This is an excerpt from the message President Obama shared in January 2011 at the University of Arizona during the Memorial Service for the victims of the Tucson Shootings.   His words are an important reminder to all of us to make the most of the time we have on this earth in our relationships and service.   Our living and our giving choices reflect our priorities, who and what we love, and our values.

During these times of political and religious unrest and polarization–due in large part around matters of money, status, and power –let us pause to reflect on how well we are loving others and making choices that benefit our fellow citizens.

Through a process of reflection, we can discern the ways we can demonstrate kindness, generosity, and compassion in our relationships, our faith communities, our society, and our world.  There couldn’t be a better time to stand boldly on the side of love.

For the full transcript of the President’s speech: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/13/AR2011011301532.html

For more information about the Standing on the Side of Love campaign and social justice activities:  http://www.standingonthesideoflove.org/