Category Archives: Religious Life

Devoting Ourselves for Greater Meaning and Purpose

Posted on by

The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.           ~Mitch Albom

There are those individuals we encounter in our lives that teach about the importance of philanthropy–the generosity and devoting of one’s time and resources for the betterment of humanity.  They are the individuals whose love of people shines brightly when they enter a room, attracting others to them with their personal warmth and caring presence.

Through the sharing of stories and by example, we can observe how those philanthropists are faithfully devoted to bring their best of selves–energy, time, attention, and resources–to the greater good of community.    It is essential for those of us who aspire to this way of being to watch, listen, and feel the unique dynamic at work, integrating what we learn in our interactions with others.

Greater meaning and a clearer sense of purpose comes from cultivation of compassion, love of humanity, and living a life of gratitude, generosity, and devotion to something greater than the individual.

Here are some of the things these philanthropic role models teach us:

  • Listen to the calling of your faith and deepest values, and respond by actively giving of yourself, your time, and your resources.
  • Volunteer time in the community where there is a need.
  • Be a steward of the environment.
  • Advocate for those who are oppressed.
  • Respond to those in need with compassion, generosity, and respect.

Giving Speaks Poll–Sharing the Offering Plate

Posted on by

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

The Ways We Are Remembered

Posted on by

Generosity is grounded in a profound understanding that we all are in this together…It is only in fruitful alliances with others that we can do great things.  

                                                    ~ David Heenan & Warren Bennis

This is a day of remembering the lives of others who have lived, loved, served, and in some way touched our lives.   Originally, Memorial Day was the day of honoring Union soldier of the American Civil War, but the holiday has expanded to include those who have died in military service to their country, as well as family, friends, and others whose deeds and lives have made a difference.

Leaving a legacy is a strong desire of many of us.  We want our deeds and lives to matter, to our families, faith communities, and society at large.  One way of doing this is through planned giving and making our intentions known well before reach the end of our lives.  This is particularly important to those in the “Baby Boomer” generation, as part of retirement planning.

Leaders of faith communities and community organizations must create the programs to which individuals can leave a legacy contribution.   There are a number of good planned giving resources available online and professionally trained staff to assist in most charitable and religious organizations.

To begin, it is helpful to be aware of the reasons that people make charitable donations, so that the right climate and mechanisms for giving can be established:

  • Awareness of need
  • People are asked to give
  • The giver cares deeply about the organization or cause and its mission
  • Benefits are experienced from giving–psychological, recognition, practical
  • Desire to make a difference, to leave a legacy
  • Gratitude for what the organization has brought to one’s life, to give back

I will be inviting planned giving colleagues to share their wisdom in future posts, but leave you with an invitation:  to reflect deeply on the example of those who have touched your life through their generosity, to clarify for yourself what is most important to you, and consider ways that you can leave a legacy gift that will touch lives for years to come.

For a planned giving guide for congregations:   http://www.uua.org/documents/stew-dev/plannedgivingguide.pdf