Anglican Communion News Service

"Stewardship: Living Our Covenant With God" is the fifth International Leadership Development Conference sponsored by The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) for lay leaders, clergy and diocesan staff.   The conference will be held May 3 - 5, 2001, at the Best Western Richmond Inn, Vancouver International Airport Hotel & Convention Center, 7551 Westminster Highway, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

More than fifteen proven experts will be on hand to inspire and instruct conference participants and to focus and fine tune ideas about the direction of stewardship programs at the diocesan/synod and parish levels.  Conference participants will be well-supplied with materials as well as with concepts, personal motivation, and opportunities for valuable networking with many peers who serve in the ministries of Annual Giving, Planned Giving and Capital Campaigns.

The conference musicians will be the Rusty Angels, five women from St Matthew's Anglican Church in Terrace, British Columbia.   In addition to Sunday morning worship, their ministry includes the privilege of sharing prayer and praise through music with those in times of need - the sick, the dying, those in mourning - as well as times of joy - celebrations such as birthdays and anniversaries.

The conference schedule follows three tracks, with content flowing from the theological foundation developed in the multiple plenary sessions.  Brother Robert Hugh King-Smith, SSF, conference chaplain, will lead the opening plenary session into an understanding of Contract or Covenant - The Heart of Our Relationship with God.   In three subsequent plenary sessions, The Rt Rev Mark MacDonald, Bishop of Alaska, will expand on the theme as he unpacks the corporate and individual implications of being called to live into a covenant with God.

Clergy and lay leaders who have not previously attended a similar conference are encouraged to participate in Track I:   Beginning the Journey.   Track I is a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of stewardship formation, and includes diagnostic tools and effective pledge programs.

Track II: Continuing the Journey, is an advanced track for persons with experience in the ministry of stewardship and who have previously attended Track I or a conference on Stewardship Fundamentals. Track II will offer multiple concurrent workshops and opportunities to reflect with other experienced stewardship leaders on topics ranging from individual to corporate issues that nurture stewardship formation.

Track III: The Academy, follows the model of the comprehensive program on Planned Giving and Capital Giving Programs which has been developed under the leadership of the Episcopal Church Foundation and Holliman Associates. Track III goals are that participants will be enabled immediately begin implementing an effective Planned Giving Program in their parishes and leading their own efforts in small capital campaigns.

Tom Gossen is Executive Director of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship, the conference sponsor.   He serves as a member of the Episcopal Church General Convention's Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development. Gossen asserts that "it is important to broaden our teaching so that people understand stewardship as both a result of our relationship with God and an enhancement of it."

Registered conference participants may check in and pick up materials as early as 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, with hospitality being offered that evening.   The first conference session begins at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, May 4.  Conclusion at 6:00 p.m. Saturday will enable local clergy who commute to the conference to easily return to their parishes.

Registrations postmarked or FAXed by April 6, 2001, are $205 (US) and $310 (CAN).   Registrations postmarked or FAXed after April 6, 2001, are $230 (US) and $348 (CAN).   Make checks payable to The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (or TENS) and mail to 3750 E. Douglas, Wichita, KS 67208 USA. MasterCard and Visa are also accepted.

In a society where charities, foundations, the arts and countless other worthwhile programs compete with our churches for contributions, it is critically important that the leaders of congregational Stewardship Ministries be focused and skillful in order to effectively finance God's work in the world.   Stewardship is much more, however, than the church's annual fund-raising campaign:   it is an attitude and a way of life that develops alongside growth in faith.   Church leaders who understand this build formation programs that allow church members to increase both in love and joy.

The Episcopal Network for Stewardship is a voluntary network of people who understand the important role of leadership in calling the Church to a faithful response to God's call to generously share of our time, talents and treasures to provide for God's work in the world.

The purpose of TENS is
(1) to lead in the growth of a network of dedicated stewardship ministers serving congregations and dioceses; and,
(2) to support each other with personal consultations and fellowship opportunities, as well as print, video and electronic resources.