Generosity Resources for Parishes
Generate Generosity with Gratitude
There are a lot of resources and ideas about stewardship and we know that it is a process that often brings about anxiety, dread, and sometimes shame. We wanted to help congregations embrace a different journey of stewardship to help the conversation be a joy-filled celebration of the gifts of our members and a way to center the process on gratitude.
Gratitude Based Traditional Stewardship Materials
A budget based in gratitude recognizes that resources might need to shift from supporting what we’ve always done to supporting what we might do. The materials in this packet are adapted from a larger program that UTO offers (see below), but these are intended for a much quicker process with basically three main points of contact: a gratitude-based parish survey, a pledge packet, and an ingathering Sunday for pledges.
To use: Download the packet and adapt to use for your parish. We highly recommend reading through the entire packet before beginning. Any text in red should be adjusted to fit your context, but all materials in this packet can be adjusted for your parish.
Building Gratitude and Generosity Together: A Stewardship Guide for Congregations Rooted in Gratitude
UTO presents a stewardship campaign created out of the belief that gratitude breeds generosity and fights back scarcity. That when we ask people to practice gratitude it increases our ability as a church, congregation or family to joyfully give to those things which are life-giving and liberating.
This program includes everything you need to run a year-round stewardship program, or it can easily be done monthly, quarterly, or weekly.
Gratitude to Giving: Thanksgiving to Easter Stewardship Materials
At UTO we often hear from priests who want to introduce UTO but not have a conflict with an annual stewardship drive. This program begins in November and includes formation programming around gratitude and stewardship before introducing UTO in Lent.
To use: Download the packet and adapt to use for your parish. We highly recommend reading through the entire packet before beginning. Any text in red should be adjusted to fit your context, but all materials in this packet can be adjusted for your parish.
Gratitude Paper Chains: Involving Kids in Parish Stewardship
Download a free gratitude-based stewardship lesson plan for congregations that helps kids recognize the variety of gifts shared in your congregation and notice their own gifts and ways they can share those gifts with others.