Conference on Stewardship Set for March 31

by Pam Doty
Editor
The Bishop’s Conference on Stewardship will be Saturday, March 31, 2001, at the Church of the Ascension in Knoxville. With the mission of growing stewards in the congregations of the Diocese of East Tennessee, the conference is for both lay leaders and clergy.

Tom Gossen, Executive Director for the Episcopal Network for Stewardship since 1995, and Charles Gearing, Director of Diocesan Planned Giving Programs for the Episcopal Church Foundation, have been invited to present workshops in their respective areas by the Stewardship Commission of the Diocese of East Tennessee.

Highlights of the conference include a full Tennessee country breakfast served by the Brotherhood of the Order of St. Andrew; Workshops with the nationally acclaimed presenters; the Cathedral Bookshop will be available offering stewardship resources; and a resource table will provide tools for the Ministry of Planned Giving and Year Around Stewardship.

Bishop vonRosenberg will address participants on the topic “We are gifted by God” and Gossen will speak on “A Journey in Stewardship” while Gearing talks about “The Compleat Steward: Remembering the Church in Your Will.”

Workshops Topics:

• Year Around Stewardship: What, Why and How?” with Tom Gossen
• Conducting an Effective Planned Giving Awareness Program” with Charles Gearing
• Sustaining A Viable Planned Giving Ministry” with Charles Gearing
• The Annual Pledge Drive--Fund Raising or Faith Raising with Tom Gossen

After the workshops there will be a session with presenters and the Stewardship Commission on what is working in different size churches. Participants are encouraged to bring success stories and materials to share.

The cost of the conference is $10 per person for up to three persons from the same church and $5 for each additional person. Registration deadline is March 26, 2001.

Register online and pay at the door or send your registration and check to:

Diocese of East Tennessee
401 Cumberland Avenue
Knoxville, TN 37902
Attention: Lynn Lazlo.

All congregations are invited to send participants to celebrate the joy of giving, deepen their own theology of stewardship and planned giving, develop new skills and new ways of implementing year around stewardship, including the annual commitment program, and gain inspiration from learning what is working in your sister congregations.