Did you hear? On Sunday February 9th our special guest Rev. Dr. Herb Gale will be here to lead us in worship and a workshop. Rev Gale spoke with your Session last fall about stewardship initiatives and we are eager to have him share this information with each of you. You are encouraged to attend both the morning worship service and the afternoon workshop, Doorways to Generosity: Learning to Open the Various Giving Doors to Support Your Congregation’s Life and Ministry.
Don’t stop reading now! Too often stewardship is connected with financial statements and unfathomable math. Yet, we all seek to be good stewards every day. We do so by taking good care of our families, our communities, our financial assets, our environment, and ourselves. Each week we join together in the song of praise to acknowledge that all our gifts are from God. Scriptures share the stories of people caring for these gifts from God. Yet, we often struggle to understand how all the pieces fit together within good stewardship.
As Kennon Callahan declares, “There is a diversity of ways that people share their generosity,” but many congregations make only one or two ways available. This presentation will look at how our congregation can offer many “Giving Doors”. The Giving Doors encourage people to share their gifts in ways that fit their own lifestyle while providing additional support to sustain your congregation’s ministry and mission for generations to come.
Herb is originally from North Carolina, where he served a Presbyterian congregation for four years before coming to Canada. After twenty years in congregational ministry in Ontario, Herb served as Associate Secretary for Planned Giving for The Presbyterian Church in Canada from 2004 until his retirement in 2015. From April 2016 through March 2018, Herb served part time as the Minister of Generosity and Stewardship at Knox Presbyterian Church in Guelph where his wife, Rev. Dr. Shirley Gale, is currently on staff providing pastoral care for seniors and shut-ins. Herb has been a frequent speaker at conferences, workshops and retreats and has served on the planning team for the Stewards by Design conferences. In 2010, he was elected Moderator of the 136th General Assembly. Herb is currently serving St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Kitchener as their Interim Moderator.
So, plan to come out for an informative and interesting day at Knox Bayfield! A potluck lunch with home-made soup will be served after worship and before the workshop. The potluck soups will be part of our annual competition to determine the Soup’s On Knox Bayfield representative. Speak with a Session elder for more details about the lunch: Brenda McLean, Jan Sloane, and Deb Cosford.