At a recent gathering, the Moderator was encouraging people to share their story, to speak of faith and to help others be curious and interested to learn. They won’t know if we don’t tell them and we need to invite people, to plant the seeds, to trust in the opportunities and speak. Still, it is often hard. The Moderator’s partner is a lawyer, and the Moderator invited everyone to attach to their will their faith story. The people who are named in the will can be gifted that legacy of your personal sharing.
What might your community respond to. Perhaps you haven’t talked about wills and some people might not know where to begin. Invite a speaker and the family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and advertise for the wider community to join in. Likewise, people might not have thought about legacies and bequests, ways to give. Contact stewardship to explore more about that.
Have a writer’s gathering inviting people to start thinking about writing their faith story to share. Every story will be unique. Allow time for brainstorming ideas to speak about. Some writers will be story tellers, offering memoire moments, detailing particular events and aha moments. Others might be more philosophical in their sharing of their spiritual reflections. Some might look to characteristics and qualities, values they have found most life-giving. For others, it might be things learned, bucket list accomplishments or moments to speak about what they have not typically been known to share about. Still others might have other ways they will choose to creatively share their faith story. Be sure that your legacy includes you having the opportunity to share your story. Make it a wider community invitation for all ages to come and think about how they would share their life to date.
Contact your growth and stewardship animator in BNS, Sharon Ballantyne sballantyne@united-church.ca
This Week’s Stewardship Second:
Sometimes the greatest generosity comes from the people you would least expect—like you.
