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Stewardship
Downloadable
Fact Sheet

What is My Opportunity for Giving: A Stewardship Way of Life?

It is an approach to stewardship unlike any your church has ever experienced before.

This extraordinary three-week program carefully leads your congregants through a life- changing experience: a deep, prayerful consideration of how they might become good stewards of all of the many gifts they have been given.

My Opportunity for Giving uses the unique approach of Intentional Stewardship™, providing a path for real people, in real life circumstances, to give back to God, in gratitude, a portion of their time, their talents and their means.

My Opportunity for Giving embraces stewardship as a way of life, helping people to give willingly and abundantly of their time, their talent and their means for God’s work. My Opportunity for Giving resources are easily integrated into your Sunday worship or can stand alone.

Is My Opportunity for Giving right for my church?

My Opportunity for Giving can be used in any church -- regardless of size, location, or denomination -- that is looking for a way to instill a stewardship way of life in its members. We are well aware that a small percentage of our congregants are active and perform the majority of the work and ministries in our churches and in our communities at large. We also realize that if our congregants would devote a portion of their time, apply their talents, and more generously share of their material bounty, our churches could be the powerful forces for good we just know they can be. My Opportunity for Giving awakens people to what is already burning deep within their hearts -- the desire to give back to God and others.

How is My Opportunity for Giving different from other stewardship programs?

To begin with, My Opportunity for Giving is not a program. It is a process, a process that continues to engender a true and deep spirit of stewardship within your church. It is based on the New Beginnings concept: “Stewardship – It’s Already in Your Heart.” In other words, My Opportunity for Giving builds upon the generosity within the human heart, while it prayerfully allows people to give out of positive motivation, not the sense of negative manipulation that too many stewardship programs seem to evoke.

Where does My Opportunity for Giving fit into a church’s schedule?

My Opportunity for Giving can be used at any time of the year. Its rich and varied resources (see below) can be integrated into the Sunday worship or can be shaped into a stand-alone presentation.

How does My Opportunity for Giving work and what are the initial steps?

Preparation
As My Opportunity for Giving is a truly collaborative process, a Leadership Team is assembled, each person “called by name.” My Opportunity for Giving is not a top down program that must be borne by pastor, associates and staff. Lay people -- both those already active in the church, as well as those who are new and emerging and who possess the desire – are called upon to lead..

Your Leadership Team is then carefully formed, in both the Leader’s Guide and in video presentations by Paul Wilkes. A four-hour leadership retreat is offered to provide them with the spiritual underpinnings for this fresh opportunity within your church.

Additionally, community building activities are suggested for the year leading up to My Opportunity for Giving, so that a healthy and generous spirit is already enkindled in your church.

How My Opportunity for Giving works:

Utilizing the rich and flexible resources (see below) of the My Opportunity for Giving curriculum kits, you and your Leadership Team are provided with both guidance and the tools for:

Pre-Week 1 – Gratitude Dinner

Celebrates what the church has already accomplished, and points to a dynamic future with a new way of living stewardship. An “Annual Report” (easily formatted with your church’s information) can be handed out.

Week 1 – Stewardship of Time

Theme: How Do We Now Spend Our Time?

With a variety of resources, congregants examine their current use of time. The Stewardship of Time Self-Evaluation form provides an opportunity for individuals to look at how they spend their time and a way to “tithe” a portion of their time for God, our inner selves, others, and family/friends.

Week 2 – Stewardship of Talent

Theme: Who Can Benefit From Our Talents?

With a variety of resources, congregants examine the talents they have – some of which they are aware, others that are latent. The Stewardship of Talent Self-Evaluation form provides an opportunity for individuals to assess what talents they uniquely have been given and how they might use those talents in the church and community.

Week 3 – Stewardship of Means

Theme: How Do We Apportion Our Means?

With a variety of resources, congregants examine their current use of the resources at their disposal. The Stewardship of Treasure Pledge form provides benchmarks so that congregants can see what they give now and how they can begin a practice of “incremental stewardship” of their means.

Post-Week 3 – Commitment Sunday

Marks the new beginning of a life of Intentional Stewardship of time, talent and means for your church and congregants..

What are these “resources” that My Opportunity for Giving provides?

You are provided with rich and varied resources from which you can select, tailoring My Opportunity for Giving to your unique needs:

(Note: Resources are both listed in the Leader’s Guide and are available for easy download on the Resources CD provided.)

Did you know…”
Interesting facts about use of time, talent, treasure

Biblical Food for Thought
Relevant, inspiring Bible verses.

Inspired Words to Consider
Thought-provoking quotes from a wide range of religious and secular writers and sources

Intentional Stewardship©
Introduction to a new level of consciousness through the three steps of Intentional Stewardship: Observe, Evaluate, Act

Homily Hints
Helps in highlighting some aspect of the sharing of our time, talent and mean

Stories from our lives – Lay Witnesses
Guidelines for short, arresting testimonies by members.

Dreams and hopes
Each week, a dream is placed before your congregants – “If only enough people would give their time...talents...means, we could.....

Time, Talent and Means Pledge Forms

Stewardship of Time
Stewardship of Talent
Stewardship of Treasure

Easy to read and understand, these thought-provoking forms* provide both a copy to be offered to God in a community ritual action and a copy to take home so that stewardship might be continually evaluated.
*Customized with your church name

What are the new or innovative features of My Opportunity for Giving 101, 201, 301?

There are many. Among them are:

Unique, useful pledge Forms – Stewardship of Time, Talent, Treasures forms contain inspiring words, guidelines for giving, and provide a continuing way to enhance stewardship. Different pledge forms available for youth.

Intentional Stewardship© – Congregants, introduced to a new consciousness of God’s gifts, see that returning some part of them in gratitude is within everyone’s reach.

Theology of Giving – the bedrock of stewardship explained, helping people understand stewardship is a holy, spiritual act.

Growing Edge Budgeting© – no longer constrained by budgets, members can see that the growth and vitality of the church depends on each person’s stewardship.

Incremental Stewardship of Means – showing that a slight percentage increase in giving across the church community yields great benefits

Ritual Actions for Pledging – Rich moments as congregants pledge time, talent, treasure.

Paul Wilkes – in a series of short videos, Paul Wilkes talks directly to your congregants and tells the story of exciting stewardship across the country.

What is included in the My Opportunity for Giving Curriculum Kit?

The My Opportunity for Giving Curriculum Kit comes in an attractive shrink-wrapped box that contains:

1) Leader's Guide -- A 104 page, step-by-step guide that takes you through selection and formation of a Leadership Team, creating a positive attitude through community-building activities, then the actual events: a Gratitude Dinner, Stewardship of Time, Stewardship of Talent, Stewardship of Treasure (with ritual actions) and Commitment Sunday.

2) Leader's Instructional DVD/VHS – In this video, provided in both DVD and VHS formats, Paul Wilkes speaks directly to leaders, guiding them through all stages of My Opportunity for Giving

3) Resources CD – A rich offering of downloadable resources (see resources above) for each event, nametags, customized banners, and sample letters to aid and enhance your My Opportunity for Giving experience.

4) Sample Time, Talent, Treasure stewardship forms – Exclusive with My Opportunity for Giving, these forms provide both a copy to be offered in a ritual action and a copy the congregant keeps, so that stewardship can be continually considered. Different pledge forms available for youth. Can be ordered, customized with your church’s name.

5) “Power of Stewardship” videos – in four short videos, Paul Wilkes talks directly to your congregants about the underpinnings of good stewardship, then about the power of stewardship of time, talent, and treasure. Dramatic examples of other good stewards in churches across America.

6) “Annual Report” and “Listening to You” survey – provide you with an attractive format in which to tell your church’s story (Annual Report) and allow your congregants to speak from the pews. (Listening to You survey)

7) Posters -- attractive posters (with editable inserts for dates and locations) create interest among congregants.

How did My Opportunity for Giving come into being?

Under a Lilly Endowment grant, Paul Wilkes traveled from coast to coast to study why it was that certain churches were both successful and vital. He wrote two groundbreaking books that are now considered among the best and most useful studies of church vitality: Excellent Protestant Congregations: The Guide to Best Places and Practices, Westminster/John Knox Press and Excellent Catholic Churches: The Guide to Best Places and Practices, Paulist Press.

Gathering together his findings into a simple, straightforward program that could be utilized by any church, regardless of size, location or facilities, he created the church revitalization program New Beginnings 101, 201, 301: A New Way of Living a Christian Life. That program – which focuses on church relationship, deepening a spiritual life, and discovering one’s ministry -- has been introduced in hundreds of churches across America.

With My Opportunity for Giving, Paul Wilkes has taken the next step with a bold approach to a stewardship way of life that is at once practical and possible, yet spiritually enriching and spiritually.

Who is Paul Wilkes?

Paul Wilkes is considered one of America’s leading authorities on church vitality and excellence. In addition to his writing on church excellence, he has also written many other books, writes for national magazines, and has produced and directed documentaries for PBS. A popular lecturer who encourages churches on the path to excellence and lay men and women to live a deeper, fuller Christian life, he has lectured throughout the country.

In early 2004, he created the church revitalization program, New Beginnings 101, 201, 301: A New Way of Living a Christian Life. My Opportunity for Giving: A Stewardship Way of Life continues the work of New Beginnings. An active church member, Paul lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, with his wife, Tracy, who founded an arts and character development center for at-risk children. They have two college-aged sons, Noah and Daniel.

1413 Hawthorne Road | Wilmington, NC 28403 | Toll Free 800.936.0363
Please feel free to email me at paulwilkes@nbontheweb.com