About
Welcome to the new Giving Speaks blog!
I am so pleased that you are here. It is my sincere desire to engage with others who want to further explore the ways giving, generosity and stewardship add depth and meaning to life and make a difference in the world.
My philosophy is that generosity is a way of being, an approach to life. It is a quality that springs from a profound understanding of sufficiency, that life provides enough to share. I am convinced that generosity is developmental in nature, and the learning happens in stages, beginning at birth and continuing throughout our lifetime.
Giving is an outward expression of one’s generosity. It is relational and dynamic. We learn the value of giving first by our experiences of receiving. It is through our giving and receiving–our attention, our love, our gifts, our time, our energy–that our relationships flourish and communities are sustained.
Stewardship is a responsibility and a privilege. It involves the care and tending of the resources that come into our sphere of influence. Stewardship may be as global as the careful use of natural resources, or as focused as the management of an organization’s finances. Stewardship practices are learned through experience and by observing the behaviors of stewardship leaders.
I consider this a ministry, a unique pathway of service to the causes and organizations that matter to me. I hope you will join me on the journey!
Laurel
Laurel Amabile
One thought on “About”
“It’s the economy” seems to have become the new catch phrase, at least in my church. What started out as a nuisance has now reached major proportions. We believe we’ve done everything right to avoid where we are, too. We have a very active stewardship committee that keeps on-going contact with members with one steward to every 4-6 members. We created a ‘work transitions” committee to help folks with unemployment issues, our social justice programs are strong and our adult and children’s religious education programs are second to none. We have cut our energy use by about 50% or so.
It’s not enough!
We are now even looking at making cuts to staff. I enjoy articles on appreciative inquiry, teaching gratitude and generosity, but I’d really like to see articles that address the hard realities of the economy.
David Walsh