Episcopalians can learn how to grow in their faith on Saturday, Aug. 11, when the Rev. Phyllis Bartle keynotes a stewardship workshop at Church of the Messiah in Winter Garden. The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bartle, who serves as rector at St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Orange City, is one of the Diocese of Central Florida’s premier speakers on stewardship. In April, she attended the annual TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship) Conference at King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas.
The Volusia County rector followed that up by serving as vice-chair for the General Convention of The Episcopal Church’s Committee on Stewardship and Responsible Investing. She was one of 11 people from the Diocese of Central Florida to attend the convention, held July 2-13 in Austin, Texas.
“We will share some of the ideas that came out of this conference,” Bartle said. “Stewardship is a matter of the spirit. It is a sign of spiritual maturity and growth, so it is a very important component of our life in the Lord.”
Bartle has always felt a passion about doing the Lord’s work, whether it’s serving as rector at St. Jude’s, guiding middle schoolers at the New Beginnings camp or teaching others about the importance of stewardship.
So, when the opportunity arose for her to attend this year’s annual TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship) Conference, known for its energetic crowds and powerful storytelling, she jumped at the chance.
The biblical view of stewardship is essentially supervising and making effective use of resources that the Lord provides for the betterment of His people and society.
“Bishop Brewer appointed me to go to this three-day event, and I went willingly to bring back information for our diocese that will help individual churches in their stewardship efforts,” Bartle said. “As the vice-chair for the General Convention’s Committee on Stewardship and Responsible Investing, I also feel a passion for the topic.”
Bartle is using the resources and information she gained from this year’s TENS Conference to present the stewardship workshop in August at Church of the Messiah.
The Volusia County rector said she learned a lot from TENS, which joined with multiple organizations – Center for Faith and Giving for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, The Presbyterian Church USA, Ecumenical Stewardship Center, and the United Church of Christ Office of Philanthropy & Stewardship – to put on this year’s conference in Dallas. And, it was a rousing success.
With the spotlight on faithful stewardship and generous giving, the conference’s theme of “Pathways to Generosity: Signs of Hope” resonated through numerous keynote speeches and multiple breakout sessions in which attendees could learn more about an array of topics.
“The organizers used that theme to give the primary speakers a focus,” Bartle said.
The event opened April 3 with dinner, worship and a reception, Bartle said. The conference then officially began April 4 with instruction and sharing.
The Rev. Dr. Katie Hays, who is the lead evangelist of Galileo Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Greater Fort Worth, Texas, gave the first keynote speech: “Why Walk the Path.” “Her primary message was that organizations need to be encouraged to find ways to reconnect people with why the church exists – their mission,” Bartle said.
The Rev. Dr. Eric Law, executive director of the Kaleidoscope Institute, which supplies resources to help church leaders produce sustainable churches and communities, followed on the afternoon of April 4 with an insightful keynote: “What Do We Do on the Path?”
“He spoke to the audience about blessings as currency,” Bartle said. “He said we need to move from maintenance to mission, from fear to grace, and from scarcity to abundance thinking.”
On the morning of the final day, April 5, Aimee Laramore, a consultant/strategist for faith and philanthropy, gave a keynote message on: “How Do We Tend to Our Paths?” “She said we need to rethink generosity,” Bartle said. “It’s not based on what you have; so all can be generous.”
Pedro Suarez, the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod, then delivered a speech the afternoon of April 5 entitled: “Next Steps on the Path.” “He emphasized that we need to learn to live by faith and trust that the Lord will provide because we own nothing,” Bartle said.
Between keynote speeches, more than 200 of the conference attendees were able to choose from a number of breakout sessions to learn more about various topics. Bartle attended sessions on Preaching Stewardship, Bridging the Generosity Gap, and Year-Round Generosity.
The yearning to improve with stewardship is something Bartle hopes to share with diocese members. “Recognizing that all we have been given is entrusted to us and is not our own should help everyone be more generous,” she said.
“But, truly, people give to the things that matter to them,” Bartle said. “That being said, the mission of Christ to spread the gospel and care for God’s people are the kinds of things that will cause giving to increase.”