Stewardship Team Learns How to Write CAGA Stories
The Stewardship Team, which has been participating since January in GSB Fundraising's "Storytelling and Communications" learning track, attended their February meeting this past Monday afternoon via Zoom.
While last month our focus was on how to improve our printed and online communications, this month we began to learn how to interview members for writing what our leader, Mitzi, calls CAGA stories (Change, Agent of Change, Gift, Ask). The purpose of writing this kind of story is to increase what Mitzi called "deposits" as opposed to "withdrawals." Mitzi observes that too often congregations focus on "withdrawals" in the form of asking for contributions, often with hints of desperation, without including "deposits," which are communications which communicate the value that the organization provides for its members/associates.
Mitzi pointed out that too often, congregations, when interviewing and writing stories about members, provide what's called a "resume" story, which enumerates the many activities in which the member has participated in the congregation's life and perhaps their accomplishments in their lives outside the congregation. The purpose of a CAGA story is to tell how the organzation has been an "agent of change" in the congregation member's life.
So Mitzi encouraged us to ask and listen for that change, and how the congregation contributed to that change, whether it was a person (pastor or other member), program (e.g. SLAM), or a system of activities and relationship building in the congregation. Question to get at the Agent of Change might include "What made you come and stay here," or "What are the things that are different for you now."
Our homework for this month (until our next Zoom on March 28) is to write several stories using the guidelines provided by Mitzi. If you feel you have a story to share, or know of someone who may, let us know! Thanks!
Ash Wednesday and Lent
Our Ash Wednesday observance got underway at noon with a prayer service with ashes and Holy Communion at Grace, and LIFT leaders providing drive through ashes at Hayes United Methodist Church from noon to 5:00 pm. Pastor Matt and I did the first hour, Maureen did the second, Pastor Paul did the third, Mary Carmed did the fourth, and Pastor Josh did the fifth hour. Although not backed up like Wendy's drive through at noon, there was a steady stream of vehicles -- I'm going to guess 25-30 cars altogether, with many cars having more than one occupant. So I'd say we had a productive and meaningful Ash Wednesday and beginning to our Lenten observance.
We had about 35 for our reconvened Wednesday night supper on Ash Wednesday, and don't know the exact numbers but at least 75 for Ash Wednesday worship at 6:30.
Lent continues with mid-week worship for the next five Wednesdays, with prayer service at noon, supper at 5:30, and worship at 6:30 using Holden Evening Prayer. I posted last week regarding our midweek theme and schedule, which you can view HERE.
Mission and Vision 101 with Jennie Wolf Smith
About 35 leaders and members of Northwestern Ohio Synod congregation, including four from Grace, joined a Zoom meeting on Thursday night led by GSB Fundraising consultant Jennie Wolf Smith to discuss the basics of MIssion and Vision for our congregations. Here are some bullet points of what we learned:
- Mission Planning clarifies congregational mission ministry efforts through
- Identity. As a congregation we must know who we are and what we value.
- Action. Once we know our identity, we can map out where we're going
- Vision answers the following questions:
- Whare are you heading?
- What's the destination?
- What kind of world are you working to create?
- Mission is the method or means by which you'll work to reach your vision
- Goals and Objectives are the specific stps you plan to take to make progress along the way
- Good Mission Planning facilitates better Stewardship, as leaders and congregation are united in how to allocate congregational resources
- A good Mission Statement
- Tells what we do, not who we are
- Is short, simple and memorable
- Integrate with everything the congregation does
Grace's Mission Statement is to “Present the Light of Christ." We were encouraged to ask the following questions regarding our statement:
- Does this sound like us?
- What does it mean?
- How might visitors recognize this in us?
I know that Grace did a thorough Mission Planning document in 2015. It may be helpful to also take another look at this document with possible updates and revisions.
Pastor Lanny's Sister in Ukraine
I know that we have all been following the horrible news out of Ukraine with the Russian invasion and continued brutal assault on this nation's people. I have been receiving updates and information from one of my interim ministry colleagues, Pr. Lanny Westphal, whose home base is in Wisconsin. His sister, Diane, went to Ukraine in 2014 to teach in an international school. While there she met and married a Ukrainian man, and now lives a few miles outside of Kiev. Lanny reports that they are still OK, and don't plan to leave. Pr. Lanny linked a story from the Concordia Language Village (adult program of Concordia Moorhead, MN) regarding Diane and her husband Yurii. You can read that story HERE.
Confirmation Update
The Confirmation program has been busy lately, meeting last Sunday, and again this Sunday, due to scheduling issues with the LIFT Board, which meets during the same time frame. Last week, Heather presented a lesson on the the structure of our congregations, our synod, and our ELCA. This weekend, I will lead one of two sessions on the Lord's Prayer. We are on course to a service of Confirmation at Grace on Pentecost, June 5, 2022.
Latest Osterholm Update
Dr. Michael Osterholm, founder and Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, continues to deliver solid scientific analysis of the Covid-19 pandemic in his weekly podcasts. The latest episode, posted on Thursday, March 3, is entitled "What the Word Needs." In this episode, Dr. Osterholm discusses the new CDC guidance, provides an update on the trajectory of the pandemic nationally and internationally, discusses new data on vaccine efficacy in 5- to 11-year-olds, examines new research on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, and answers a COVID Query about Ukraine. You can listen to or download this episode HERE.
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