Extraordinary Tribute

In Memory of Herb Spaugh, Jr. by Chris Spaugh Herbert Spaugh, Jr. passed into the more immediate presence of our Savior on July 14th.  I will miss Herb’s calls asking me, “Cousin, what’s the market doing?”  He always knew the answer but wanted my opinion on the world of markets and economics.  He would also…

A new year. A new thing.

“Do not remember the former thing, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:18-19 Let’s get right to it. Change can be hard and trying something new can be scary. Especially for the church. But 2022 further accelerated…

Growing community

Growing community isn’t about size. First Moravian Church in Greensboro, NC isn’t the biggest church in town. But thanks to a grant through the Moravian Ministries Foundation in America (MMFA), it just might be growing community that’s second to none — and producing a bountiful harvest. A new Servants’ Garden, with more than 30 raised…

Breakfast at MOD

While in New York recently for some fun and some foundation business, I had the opportunity to stop by Moravian Open Door (MOD). Susan Attzs-Mendoza, MOD’s Executive Director, invited me to join the residents for breakfast. Early this year, Moravian Ministries Foundation in America made a grant of $50,000 from our Hunger & Thirst Field…

Stewardship strategies

MMFA is pleased to share the following list of summertime stewardship strategies and tips for pastors and stewardship leaders. Steps for continuing to nurture generous stewards during the summer Start! We often relegate stewardship to a four-week focus in the fall that helps church leaders prepare a budget for the coming year. Stewardship is much…

Forming faithful stewards

Forming faithful stewards, together

“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Ephesians 2:10 Stewardship is about much more than money, and it’s more than what we do through our church. It’s a way of life; it’s our identity. God created us…

Good Calvary Communion silhouette

Learning and practicing abundance

I recently attended the Lake Institute’s “Congregations Learning and Practicing Abundance” class at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Over the course of two days, we examined how congregations learn, scarcity as an invisible norm, and how to move to a mindset and practice of abundance. Using Tim Shapiro’s book, “How Your Congregation Learns” (which I highly…

Extraordinary Legacy

  By Lydian Bernhardt Morning Star, O cheering sight! Ere thou cam’st, how dark Earth’s night! The opening lines of favorite Moravian hymn “Morning Star” thrill congregations every Christmas with their beauty and poignancy. But for Mary Jane Dewees of Winston-Salem, those familiar words may also provoke a thrill of familial pride. She is not…