Talking About Generosity
In last week's newsletter, I included a link to Thrivent's generosity assessment, part of an online workshop I attended recently on multigenerational generosity.
If that sounds a little confusing, here's a simpler explanation. Different generations emphasize different types of giving (time, talent, treasure) at different stages in their life.
For instance, if you are a college student or a retiree on a fixed income, chances are good that you may not have disposable income to donate to charitable causes (including the church's ministries), but you may have a surplus of time. If you're working full-time, you may not have extra time to volunteer, but you could be challenged to a higher level of financial giving.
Conversations about generosity that only talk about money are limiting the generosity of the human spirit, forgetting that God has gifted us with time and talent that can be offered to others. Especially at Zion, where our ministries are truly intergenerational, we do our best when we emphasize that there are many ways to be generous and make an impact as part of our community.
I am challenging everyone who reads this newsletter to take the free generosity assessment by clicking the button below. It will tell you what area of generosity is your strongest at this particular time in your life. Your answers will be a foundational tool for us to continue having conversations about building an even more generous community of faith.
It shouldn't surprise any of you that my #1 type of generosity these days is emotional-relational support, a.k.a. showing up and listening. Let's talk (and I'll listen) about ways we can be generous together to be a transformative force in our community and the world.
Serving With You,
Cantor Kurt R. Schmidt
