Give It 4 Good Resource PageThe E4GR Stimulus Check Campaign
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also - Matthew 6:21
Spread the Word
Use these pledge sheets in your congregation to collect more pledge signatures
What One Congregation Can Do
Here's what some congregations are doing with the Give it 4 Good Campaign
St. Timothy's in West Des Moines, Iowa is having a rebate campaign to raise money for local and global outreach efforts. Here is a flier, press release, organizational information and pledge card.
Preaching Resources
Sermons on Give it 4 Good
Easter 4A - the Rev. Dr. Kris Lewis, Barnstable, MA
Easter 5A -- the Rev. Paula Jackson, Church of Our Savior, Cincinnati, OH (English & Spanish)
Easter 6A - the Rev. Sharon Hiers, St. Bartholomew's, Atlanta, GA
Prayer Resources
Prayers for courageous stewardship and for discipleship in a consumer society.
General Resources
The Episcopal Church Stewardship Office -- National Church Stewardship Staff Officer Terry Parsons and her crew have assembled a great collection of resources for engaging issues of stewardship in a consumer society. Particularly take a good look at these two documents that look at the broad area where stewardship and the Millennium Development Goals intersect. Check it all out ... and don't be shy to contact them with questions, too!
The Episcopal Network for Economic Justice -- ENEJ has several resource pages addressing a multitude of issues of economic justice and how they intersect with Christian discipleship.
Ministry of Money - One of the best resources around for this conversation, Ministry of Money is a loving, prophetic Christian ministry that encourages all persons to become free from their attachment to cultural values regarding money and to live out joyfully God's call for their lives and resources. Spend some time on their website and you'll be sure to find great stuff you and your congregation can use.
The Pentecost Project -- A parallel movement with similar aims to Give It 4 Good. It is an (inter)national catalyst towards a more true and loving economy, inspired by the end of the Pentecost story and the church in its earliest days. They're encouraging people to do 3 things: invest in others, share possessions/resources, and reduce debt. Find out more at the Pentecost Project website.
Alternatives for Simple Living -- a non-profit organization that equips people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly. The website is full of great resources. Catalogs, study guides, Lenten resources and more!
Share, Save, Spend - an organization specializing in gathering and disseminating information on emerging money trends and in turn, providing a process and tools to help people think about, talk about and do money in ways that honor their value. Excellent online resources.
Advertise Give it 4 Good in your congregation -- Here's what one congregation in Wyoming has done with Give It 4 Good.
For Your Book Group
Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire, by William Cavanaugh -- Should Christians be for or against the free market? For or against globalization? How are we to live in a world of scarcity? William Cavanaugh uses Christian resources to incisively address basic economic matters -- the free market, consumer culture, globalization, and scarcity -- arguing that we should not just accept these as givens but should instead change the terms of the debate.
Affluenza, by John de Graaf, David Wann, Thomas H Naylor - Based on two highly acclaimed PBS documentaries, Affluenza uses the whimsical metaphor of a disease to tackle a very serious subject: the damage done -- to our health, our families, our communities, and our environment -- by the obsessive quest for material gain that, since World War II, has been the principle of the American Dream. The authors show that problems like loneliness and rising debt, longer working hours and environmental pollution, family conflict and rampant commercialism are actually symptoms caused by a single "disease": affluenza, the never-ending search for more. Also check out the companion DVD from the same source.
Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How not to be your child's ATM, by Nathan Dungan -- an informative and practical guide for parents rasing children in a possession-based world.
Resources for Youth
"Teenage affluenza is spreading" -- an Australian video on YouTube contrasting the lives of suburban teens with counterparts from around the world. It cleverly demonstrates how a first-world perspective of wants/needs can be unrealistic and blind us to the needs of others. A great conversation starter for a Rite 13/J2A class or other youth gathering.
Resources for Parents, Teachers and Families
Overindulgence.info - a site (with accompanying book) dedicated to research on the overindulgence of children and teaching parents what to do instead. A great starter essay for teachers and parents is: "What Teachers Can Do When Overindulged Children Come to School."
How Much Is Enough: Basic Family Budgets For Working Families - Designed primarily as a help for the working poor, this book from the Economic Policy Institute has helpful information on helping any family distinguish between necessity and luxury. Download the .pdf of the executive summary here.
