Before it was a noun, “thanksgiving” was a verb. The difference matters. A desert father once said: “If you have a chest full of oranges, and leave it for a long time,the fruit will rot inside of it.It is the same with the thoughts in our heart.If we do not carry them out by physical…

Before it was a noun, “thanksgiving” was a verb. The difference matters. A desert father once said: “If you have a chest full of oranges, and leave it for a long time,the fruit will rot inside of it.It is the same with the thoughts in our heart.If we do not carry them out by physical…

The Episcopal Church’s Finance Office seeks to exercise faithful stewardship through administration of the annual budget and triennial budget and management of the church’s liquidity and endowment assets. In 2025, we began an initiative to offer guidance and support to Episcopal congregations and dioceses in the areas of long-term financial planning and real estate development. As we seek to serve God and others well as a church, managing our financial…

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1 There are times of great suffering in which we may feel that all hope is lost and that there may never be joy in our souls again.  This may be triggered by the loss of a loved one or from a tragedy in your local community or nation.  There are painful events in…

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Who knew that we could talk about stewardship in some time of the calendar year other than September, October, or November? This passage from Deuteronomy helps us to recall that everything that we have is a gift. All that is, is God’s, not ours – we have only received a portion. We return…

Corporate Social Responsibility One way we embody our faith through civic engagement is to advocate for corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investing. Through the partnership of our Finance Office, the Executive Council’s Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility, and our Division of Public Policy, Partnership and Witness, we are mindful of how we invest our churchwide assets; we engage corporations about their practices; and we submit shareholder resolutions…

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 All is vanity, all is vanity. This reading seems similar to an episode of Oprah. Your work is vanity, my work is vanity, everyone’s work is vanity! Even so, it makes a valid point about our concern for the world. When we labor, we know that our labors, in the end,…

Welcome Welcome to The Episcopal Church (virtual) Undercroft! We know that much of the real work of parish life gets done in basements, coffee hours, and other unofficial settings, and we have gathered and named this content in honor of those spaces. These resources are primarily intended for those active in church work—governance, leadership formation, communications, stewardship, and much more—to assist you with your ministry. Not finding what you are…

This is a fundamental question for all of us: How much is enough? Especially at this time of year when words such as “stewardship,” “pledge,” “proportional giving,” and “tithe” are in the air. Luke has told us in no uncertain terms that Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem. On the way, Jesus talks endlessly…