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Hey Canadian Churches - Grant Money Available!
Posted on May 13, 2013, 12:38 am

If you are a Canadian CRC church seeking to engage your community you may qualify for an Operation Manna grant to help your congregation complete a Community Opportunity Scan, develop a new or grown an existing community ministry! Applications are due by August 15th. Read more »
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All I Learned From Church Is How To Do Administration
Posted on April 30, 2013, 12:20 am | 4 comments
In the middle of a poorly run meeting a question I didn't want to answer bubbled up: "Have I learned more about how to be a good administrator than I have about how to be a faithful disciple through my congregation?" Read more »
Lead Like Christ By Knowing Him
Posted on April 22, 2013, 12:06 am
There are many ways God is revealed in our lives - however, we must be careful not to confuse God revealed with God himself!  Too often we forget that things like the confessions and creeds were created to point us to a person, Christ, not to replace that person! As leaders we need to continually draw near to God, to know him more, so that we may lead his people as he would. Read more »
Deacon Webinars - April 24th and May 1st!
Posted on April 21, 2013, 7:16 pm
There are two webinars coming up which you might enjoy - Be An Effective Deacon in Today's Church (April 24th) and Diakonia Remixed: Preparing the Church For Larger Ministry (May 1st) - you can find the details here! Read more »
The Stewardship Series: What Kind Of People Do We Want To Become?
Posted on March 19, 2013, 2:16 am | 1 comment
Every day we make decisions that draw us near to God or move us away from him - how do we ensure that the choices we may with our finances are ones that honour God and help us to become more like him? Read more »
The Stewardship Series - Where Should I Give?
Posted on March 5, 2013, 1:45 am | 1 comment
With so many options about where we can give our financial resources it can become overwhelming to decide.  Today the church is just one of many charitable organizations. With so many specialized charities and dying congregations, is giving to the church really the best option? Read more »
The Stewardship Series: I'm In Debt And I Can't Afford To Give
Posted on February 19, 2013, 2:36 am | 2 comments
Most of us have debt. Student Loans. Car Loans. Mortgages. Credit cards. Lines of Credit. With all these regular payments our income is quickly depleted.  Add to it regular living expenses and it's clear we just can't afford to give. Giving is not a priority. But should it be? Read more »
The Stewardship Series: How Much Should I Give?
Posted on February 12, 2013, 3:10 am | 6 comments
When it comes to financial stewardship many of us would like to have a clear answer to the question "How much should I give". Unfortunately the Bible does not give us a straight-forward answer which is why there are differing opinions about how much we are supposed to give, resulting in many confused people. Read more »
The Joy of Generosity
Posted on February 11, 2013, 11:56 am
It was recently observed that although our weekly worship service attendance had increased steadily over the last few years—thanks be to God!—our weekly giving had not. Why? My mentor reminded me this isn’t necessarily a bad sign, as our church does bring in people with little if any church background. For some of those folks, giving to the church is a new thing, and must be taught. So that’s what I set out to do... Read more »
The Stewardship Series
Posted on February 5, 2013, 8:53 am | 8 comments
Financial stewardship is a topic we don't touch on frequently in the church, yet we deal with money daily!  This week we're starting our journey into the questions related to tithing, giving and money in general.  It's open season on financial stewardship - so bring your thoughts and questions to the table as we discuss this topic together. Read more »
Diakonia Remixed Report To Synod
Posted on January 28, 2013, 5:10 pm | 6 comments
The Diakonia Remixed report goes to Synod in a few months - have you read it?  Been talking about it at your council or classis meetings?  It's a good time to start preparing so that when it's time for the discussion! Read more »
Prayers For The People
Posted on January 15, 2013, 2:03 am
We're called to devote ourselves to prayer.  This year let's take that call seriously and intentionally pray for our communities knowing that God is moving, his kingdom is coming, and we have a calling to fulfill. Read more »
Christmastime!
Posted on December 25, 2012, 8:33 pm | 1 comment
It's Christmas Day!  How did your deacon team share the joy and hope of Christ's birth with those in your congregation and community? What did you try to do to make this season reflect more truly the greatest gift we've ever received - Jesus - God become man? Read more »
How Young Is Too Young For Council?
Posted on December 10, 2012, 11:52 pm | 11 comments
We talk about losing youth in our congregations.  We talk about having less and less people wanting to be part of council.  I wonder - why don't we start talking about youth on council. How young is too young? Read more »
The Poverty Line
Posted on November 20, 2012, 3:04 am | 1 comment
We, as deacons, are called to a ministry of mercy.  With the recent economy financial poverty has become more prevalent. The movie "The Line" shares the stories of people living at or below the poverty line in the US, and inspires us to rid ourselves of wrong assumptions and judgements.  Read more »
Musical? Remix "Everybody Get Diakonian!" and WIN $200!
Posted on November 5, 2012, 12:19 am
The Diakonia Remixed: Office of the Deacon Task Force commissioned a diaconally-themed song "Everybody Get Diakonian!" and it is now available for you to listen to OR to remix for the chance to WIN $200 and a Deacon's Handbook!   Read more »