Rev. Miguel F. Gomez-Acosta writes:

For the last two years you might of heard us talk about BCG, or Beginning a Culture of Generosity, in various occasions. As you probably already know this was made possible by the Lilly 3E grant that we received from the Lilly Endowment in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Synod. This year is our final year of the grant and so this is our final GCS/RMS sponsored BCG class. If you have thought about joining in previous years, but it was not the right time, this is your final opportunity to take this class at a subsidized rate.

For those of you who have not heard of BCG, it is a 6 month stewardship education course designed to give you important tools to grow the generosity in your community. Unlike its sister program Stewardship for All Seasons, which is a yearlong intensive course, BCG is only 6 one hour zoom sessions, but you are given accesses to all the materials needed, including videos, example letters, and bulletin inserts, for you and your team to explore and use at your own pace. Some congregations have done BCG in preparation to the intensive year of SAS, while others have been completely satisfied with just BCG. Here is a testimonies from a recent participants:

“Since starting the BCG program 2 years ago, we have seen good growth. Year over year, 90% of households have increased their giving, one as much as 33%. This increased awareness of generosity even prompted a special capital campaign. In 3 short weeks, the congregation of 40 active members raised over $25,000 as a reparations project in support of the Navajo Lutheran Mission's well project. About another $1,000 came through online donations as a result of our online outreach. People want to be generous. They just need a good reason they can believe in.” Pr. Kurt F. , Living Christ

“At Lord of Grace we used BCG twice, in fall of 2020 and in 2021. We were amazed that, even with worship services mostly closed or outside, with so many people disconnected, we were able to increase our commitments over the previous year. The BCG webinars and resources were easy to use, and especially helpful for a congregation like ours that did not have people to come up with all the ideas. Their approach was simple, like a cook-book that you customize to your location, and that made it so helpful for us to use. We also appreciated to focus on generosity, as opposed to institutional need or scarcity. It helped us come through the pandemic with strength and resources to change and adapt.”  Pr. Lars H., Lord of Grace

Here is the BCG 2022 flyer for review. The first session 8/20/2022, so register by 8/17/2022. If you are interested in signing up or have any questions contact Pr. Miguel Gomez-Acosta at miguel.gomez-acosta@elca.org .   

Rev. Miguel F. Gomez-Acosta
Director for Evangelical Mission
Bishop’s Associate for Congregational Vitality