Generous Living, Generous Leading
Can we change the story on generosity? Is God's generosity more than a stick to beat people with - urging them to do more, give more?
On Saturday 13 November Bishop Rose invited lay and ordained church leaders in the Diocese of Canterbury to be part of a conversation which will shape our life together as a diocese over the coming years. Don't forget to sign up for your own Year of Living Generously - and check out the resources and inspiration below... more coming soon!
A Year of Living Generously
What might happen if – for a whole year – we made a point of noticing what we do and what we choose, and asking ourselves: How generous am I being? It could change our lives. It could change our churches. That’s what A Year of Living Generously is all about. It’s an invitation to let our gratitude for God’s generosity infuse everything we do and all that we are.
It’s not just about money. It’s about how we react when someone asks a favour. It’s about seeing life as a gift. It’s about picking up extra food at the shops for the foodbank. It’s about taking the time to listen properly. It’s about seeking the beauty in people we find difficult. Once we think about it, we know what it’s about – the trick is to do it.
So, here’s the invitation: starting any time between now and 2023, sign up for your own Year of Living Generously.
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Download a postcard explaining the Year of Living Generously
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Order free cards for your church by emailing the Communications team - please make sure you let us know how many you'd like and include a postal address.
Talking and listening generously
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Talk like a Samaritan: In this special prorgramme from BBC Radio 4, Michael Rosen talks to Mark Harris and Darran Latham, who volunteer for the Samaritans, about the ways in which talking and listening can best be used to help people in crisis. Visit www.samaritans.org to find out more and volunteer.
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Pastoral Principles for Living Well together: The Church of England's Pastoral Principles invite church communities to examine afresh their life together, seeing our many differences as gifts that can build us up in trust and mutual affection, Using them could be transformative for your church community and for the church as a whole. Find out more about the Pastoral Principles.
The generosity Fika
Fika is a half day programme, for small groups to explore God's generosity to us, biblical generosity and generosity around the world. Through short films, reflections and discussion we can be inspired and encouraged to live more generous lives. Fikas can be an enormously effective way of developing a generous culture within your church.
