Russell

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July, 2000 - Vol. XXIX No. 2
Continuing Education: Some Ways and Some Means

"Financing Your Continuing Education"
by Cindy Russell

It is vitally important for all people in the church to be fed both intellectually and spiritually through continuing Christian Education. One of the factors that inhibits some people from exploring educational opportunities that would strengthen their lay ministries is either a lack of funds or the feeling that they shouldn’t have to pay all their own expenses since they are using their experience to work in the church. That is a reasonable intuition. As a church community we need to support our parishioners’ desire to learn more about their ministry and how they can be more effective ministers. We do it for clergy and we do it when we start a new "program," but we often forget the lay people who contribute many hours a week in ongoing ministries all around our church. They too need to be revitalized and updated.

There are several ways to financially support education for these persons. One possibility is to have your vestry include a line item in your annual budget for lay educational expenses. Then program chairs or individuals can request these funds, through whatever process your vestry uses to allocate funds. Another possibility is to speak to your clergy, who may have access to discretionary funds.^* Another person to call might be Stephanie Wight at the Close. She works with Christian Education within the diocese and may be able to help sponsor attendance at an educational event or know where else you might look for funds.

At St. Bartholomew’s our Church School has a special fund that can be accessed for continuing education for our church school staff. We also use this fund for other purposes – like stuffed animals and a card to a child in the hospital, baptism gifts, and special thank you gifts, primarily things not included in our regular budget. We build this fund in several ways. It is not large but so far it has been sufficient.

Each week, at church school opening, we celebrate the birthdays that have occurred in the past week, including both children and parents. On your birthday you contribute a penny for each year of age to the birthday bank. This money is collected and put into the special fund. Each year we hold several family and children’s events, including a "no cost" Vacation Bible School. People often want to contribute to the program. These offerings are also put into the special fund.

Finally, each November, before Advent, the church school sponsors a book sale. This sale takes place over two Sundays so that we can replenish our best-selling titles and take some special orders. We set up near the parish hall and the library. People love to get their coffee and browse the book tables before and after services. They purchase books both for themselves for Advent studies or as gifts. Our profits go into our special fund.

This book sale would not be possible without the help and expertise of Betsy Winslow**, the Bookstore Manager at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. She gathers the titles, types the inventory and then we pick up the books. Mid-sale we call in special orders and the titles we need replenished and she gathers them together. Then we pick up shipment number two. Finally, we return the unsold books and she bills us for what was not returned. It works out great. On some books we make 10%. Others we don’t make anything because of Betsy’s costs. Either way, it is an educational service for our parish, people enjoy and look forward to the sale, and it helps our special fund. One year, we made enough money to buy three class sets of Bibles and Prayer Books for our church school, something that was over and above our annual budget.

There are probably even more creative ways to find the money for continuing educational opportunities around your parish and the diocese. More lay people need to be encouraged to seek out these funds and take advantage of those growth opportunities. These experiences serve to revitalize both the individual and the church through each person’s ministry.

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*The proper uses to which clergy discretionary funds may be put are under significant discussion at present. In many dioceses, these are limited to the relief of the poor, and normal 'business' expenses no longer qualify.

**Position filled by Katie Bronson upon Betsy's recent retirement.

Cindy is Children's Education Coordinator at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. She also teaches chemistry at Tigard High School. Contact her at kenrus@sprintmail.com