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Giving Our Thanks & Praise stewardship program for parishes

Giving Our Thanks & Praise is a parish stewardship program designed to encourage generosity, gratitude and faithful participation in God’s mission. Developed for Anglican congregations in Canada, it helps shift the conversation from funding a budget to inspiring meaningful engagement in ministry. The resource includes a full program guide and is accompanied by a companion planning workbook, offering practical tools to implement stewardship in your parish, build a culture of gratitude and connect members more deeply to the work of God’s mission.

The program is structured around three pillars—Inspiring, Inviting and Thanking—providing guidance for storytelling, engaging donors and expressing appreciation. You can start anywhere, at any time, and adapt the resources to your parish context, whether for seasonal campaigns, ongoing stewardship or ministry-wide initiatives.

Potential standalone components

Elements of the Giving Our Thanks & Praise program can be used independently or in combination to suit your parish needs:

  • Narrative Budget: One-page or extended formats for sharing ministry impact (p.39)
  • Why I Give stories and workshop materials (p. 37)
  • Invitation templates and letters for donors (p. 47)
  • Intention Cards to help members reflect on their giving (p. 53)
  • Thanking resources: cards, gratitude practices, team guidance (p. 63)
  • Orientation and leadership support materials: guides for forming and training a Giving Team (pp. 11, 67)
  • Program guides: three-week and five-week program options, including checklists, role descriptions and planning tips (available in the workbook)

Suggested uses

  • Implement a parish-wide stewardship program to foster generosity and gratitude
  • Integrate into worship, small groups or ministry team planning
  • Support specific giving campaigns or ministry initiatives
  • Inspire engagement with narratives of ministry impact and personal stories of giving
  • Develop a Giving Team to coordinate stewardship efforts across the congregation

Key themes

  • Generosity and faithful living
  • Gratitude and appreciation
  • Engaging the parish in meaningful stewardship
  • Building community through shared participation in God’s mission

Best suited for: parish leaders, stewardship committees, ministry teams and anyone seeking practical guidance to inspire generosity and gratitude within a congregation.

Cover page of the Giving our Thanks & Praise program guide

Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.