Visit the new OFLD  Website!

September is the ‘back to’ month for many of us.  After a summer of vacations, holidays and travel we get ‘back to’ school, ‘back to work’ and for some of us ‘back to church.’  As we settle into the rhythm of fall and anticipate the end of ‘ordinary time’ in the life of the church with the season of Advent let me share a few resources with you that can make your ‘back to’ more intentional.

For many churches fall is the time for our annual stewardship campaigns.  I encourage you to check out this great interview on spiritual formation and money from the Alban Institute at

http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=8442. There is also information at this link about a free upcoming webinar on stewardship.

For those of us who did not get a chance to vacation this summer, The Magee Foundation has awarded a grant to Bethany Spring, The Merton Institute Retreat Center, to provide retreat scholarships for clergy, seminarians, and those who work in congregational ministry of all denominations.  The scholarships are intended for those in need of respite who also need financial assistance to make a retreat.  Bethany Spring offers directed and private retreats in a peaceful, rural atmosphere located just one mile from the Abbey of Gethsemani in New Haven, Kentucky. To apply, contact Vanessa Hurst at 502.899.1991 or vhurst@mertoninstitute.org.

And lastly, if you are not aware of the great work the Religious Institute is doing with regard to sexual justice, I encourage you to check out their new website which features:

• Acting Out Loud, an online guide for clergy and congregations working toward the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
• Just Say Know, a faith-based advocacy guide on comprehensive sexuality education.
• The Sexuality and Religion Database, the first-ever searchable database of denominational positions on contemporary issues of sexuality.

A blessed returning to all of you!

Peace,

Mona