June 13 -  A teaching moment for your church. The good news: Never in recent times has there been so much opportunity for American churches to educate, equip and lead their members to put into action Jesus's directives of Matthew 25: Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit the prisoner. The bad news: Homelessness and hunger are rising quickly. Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

June 6 -  Is your church contributor friendly? A smaller percentage of church donations comes via the collection plate. More people do their banking electronically and loathe writing checks. Others would rather give their via credit card. Still other donors would be happy to give in-kind donations, stock, real estate or bequests, but they don’t think of it or don't know how. Does your church give them guidance?" Click here for this archive column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard, from a 2004 SOLI/Update,

May 30 - Come, holy rain. "Pastors and congregational leaders who notice that giving and attendance have declined can take comfort knowing their congregation is merely in a dry place, awaiting the reviving presence of the Holy Spirit. And they can begin to expect the Holy Spirit to work among them, to show them new possibilities and insights." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

May 23 - Push pro-family economic policies. "While housing prices are cruising along with percentage hikes in the healthy double digits, salaries are nearly stagnant. When the two realities collide, families in the rental market face bleak prospects. Many are stretched way too thin, driven to substandard housing, forced to move out of the area or simply put on the streets." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

May 16 - Sow the seeds of 'Holy Health'. "Pastors from a number of denominations work on the farm one day a month. They practice organic, sustainable farming and learn that producing top-quality produce and protein takes time, patience and hard work.  Applied to the stewardship of their churches, pastors learn to focus on producing healthy congregations. It’s part of a philosophy called “Holy Health.'" Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

May 9 - Healthier Mom, healthier family, healthier world. "If we’re generally doing OK as families, lots of other big problems take care of themselves. This is because stable, healthy families are much more likely to raise kids who do well in school, go to church, resist drugs, choose friends wisely, stay out of trouble with the law, get decent jobs, make responsible decisions about sex and go on to be good parents themselves." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

May 2 - Every day is Earth Day. "The fact that we make such a big deal of the environment only once a year shows what the real problem is: We are self-absorbed and fail to think of the natural environment as a part of us.  We can get away with it because most of us live most of our lives in totally unnatural environments, and that is because of our affluence." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard, from last week’s SOLI/Update

April 25 - Save electricity, save money, save the planet. "First Unitarian Universalist Church in Austin, Texas, saved $3,226 in electricity and used 290,000 fewer gallons of water last year by installing energy-efficient lighting and water-saving devices in its building. Saving energy will likely become more important as the cost of fossil fuel soars, but much more is at stake than energy bills." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

April 18 - Proclaim, celebrate God's creation. "Many of us living in such insular environments. It’s easy to forget that the Earth and all its wonder and complexity are the handiwork of our creator God who appointed us as the stewards. That’s why now, at the beginning of the third millennium, we especially need the church to remind us of these truths. This year, please consider doing something for Earth Day Sunday at your church on April 24, or for Rogation Sunday on May 1."  Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

April 11 -  Simple ideas, strong witness. "For Palm Sunday worship, churches across the nation bought palm fronds to use as a tangible witness to our Savior’s life, death and resurrection 2000 years ago.  But rather than calling the local florist, Zion Lutheran Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, bought frond crosses made by Tanzanian villagers and imported by African Palms USA, a Maryland nonprofit started by an Episcopal priest. It’s a way to help poor families and fund humanitarian projects – another powerful witness of our faith.  " Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

April 4 -  Remembering a martyr for justice. "Stewardship involves not only how well we use our money for God's purposes, but how we use all of our life energies and resources for God's purposes. In this, Archbishop Oscar Romero was a model steward who can inspire all of us." Click here for this column.

March 28 -  Life is sacred - for all the 'least among us'. “Why should our concern not stop with a woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years? If everyone is a sacred creation of God, shouldn’t Christians insist that every human being be entitled to the necessities for a full life?” Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

March 21 - 'Among the gravest of sins'. “Martin Luther wrote: ‘If you send a person away naked when you could clothe him, you have let him freeze to death. If you see anyone suffer hunger and do not feed him, you have let him starve.’  ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson recalled Luther’s words as he joined leaders of four other denominations – Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, and the United Church of Christ –to denounce the 2006 federal budget proposal and urge their members to voice opposition.” Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

March 14 -  Minimum wage, maximum shame. This week the mostly pro-Jesus, pro-life, pro-work and pro-family Senate passed up an opportunity to do something to improve the lives of working families. It turned down efforts to increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour, where it has languished for over eight years. And leaders of the House of Representatives say there will be no vote on the minimum wage this year." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard. 

March 7 - Youth learn grown-up lessons about hunger. "The 30-Hour Famine has really taken off as a way to teach youth about hunger and our Christian obligation to help. In this way it’s a lot like the annual “Souper Bowl of Caring,” which in just a few years has also captured the hearts and imaginations of youth nationwide. But the question is, with so much awareness to be gained, why aren’t the grown-ups of the churches getting involved, too?." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard.

Feb. 28 - Counting our blessings in 'zombieland'. "Without awareness, its hard to be grateful, and without gratitude it's hard for us to develop other important stewardship attitudes, such as thrift, generosity or justice. Without awareness, we are just zombies living in a complete world of zombies." Click here for this column by SOLI webmaster Rob Blezard from a 2004 SOLI/Update.

Feb. 21 - The best valentine. "In John 13:34, Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment: 'Love one another.' This week, stores displayed the usual gaudy assortment of silk red roses, huge heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, racks of red cards, heart-embroidered boxer shorts and slinky lingerie – all in celebration of love. I don’t think this is what Jesus had in mind."

Feb. 14 - Crucified by the flesh’s passions. "In defiance of St. Paul’s moral advice, our Christian nation has collectively gone beyond merely ignoring widespread slavery to fleshly passions and desires, and has actually turned fulfillment of desire into a good and an entitlement. All around us, advertisements scream the message: If you want it, you have a right to it."

Feb. 7 - Crucified by the flesh’s passions. "In defiance of St. Paul’s moral advice, our Christian nation has collectively gone beyond merely ignoring widespread slavery to fleshly passions and desires, and has actually turned fulfillment of desire into a good and an entitlement. All around us, advertisements scream the message: If you want it, you have a right to it."

Jan. 31 - The power of a great idea. "Last year, 12,761 congregations of many denominations participated in Souper Bowl of Caring, raising a total of $4,260,531 for charity. It’s doing a whole lot of good. And to think, Souper Bowl grew organically, as a grassroots effort. All from a great idea by a creative seminary intern at an ordinary Mainline church."

Jan. 23 - Poverty is a moral issue. "The British press took note when 600 women pastors from across the United Kingdom marched to Tony Blair’s official residence to urge the prime minister to support the Make Poverty History campaign. But the march was just one way that followers of Christ have pushed Make Poverty History into the British media and raised poverty and economics as top moral issues for Christians. It’s the kind of effort and focus that American Christians can learn from."

Jan. 17 - King's witness of leadership - Not only the Bible tells us that God raises up leaders from ordinary people in obscure places, but also history. … In 1955, to protest Rosa Parks’ arrest, the blacks of Montgomery organized a boycott of public transportation. They formed the Montgomery Improvement Association and named as its leader a young pastor, just 26, a newcomer to Montgomery who was serving his first call, at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

Jan. 10 - Stewardship 101: How the other 9/10ths live. "Living in America – where it seems everybody has a car, everybody has a telephone, everybody has a TV, and where the fastest-growing health crisis is an epidemic of Type II Diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses – it’s easy to think the rest of the world lives like we do. In fact, as the Indian Ocean tsunami points out, most do not."

Jan. 3 - Tsunami uniting the world for good. Just as personal illness or tragedy can cause someone to rethink what’s really important in life, the disaster seems to be refocusing the nations of the world to put aside their petty differences and pitch in. We can all pray that this spirit will continue as the relief effort stretches over this new century.”