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in
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Greetings!
Welcome to the premiere edition of the Ministry of Money E-zine. This
is an attempt by Ministry of Money to keep our partners abreast of new
events, pilgrimage and retreat highlights, new and upcoming resources,
and articles and quotes to help us as we continue forward on our money
and faith journey.
Please feel free to pass this email along to others who you believe
might be interested in learning more about Ministry of Money and our
exploration of issues of money and faith. To forward this email to
others, please scroll to the bottom of the newsletter and click on the
"Forward Email" link.
Upcoming MoM Events 
Basic Money & Faith Retreat: March 19-20, 2004; Location: Bethany
United Church of Christ, Cuyahoga, OH (Near Cleveland); Cost: $50;
Contact: (330) 923- 5277 or by email at: seymourm@ucc.org; Registration
Deadline: NOW
Special Money & Faith Retreat with Dr. John Perkins entitled
"Stewardship: Managing God's Creation"; April 16-18, 2004;
Location: Wellspring Conference Center, Germantown, MD; Cost: $280;
Registration Deadline: April 1, 2004; Contact: Rosemary Diehl (301)
428-9560 or by email at: rosemary@ministryofmoney.org
Basic Money & Faith Retreat: April 30-May 1, 2004; Location: St.
Andrew and Matthew Episcopal Church, Wilmington, DE; Cost: $100;
Registration Deadline: April 12, 2004; Contact: Rosemary Diehl (301)
428- 9560 or by email at: rosemary@ministryofmoney.org
Israel/Palestine Pilgrimage of Reverse Mission: April 12- 28, 2004;
Cost: $2500 from Washington Dulles or New York City; Trip Leaders: Bob
Hadley & Harriet Taylor; Registration Deadline: NOW; Contact:
Rosemary Diehl (301) 428-9560 or by email at: rosemary@ministryofmoney.org
Visit
MoM's Event Calendar
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Reflections
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"My personal definition of voluntary poverty is this: the
sincere will to do without as much as one can in order to be
free to live a full human life." - William Gauchat
"What needs to be guarded is the life of the Spirit
within us. Especially we who want to witness to the presence of
God's Spirit in the world need to tend the fire within with
utmost care. . . Our first and foremost task is faithfully to
care for the inward fire so that when it is really needed it can
offer warmth and light to lost travelers." - Henri Nouwen
[20th C.], "The Way of the Heart"
"A cup is a container for holding something. Whatever it
holds has to eventually be emptied out so that something more
can be put into it. I have learned that I cannot always expect
my life to be full. There has to be some emptying, some pouring
out, if I am to make room for the new. The spiritual journey is
like that--a constant process of emptying and filling, of giving
and receiving, of accepting and letting go." - Joyce Rupp,
"The Cup of Our Life"
"Most of us believe in order to feel secure, in order to
make our individual lives seem valuable and meaningful. Belief
has thus become an attempt to hang on to life, to grasp and keep
it for one's own. But you cannot understand life and its
mysteries as long as you try to grasp it. Indeed, you cannot
grasp it, just as you cannot walk off with a river in a bucket.
. . To have running water you must let go of it and run. The
same is true of life and of God." - Flannery O'Connor,
"The Habit of Being"
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An
Active Faith |
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An Active Faith: What's charity without justice? by Yonce
Shelton, Call to Renewal; from the January 2004 Sojourner
Magazine
"Why should Christians become involved with political
activism when donating to a local food bank or homeless shelter
seems to "do more?" Why should Christians try to
influence public policy in a political system that is
intimidating and frustrating, when they can "see" the
benefits of volunteer efforts? Simply put, helping low-income
people is not an either/or proposition. It requires a commitment
to charity and justice."
Read
the Entire Story . . . »
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Captivity
& Liberation |
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Captivity & Liberation in North America: A reflection for
Lent by Mary Jo Leddy, from the National Catholic Reporter,
February 26, 2004.
"I suggest that the intrinsic link between the dynamics
of the economy, the psyche and the spirit may go some way to
explaining the curious situation in which many who live richly
and well off, even those who live in the richest and most
powerful nation on earth, feel generally powerless and vaguely
guilty."
Read
the entire article . . . »
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Pious
Materialism |
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The following is an "oldie-but-goodie" from The
Christian Century magazine, March 1993. I came across it again
recently and wanted to share it with the MoM constituency. - Jan
Sullivan Dockter
Pious Materialism: How Americans View Faith & Money by
Robert Wuthrow, The Christian Century, March 3, 1993.
"Pundits dubbed the 1980s as the Decade of Greed.
Yuppies, Rolex watches, Avia sneakers, Michael Milken, Charles
Keating and the Trump shuttle defined the period. Now, faced
with a multi-trillion-dollar national debt, we have apparently
decided that pocketbook issues should occupy our attention. A
new president has been elected to put our financial house in
order; preachers and poets call us to repent. But what do
americans really think about money and materials possessions?
And what role, if any, does religion play in guiding our
thinking?"
Read
the entire article . . . »
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Comic
Relief . . . |
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Recommended
Resources |
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Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope by Joan Chittister, OSB
(both book and audio tape of recent presentation on the
subject). Both are available through Benetvision at their web
site: www.benetvision.org
Thomas Merton: Seeder of Radical Action by Joan Chittister,
OSB. An audio tape presentation on the life and teachings of
Thomas Merton. Available through Benetvision at their web site:
www.benetvision.org
Faith and Wealth: A History of Early Christian Ideas on the
Origin, Significance and Use of Money by Justo L. Gonzalez; Wipf
& Stock Publishers; (April 2002) 
Interested in starting a small group in your church to look
at issues of money & faith? Consider ordering the MoM Money
& Faith Study Guide - a 9-week curriculum that looks at
money and faith from biblical, emotional and social justice
viewpoints. Cost: $15 per book plus shipping and handling. To
order, contact Rosemary at (301) 428-9560 or by email at:
rosemary@ministryofmoney.org
Visit
the MoM Web Site for More Resources »
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Our
Next Issue . . . |
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The next issue of the MoM e-zine will be sent in early summer
and will include updated event schedules, articles and stories
by a variety of authors dealing with the intersection of money
and faith, thoughts from our readers, and new resources becoming
available.
And watch for the print newsletter coming in early May on the
subject of 'debt!'
Read
the current and past MoM print newsletters »
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