Perhaps you’ve known someone who has said to you: I am so blessed. Perhaps you’ve said it too. But here’s the rub, if you have been blessed with spiritual gifts, you were blessed with them for a reason. And that reason is to put them to work.
A highlight of Convention was the introduction of Behold, Become, Begin: The Stewardship Game, a game specially created for the diocese to help each of us explore new and creative ways to put our spiritual gifts to work. Each game set includes 40 “scenario” cards, featuring a variety of different congregation-related challenges. The game also includes a spiritual gifts map showing 20 separate gifts (from Administration and Artistry to Wisdom and Writing), and a 20-sided die. In the lightning round, players explore and get more comfortable with their own spiritual gifts (as determined by the Spiritual Gifts Assessment available through elca.org). In the next round, they apply their personal spiritual gifts the scenarios described on the cards, and in the final round, players throw the die and are challenged to apply whatever gift determined by that throw.
Convention gave Deputies a sampling of Behold, Become, Begin, now it’s your turn! Each congregation was given a game set to take back. Take it home and play it in your church— in small groups or large. Play it with your vestry. Play it with the larger congregation. It’s a great way for anyone to see how fun it is to put their spiritual gifts to work. After all, we were each blessed with spiritual gifts, and as stewards of those gifts, it’s our job to put them to use.
Additional games sets are available for purchase through the diocese; order and pay online at e-payment.dioceseofnewark.org. The cost is $25 per game set; shipping is an additional $3 per set.
For questions, please contact Jane Jubilee at jjubilee@dioceseofnewark.org.
