Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope

An Invitation to Shared Stewardship and Generosity

Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope was developed through the Nourishing Vocation with Children Project, an initiative made possible through the generous support of Lilly Endowment Inc. The larger project has been shaped by the collaborative learning of hundreds of congregations, leaders, educators, children, youth, and families as together we have explored new ways of nurturing vocation and faith formation.

Throughout the development and experimentation phases of the Nourishing Vocation initiatives, resources have been shared freely as we learned together. As these projects mature, we are committed to stewarding what has been entrusted to us by making resources such as Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope available to those who can benefit from them while exploring faithful and sustainable ways to support their ongoing accessibility and use.

To support these commitments, we invite congregations and organizations to participate in shared stewardship and generosity.

Inspired in part by the tradition of caffè sospeso (“suspended coffee”), this invitation reflects the belief that the gifts entrusted to the church are meant to be shared. Some congregations and organizations are able to contribute beyond their own use of these resources, helping make them available to communities whose financial circumstances may be more limited. In this way, today’s generosity becomes tomorrow’s blessing, extending these resources to future congregations, leaders, children, youth, and families.

At its heart, this invitation is rooted in our commitments to shared vocation, generosity, and stewardship. Rather than establishing a fixed fee, we invite congregations and organizations to prayerfully discern a contribution that reflects both the value Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope brings to your community and your present capacity to support the broader community of users.

We trust that generosity has many expressions. For some, generosity means contributing beyond the suggested amount to help make these resources available to others. For others, generosity means faithfully receiving and using these resources to nurture the life of their congregation and community. We give thanks for both.

About Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope

Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope is a comprehensive Advent resource. Designed for use throughout the season of Advent, the resource includes:

• A Welcome and Overview of the Project
• Seasonal resources:
  • Advent Candle Lighting Liturgies
  • Affirmation of Faith
  • Proper Preface
  • Eucharistic Materials
• Worship Outline
• Hymn: Preparing the Way
• Communal Prayer Practice
• Original Character Art
• Engaging the Living Word Text Studies
• Character Monologues
• Character-Specific Worship Resources:
  • Greeting / Opening Sentences / Call to Worship
  • Prayer of Confession and Absolution
  • Prayer of the Day, with two options for each character
  • Blessing and Dismissal
• Near and Now Studies
• Faith Formation Resources
• AdventFest Resources and Outline
• Christmas Eve Celebrate! Liturgy of Holy Communion
• Daily Devotional, December 1–January 1
• Character Coloring Pages

The breadth and depth of these resources reflect the collaborative wisdom, creativity, and faithful work of dozens of gifted contributors from across the church. While comparable collections of worship and formation resources often cost several hundred dollars when purchased individually, we have chosen to make Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope available through this invitation to shared stewardship and generosity, trusting that those who benefit from these resources will help sustain their continued availability for others.

As you prayerfully discern how your congregation or organization might participate in this shared stewardship and generosity, we invite you to reflect on questions such as:

• What is the size of your congregation or organization?
• Approximately how many people will engage these resources?
• How broadly and for how long will they be used?
• What are your community’s current financial circumstances?
• How might your participation help make these resources available to other congregations and organizations?

Ways to Participate in Shared Stewardship

There is no single “right” contribution. We simply invite each congregation or organization to discern a level of participation that is both generous and sustainable for its circumstances.

These suggested contributions are intended as a guide rather than a requirement. We recognize that every congregation and organization has different gifts, opportunities, and financial circumstances.

If your community is able to contribute beyond these suggested amounts, your generosity helps extend access to congregations and organizations with fewer financial resources while supporting the ongoing stewardship of these resources.

If these suggested amounts are beyond your present capacity, we hope you will still use these resources with joy and confidence. We never want finances to become a barrier to participation. If you are unable to contribute at this time, please receive these resources with our blessing.

Whether your community contributes more than the suggested amount, less than the suggested amount, or receives these resources with our blessing, we are grateful to be partners with you in nurturing faith, vocation, and the life of the church.

As the first resource offered through this shared stewardship and generosity approach, Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope also invites us to learn together. Your participation will help us discern faithful and sustainable ways to steward future resources developed through the Nourishing Vocation initiatives.

We do not yet know what the long-term future of the Nourishing Vocation and Nourishing Vocation with Children resources will be. What we do know is that these initiatives have already been meaningful to hundreds of congregations, leaders, educators, children, youth, and families. We are committed to faithfully stewarding what has been entrusted to us and to exploring sustainable ways these resources might continue to serve the church. Your participation helps make that exploration possible and strengthens our capacity for future learning, innovation, and ministry partnerships.

Thank you for joining us in this shared work of nurturing faith, vocation, and the life of the church. May Preparing the Way: A Herstory of Hope be a blessing to your community, and may your participation—whether through generosity, faithful use, or both—be a blessing to others.