Job Opening: Development Assistant

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT 

Position Description
Forward Movement seeks a part-time Development Assistant to help manage our fundraising and connect with donors. The Development Assistant will work with the Director of Development and Mission Engagement and other Forward Movement staff to support the donation process. We seek a people-focused individual with attention to detail. The ideal candidate will understand the importance of data maintenance, generosity, creativity, and thankfulness. Part-time, 15 hours per week. Hours are flexible, Preference for someone who can work in the Cincinnati office.

Inspiring disciples and empowering evangelists worldwide every day, Forward Movement produces excellent, innovative resources to encourage spiritual growth in individuals and congregations for more than eighty years. Our flagship offering is Forward Day by Day, a quarterly devotional with a circulation of 300,000. Forward Movement is a non-profit ministry of The Episcopal Church and is in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

  • Process customer gifts, thank-you letters, and emails.
  • Prepare donation reports for mailings and analysis.
  • Communicate with donors by phone, email, and letter.
  • Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
  • Collaborate with marketing on development-related communication.
  • Maintain security of donor information.

 

Skills/Qualifications: Data Entry and Maintenance, Donor-focused Fundraising Concepts, Quality Focus, Problem Solving, Documentation Skills, Listening, Phone Skills, Resolving Conflict, Analyzing Information.

The successful applicant will be knowledgeable about The Episcopal Church. Must be comfortable working in a faith-based environment. Prior experience or training in spreadsheets and word processing, data entry and maintenance, and general computer savviness are highly desirable. English language fluency is required. Spanish language fluency is desirable.

Forward Movement hires without regard to race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, marital status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disabilities, or age.

Email cover letter and resume to tjones@forwardmovement by May 1, 2021.

 

Forward Today: Getting to the center

Dear friends in Christ,

This week we get to the center of the Gospel. Over the course of Holy Week, we enter into the Paschal Mystery: the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this action, God has acted to redeem the cosmos and to offer salvation to all people.

Once again, most of us find ourselves exiled from our familiar liturgies and habits in Holy Week. We are unable to gather as we are accustomed. I for one grieve the fact that we cannot celebrate the glorious liturgies of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Eve from our prayer book with churches full of people.

And, yet, we know that Christ’s self-offering on the cross and his resurrection are still true, whether or not we are able to mark those events in our churches in the usual manner.

If you are a member of a church, I encourage you to take part in whatever is being offered in your church, online or (if you are able to safely attend) in person. If your church is not offering liturgies this year, there are plenty of options online. Pray for your clergy. They have been knocked out of sorts by all this, and they yearn for the depth of Holy Week as much as anyone.

If you are a clergy person, I hope you won’t be beating yourself up too much. Every priest or deacon I have spoken to feels like they aren’t doing enough, even though none of us knows what “enough” means. It is enough to offer what we can, given all the limits of the pandemic and people’s exhaustion.

I hope everyone can find some peace, mercy, and hope in the coming days through our observance of the Three Holy Days and the Easter season.

If nothing else, perhaps this year affords us the opportunity to read the accounts of the passion and resurrection of Jesus in the Gospels with special fervor. Read one or more of Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, or John 18-20.

This week, whether through liturgies with our community, through our own prayer, or in the pages of scripture, may we all join with Mary Magdalene and say, “I have seen the Lord.”

Blessings to you all in the coming days.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

Subscribe to receive Forward Today in your inbox.

Image: Russian icon from the 1500s, depicting the Crucifixion. National Museum, Stockholm.

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

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Forward Today: Pour your grace into our hearts

Dear friends in Christ,

Tomorrow is March 25, the day on which the church celebrates the Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It might seem strange to ponder the mystery and joy of the incarnation right smack dab in the middle of Lent, but such is the nature of keeping a feast that happens exactly nine months before Christmas!

If you’re feeling the doldrums of Lent, here’s some good news. The Annunciation is a Major Feast day, and by tradition, one’s Lenten fast is set aside to celebrate boundless joy! In church, we use white vestments tomorrow, and even sing the Gloria in excelsis. (No allel**a though, still!)

The collect for this feast day is one of my favorites:

Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

I don’t know about you, but asking for a bit of grace to pour into my heart seems very much needed right about now. It’s been a rough year! As we stand on the verge of Holy Week, I also love the reminder that it is by the passion and death of Jesus Christ that our salvation is accomplished and Easter joy made possible.

The gift of God dwelling among us in the person of Jesus Christ is incomparable. In our suffering and trials, we know that God is never far from us. What a timely reminder.

Blessings to you on the eve of this most joyous feast!

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

Subscribe to receive Forward Today in your inbox.

Image: Annunciation Icon National Museum Belgrade

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

In case you missed it…

Last minute Easter ideas | Forward Movement

Order your Easter Calendar | Forward Movement

Citizenship as a Spiritual Calling | ChurchNext

My Way of Love | The Episcopal Church and RenewalWorks

The Way of Love and Discipleship | Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and Scott Gunn

Last minute ideas for Easter

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Easter Sunday is only 13 days away! We have book club ideas, reading for individuals and families, a colorable calendar to follow the 50 days of Easter, downloadable resources, and more formation tools to inspire you and your congregation.

Shipping notice: Order soon to get your materials in time, and be sure to select a shipping option based off your delivery needs. Due to ongoing postal delays that are out of our control we recommend calling for any rush shipping information and charges. Call 800-543-1813 Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30pm ET and one of our helpful customer service team members to walk through options with you.

 

 

Alleluia! 50 Days and 50 Ways to Celebrate Easter

Easter is more than a day—it’s a season! Unbury the alleluias and shout with joy, celebrating the risen Christ.

Illustrated by award-winning cartoonist Jay Sidebotham, this calendar poster invites spiritual reflection and is a wonderful companion for the Easter season. This poster is just right for hanging on the wall or keeping on a table for daily coloring. Share these with your congregation, youth group, friends, and family, and keep them on hand for coloring fun.

Buy now!

Print your copies locally! Can’t wait for shipping on this calendar? Check out the downloadable version for printing at your local print shop! *Please note this digital download product is Copyright 2021 Forward Movement and only licensed for local printing, and not for any other distribution method. All applicable copyright laws apply. Print as many as you’d like, but the contents may not be shared through other channels, such as email/social media, or any other distribution channel.

 

 

Celebrating the 50 Days of Easter

Celebrating 50 Days of EasterThe fifty days of Easter offer an opportunity to practice living as a resurrected people- and then to take that practice into the rest of the church year.

In this pamphlet author Nancy Hopkins-Greene explores ways let go of fear, cultivate signs of new life, read the Bible, bring new life to others, and invite God into your questions.

Pamphlets come in packs of 10 and make great additions to care packages!

Buy Now!

 

 

Easter and Holy Week Infographic Bundle

This downloadable series is comprised of five compelling visuals that explain much of the history, traditions, and practices surrounding Holy Week and Easter in the Anglican tradition of Christianity. Created by designer and Episcopal priest Chris Corbin, these infographics provide a contemporary way to engage and teach people of all ages about their faith.

The Easter & Holy Week Evangelism Bundle includes Holy Week, The Triduum, The Way of the Cross, Easter, and Pentecost, and is intended for print and digital distribution.

You’ll receive a download link to the high resolution PDF, JPEG, and PNG versions of each infographic; suitable for printing in-house, taking to a local print shop, sharing on your website or social media channels, and/or incorporating into a publication. Files print nicely on standard ledger paper (11” x 17”) or could be taken to a local print shop to be made into posters.

Download now!

 

 

50 Day Bible Challenge Series

The Way Of Love Bible ChallengeYou and your community can easily take a deep dive into one of the four Gospels, the Book of Acts, or see how scripture connects with the Way of Love practices.

Our 50 Day Bible Challenge books are perfect for the Easter season, with daily scripture, meditations, and prayers written by dynamic spiritual leaders from across the United States and around the world.

These titles, edited by the Rev. Marek Zabriskie, are part of The Bible Challenge, a global initiative to encourage daily engagement with scripture and an exploration of the Word of God.

Explore 50 Day Bible Challenge books now!

 

 

Explore Bible stories from the inside out, with the Bible Spy Series!
Perfect for children and families!

The Spy On Noah's ArkFrom author Lindsay Hardin Freeman, The Spy on Noah’s Ark and The Spy at Jacob’s Ladder bring the Bible to life, with collections of popular stories told from the inside out. Each page is sure to stir up your heart and mind as you read along, meeting old friends and making new ones.

You are invited to be a spy too at some of the most beloved stories of the Bible, placing yourself as participant and witness to God’s unfolding and unfailing grace and love. For ages 7-12. Perfect for emerging readers as well as for adults and children to read along together.

Buy one or the set!

 

 

Take a personal spiritual journey with My Way of Love, powered by RenewalWorks

My Way of LoveMy Way of Love, powered by RenewalWorks is a personal guide for the spiritual journey, providing coaching to help individuals grow along the seven practices for Jesus-centered life: turn, learn, pray, worship, bless, go, and rest. It begins with a brief online survey which assesses where you are in your spiritual life.

Created in partnership with the Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, this online assessment and coaching tool provides tips for improving your own spiritual journey, based on research from hundreds of thousands of Christians.

You can complete the initial assessment and stop there, or sign up for an eight-week series of emails that will offer some suggestions, coaching for how you can grow spiritually, and ways you can go deeper in love of God and neighbor.

Get started now!

 

 

Explore our interactive eCatalog for more ideas!

2021 Spring and Summer eCatalogOur online catalog provides many more ideas for individuals, families, and congregations.

Watch videos from our authors, browse our online courses from ChurchNext (our online learning platform), and learn about subscription options to Forward Day by Day, our iconic daily devotional.

View our interactive eCatalog here!

 

 

Forward Today: We wish to see Jesus

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Dear friends in Christ,

This Sunday’s Gospel tells us about a time when some people approached the disciples and said to Philip, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” The people were Greeks, among those who most certainly didn’t know Jesus. I love the direct, in-your-face aspect of this quote. They know what they want, and they ask for it.

I love talking with seekers, those who are looking for a church home. So often they tell me they are looking to meet Jesus Christ. This is the whole reason they come to church (whether “coming to church” is in person or online). There is very little peer pressure for anyone to attend church these days, so if a person darkens the door of a church, they are looking for something. Most likely they could echo the Greeks’ words, “We wish to see Jesus.”

Wouldn’t it be great if every church showed forth Jesus and his saving love every Sunday reliably? My sense is that sometimes we get into a maintenance rut, and people begin to think of church as the place where they find constancy and comfort in a chaotic time. While I have nothing against constancy, especially if we’re talking about the steadfast love of God, I do think we miss the mark if we don’t keep our eyes fixed on the transforming love of Jesus.

It’s not uncommon for pulpits to have the Greeks’ words written on the preaching desk. It’s a good reminder to preachers: stay on topic! Don’t forget to talk about Jesus!

Maybe we need to write out those words on our pews, in our entry ways, in our parish halls, in our zoom meetings, in our newsletters, and everywhere else. Let us never forget the point.

When people arrive at our churches, they are likely looking for something. “We wish to see Jesus.” Let’s make sure they meet him.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

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Image: Tim Schenck

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

In case you missed it…

Order your Easter Calendar | Forward Movement

Contemplative Knitting | ChurchNext

My Way of Love | The Episcopal Church and RenewalWorks

The Way of Love and Discipleship | Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and Scott Gunn

Forward Today: Suffering and hope

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Dear friends in Christ,

Today’s daily office readings bring us this gem from Romans 5.

And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

There’s been a lot of suffering in the last year. Just about a year ago, “normal” life began to shut down as the pandemic loomed large. In that time, millions have died. Livelihoods have been destroyed. Familiar patterns have been disrupted.

St. Paul was speaking about suffering for the faith. Not all suffering is edifying. Sometimes suffering is just straight-up misery, and there’s been plenty of that in the pandemic time.

But I do wonder if we might look at our lives and at our church to see what we can learn from this time. Can this time of suffering produce endurance, character, and hope?

In the “before times” I think the church had too often lost sight of our fundamental mission to make disciples. It was easy to be places of comfort rather than challenge, of maintenance rather than mission, of good feelings rather than Gospel.

As we begin to look toward a post-pandemic time, I hope we take stock of our sufferings but also of our hopes. Can we use our newfound technology skills to reach more people? Can we appreciate those things we had taken for granted? Can we sharpen our focus so that we see ourselves, above all else, as communities of disciples who make disciples?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

Subscribe to receive Forward Today in your inbox.

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

In case you missed it…

Order your Easter Calendar | Forward Movement

Contemplative Knitting | ChurchNext

My Way of Love | The Episcopal Church and RenewalWorks

The Way of Love and Discipleship | Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry and Scott Gunn

Forward Today: Remember, rest

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Dear friends in Christ,

This coming Sunday, we’ll hear the Ten Commandments as the first lesson in church. And, at least in the church I’m serving on Sundays, we hear those commandments recited at the start of the liturgy every Sunday in Lent.

I love hearing this succinct set of laws that tell us how to live as God’s people. There are commandments to honor God and to honor other people.

It always strikes me that right up there with “do not murder” and “do not steal” is this one:

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. For six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work.

As a culture, I think we’re pretty good at ignoring that one. We feel like we need to stay productive all the time. There’s always a to-do list. Emails and notifications are always waiting.

But when God set out to boil down the ways to live to just ten laws, the commandment to rest was included. That suggests it’s pretty important.

To rest is a completely counter-cultural idea, and that’s why we need to do it. Resting means that we believe there’s something more important than what we accomplish. Resting means that we can simply bask in the glory of God’s love for us and all creation.

When Bishop Michael Curry introduced the Episcopal Church to the Way of Love, he identified seven spiritual practices that are essential for following Jesus. Rest is one of the seven, and I have a chapter with concrete advice on how to rest for busy people in my latest book, The Way of Love: A Practical Guide to Following Jesus.

I know rest is a struggle for me, and, looking around, I know I’m not alone. But it is God’s will for us, and God knows what is best for us. I hope we can all slow down and rest, for God’s sake and ours.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

Subscribe to receive Forward Today in your inbox.

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

In case you missed it…

Now available: Easter Calendar| Forward Movement

What Every Vestry Member Needs to Know about Money | ChurchNext

Watch Leading Forward: Discipleship and Vocation | Forward Movement

Forward Today: We are sorrowful, yet always rejoicing

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Dear friends in Christ,

Did you ever play hide and seek as a child? I did! One of the rules was that the seeker had to yell out, “ready or not, here I come!” before the search began. I feel like our liturgical year is saying to us, “ready or not, here Lent comes!”

As Fr. Tim Schenck and I wrote in our annual Ash Wednesday reflection over on Lent Madness, it may seem like it’s always Lent and never Easter, to echo C. S. Lewis. But we know that, regardless of our state of mind, the tomb was empty on Easter morning, and Jesus Christ is raised from the dead.

Still, it’s hard for many of us to wrap our minds around this Lenten season. We’re in the midst of a pandemic, in which many thousands of people have died. At the moment, thousands of people are without electricity and suffering from extreme winter weather. We’ve all seen political turmoil. Most of us are deprived of our usual church gatherings and rituals.

How can we go about our usual Lenten disciplines? Should we?

This is a year to remember the essential core of Lent. It is not, primarily, a season of deprivation. It is not, fundamentally, a season of programs and familiar habits. It is, instead, a season in which we reorient our lives toward Jesus.

Perhaps in the midst of a pandemic, simply getting through the days and weeks is enough. We can’t be disciples if we are missing basic human needs. Perhaps in a time when we are deprived of so much, this is a time to savor what we have. I’m not telling you fasting is bad! Far from it. But I am saying this won’t be the usual Lent for any of us.

St. Paul knew plenty about suffering and deprivation. Allow me to quote at length a bit from today’s assigned epistle reading from 2 Corinthians.

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

This Lent, let us remember that even as we sorrow, we can rejoice in the mighty power of God. The Spirit abides with us. Jesus has offered us all his saving grace.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

Subscribe to receive Forward Today in your inbox.

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

In case you missed it…

Available for preorder: Easter Calendar| Forward Movement

With Gladness: 5 Weeks of Holy Practices for Disciples | ChurchNext

Watch Leading Forward: Discipleship and Vocation | Forward Movement

View our interactive Lent catalog | Forward Movement

Forward Today: It’s a marathon, not a sprint

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Dear friends in Christ,

I’m not an athlete, but I’m married to a runner. Over the years, I’ve learned a few things about running and about training. To be clear: I learned these things from the sofa.

Sherilyn, my spouse, decided several years ago that she wanted to run a full marathon, 26.2 miles. She started a training program. She had to work out. She had to adjust her eating. It was a big deal. And I’m proud to say she managed to run several marathons!

One of the things I learned about running marathons is that you have to set your pace. You have to run mile 1 at about the pace you want to run mile 25. If you run too slowly, you’ll have a lousy time. But if you run too fast, you’ll flame out and might not be able to finish. Successfully running a marathon is about a lot of things, but getting the right pace is pretty important.

I’ve been thinking about that lately with regard to the pandemic. Unlike a marathon, which is a predictable 26.2 miles long, we don’t know how long things will stretch on. At times, I have believed we were rounding the corner and the finish line was in sight. But with new variants of the virus and with ongoing issues with people not practicing safe social distancing and mask-wearing, this could drag on for quite a while.

There are some days I’m feeling pretty good, and I’m optimistic about the future. On those days, the losses and grief of the pandemic are manageable. But on other days, I become dismal about the future, and that spills over into my view of the present. In other words, I’m not keeping a steady pace.

And it’s not just managing my expectations. In all sorts of ways, this pandemic is surprisingly exhausting. I’ve heard that from people again and again. Parents are weary from home schooling. Churches are weary from managing remote or hybrid gatherings. Workers are weary from disruption to familiar workplace patterns. Elderly people are weary from isolation. And on and on.

Hebrews 12 begins with some powerful images:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

In other words, this life of following Jesus is hard. But we need not despair. As we suffer, we know that those who have gone before have suffered before us, and they cheer us on. Jesus carries the burden of our faith, and he will intercede for us with God the Father. How do we get through challenging times? We “run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”

This pandemic, like life itself, is a marathon, not a sprint. Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

Subscribe to receive Forward Today in your inbox.

Image: Unsplash

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

In case you missed it…

 With Gladness | Forward movement

With Gladness: 5 Weeks of Holy Practices for Disciples | ChurchNext

Watch Leading Forward: Discipleship and Vocation | Forward Movement

Learn more about Revive for Lent | Revive

View our interactive Lent catalog | Forward Movement

Forward Today: It’s almost time

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Dear friends in Christ,

Lent is almost here. Just two weeks from today, we will begin our Lenten journey.

This will be an unusual Ash Wednesday. Some churches won’t use ashes to mark the beginning of Lent this year, while those who do impose ashes will probably do so differently because of the dangers of disease in our time of pandemic.

Fortunately, our Book of Common Prayer does not require ashes. In fact, “The First Day of Lent” is a valid title for what we usually call “Ash Wednesday” according to our prayer book. The primary focus of getting our Lenten journey started is our awareness of our need to repent. And the whole season flows from that.

We are deprived of our usual Lenten customs this year. But perhaps there is an invitation for us to focus on our need of repentance, of our need to draw closer to Jesus Christ. Maybe we will have a deeper experience of growing into the full stature of Christ as we depart our comfortable, familiar places.

What will your Lenten journey be like? Now is a good time to make sure you and your church are ready for this time of preparation for Easter and embarking on the “spring cleaning of our souls.”

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

 

 

P.S. You don’t need to buy things to make your Lenten journey, but resources can be helpful for congregations, small groups, and individuals. Forward Movement has a wide variety of Lenten resources, and today is the last today to order to be sure you’ll get things sent by USPS standard shipping.

Subscribe to receive Forward Today in your inbox.

Image: Scott Gunn, flickr

Tune in!

Listen to today’s Forward Day by Day reflection on the Forward Day by Day podcast. Find morning prayer on the Morning at the Office podcast and end your day with the Evening at Prayer podcast. Available anywhere you listen!

 

In case you missed it…

 With Gladness | Forward movement

With Gladness: 5 Weeks of Holy Practices for Disciples | ChurchNext

Learn more about Revive for Lent and sign up for a facilitator training session with Dawn Davis

View our interactive Lent catalog | Forward Movement