Believe it or not, affluence is often a burden, and many with it are unsure of how to steward their wealth. Kimberly Stewart, Eagle Brook Church’s Executive Director of Development, taught a seminar on Engaging Financial Leaders, after she helped Eagle Brook launch a ministry to financial leaders eight years ago. Stewart has a sincere heart for high capacity givers she calls “Financial Leaders," and she says this ministry is just as spiritual as any other in church. If not reached out to by the Church, Stewart believes some of the Church’s financial leaders would be missing out on spiritual growth and on becoming fully connected to the Church. Through this ministry many financial leaders realize they are needed to fulfill the mission of the Church, and find joy in exercising the gifts God has given them.

Can you imagine if 50,000+ people inside US Bank Stadium were worshiping our Lord and King Jesus Christ? What if the 1 billion dollar football stadium was turned into a house of prayer for an entire weekend? That’s what Pulse wants to see for the UNITE National Day of Prayer in 2017 – to fill the US Bank stadium with youth lifting up the name of Jesus Christ. Pulse is casting this vision of hosting the largest youth event the state of Minnesota has ever known, but they need the partnership of hundreds of Minnesota pastoral teams. On September 29, 2016 pastoral teams are invited to US Bank Stadium's Hyundai Room to come together for lunch, prayer and worship in preparation for UNITE National Day of Prayer 2017 at US Bank Stadium.

Last month 170 gathered in the Twin Cities for a stimulating and informative presentation on the global refugee crisis given by Matthew Soerens, author of the just-released book "Seeking Refuge on the Shores of the Refugee Crisis." Transform Minnesota and Arrive Ministries would like to help connect Christian faith communities with resources and empower the local church to serve our vulnerable refugee neighbors. Here we have included a few resources from the seminar which we know many church leaders and concerned Christians will find helpful.

Dr. Paul Eddy defines covenant as a committed, community-based, kinship-creating, agape love relationship. But he says it can be simplified down to two simple words: love formalized. Dr. Eddy believes studying covenants gives believers a better sense of God’s heart for how He shapes relationships. At his Covenantal Theology training at City Church on July 13, Dr. Eddy shared how we can improve our marriages by accurately viewing them as Kingdom-oriented covenants. Through that Kingdom-oriented lens, sex within a male-female marriage becomes the sign of the covenant. He urged church leaders to teach Kingdom Marriages, that put the Kingdom community and the imaging of the triune God at the center of it.

It was standing room only at a community prayer service on Monday July 11th, at Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis, in response to a week of deadly violence in our community and nation. More than 500 people came before God as a unified Body of Christ to lament, pray for peace, and to seek hope through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rev. Billy Russell of Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and Rev. Jason Meyer of Bethlehem Baptist Church called for a night of prayer and unity that resonated with many in our Christian community which can so often feel divided based on denomination, race, creed, age, gender or neighborhood affiliation.