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Community Corner

Are you ready to begin the Work of Christmas?

Seattle-area Philanthropy Advisor, Richard Bray, of www.StrategicGivingAdvisor.com, shares a special poem that will inspire you in your mission to make a difference in 2014….

The Christmas trees and the holiday decorations are mostly put away in my neighborhood now. Even at my church (I’m Catholic) the long Christmas season ends this Sunday.  But as you and I return to “normal” I would like to share this thought: Now the Work of Christmas Begins.

I have been very inspired by Howard Thurman’s poem “The Work of Christmas.” Dr. Thurman was an African-American theologian, educator, and civil rights leader.

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 As someone who has fostered philanthropy and charitable giving for 20 years, it has been my standard practice to reflect on it at the beginning of each New Year. It helps me to reconnect with important values that I want to uphold. I hope this will be helpful to you, too.

I look forward to sharing thoughts on how individuals, businesses and charities can foster strategic giving in 2014. But for now, please spend a few moments reflecting on this poem. You will find it time well spent.

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Are you ready to begin the Work of Christmas?

The Work of Christmas

When the song of the angels is stilled,

when the star in the sky is gone,

when the kings and princes are home,

when the shepherds are back with their flocks,

the work of Christmas begins:

to find the lost,

to heal the broken,

to feed the hungry,

to release the prisoner,

to rebuild the nations,

to bring peace among the people,

to make music in the heart.

- Dr. Howard Thurman, 1899-1981






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