A deeply wrought and joyful debut poetry collection from an exciting new voice Looping exultantly through the overlapping experiences of girlhood, Blackness, sex, and personhood in America, award-winning essayist and poet Kendra Allen braids together personal narrative and cultural commentary, wrestling with the beauty and brutality to be found between mothers and daughters, young women and the world, Black bodies and white space, virginity and intrusion, prison and freedom, birth and death. Most of all, The Collection Plate explores both how we collect and erase the voices, lives, and innocence of underrepresented bodies—and behold their pleasure, pain, and possibility Both formally exciting and a delight to read, The Collection Plate is a testament to Allen’s place as the voice of a generation—and a witness to how we come into being in the twenty-first century.

Hearing a young attorney speak of the faith-based reasons for which he had just made a substantial monetary gift to a community youth center, Clif Christopher asked the speaker if he would consider making a similar contribution to the congregation of which he was an active member. "Lord no, they wouldn't know what to do with it" was the answer. That, in a nutshell, describes the problem churches are facing in their stewardship efforts, says Christopher. Unlike leading nonprofit agencies and institutions, we too often fail to convince potential givers that their gifts will have impact and significance. In this book, Christopher lays out the main reasons for this failure to capture the imagination of potential givers, including our frequent failure simply to ask. Written with the needs of pastors and stewardship teams in mind, Not Your Parents’ Offering Plate provides immediate, practical guidance to all who seek to help God’s people be better stewards of their resources.

This book is a must read for those currently serving or being considered for service as a trustee of your church or other nonprofit. It will help you understand the work from a Scriptural as well as fiduciary responsibility. It extends beyond revenue oversight and fundraising efforts to instruct in legal compliance, proper accountability and reporting while working as a team member to accomplish the organization's mission or objectives. There is so much more that takes place Beyond the Collection Plate that trustees need to be aware of. It is my prayer this book will take you on a journey of discovery and learning about what church trustees do.

Everyone knows that stewardship is more than money and finances. Nevertheless, seldom do we give time to explore the profound concept of stewardship in its many dimensions, including stewardship of time, work, body, mind, spirit, community, technology, and more. Beyond the Offering Plate does just that. Written by ten engaging pastors, seminary professors, and church leaders, this unique resource offers a diverse and holistic approach to stewardship. In ten accessible chapters, readers will learn how they can faithfully and practically discuss and engage with stewardship on a regular basis. Ideal for church leaders, seminary students, and pastors, this book includes questions for reflection and applications for life together at the end of each chapter. Copeland adds a special section with biblical references and preaching themes at the end of the book. Featured contributors include: Margaret P. Aymer, Associate Professor of New Testament at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas Kathleen A. Cahalan, Professor of Theology at Saint John's University School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota MaryAnn McKibben Dana, author of Sabbath in the Suburbs David Gambrell, Associate for Worship in the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) David P. King, Karen Lake Buttrey Director of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving and Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana Neal D. Presa, pastor and former moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Ellie Roscher, Director of Youth and Story Development at Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities in Minneapolis and author of How Coffee Saved My Life Mary Hinkle Shore, pastor of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Brevard, North Carolina John W. Vest, Visiting Assistant Professor of Evangelism at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia

New York Times Bestseller Named one of the Best Gift Books of the Year by Entertainment Weekly, InStyle, House Beautiful, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, Luxe Interiors + Design, People StyleWatch, Garden & Gun, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, New York Magazine, and more John Derian’s home goods empire reaches far and wide—in addition to the four John Derian stores he owns in New York and Massachussetts, his products are sold by more than 600 retailers worldwide, including Neiman Marcus, ABC, and Gump’s in the United States; Conran and Liberty in the UK; and Astier de Villatte in Paris. It all started with his now-iconic collectible plates decoupaged with 19th-century artwork sourced from old and rare books, a process that credited him with elevating the decoupage technique into fine art. Over the past 25 years, the brand has expanded greatly to include home and general design gifts and products. Now, for the first time ever, comes the book John Derian fans have been waiting for. Culled from the thousands of images that have appeared in his biannual collections, here is an astoundingly beautiful assortment of nearly 300 full-bleed images in their original form. From intensely colored flowers and birds to curious portraits, hand-drawn letters, and breathtaking landscapes, the best of John Derian is here. The result is an oversized object of desire, a work of art in and of itself, that brilliantly walks the line between commerce and art, and that is destined to become the gift book of the season.

'Giving Away the Collection Plate...gives a great apologetic for believers and the church to be generous agents engaged in God's mission.' Ed Stetzer, President of LifeWay Research 'This book will confront you with the clear biblical mandates of what the church, as the body of Christ, is to be in the world.' Jerry Rankin, President Emeritus, International Mission Board, SBC 'Read this book only if you want your norm to be wrecked by the generosity of Jesus.' Jason C. Dukes, Author of Live Sent: You Are a Letter and Beyond My Church What would happen in your church if you gave away all of the tithes and offerings for a week? What if God pushed you further and asked you to give everything away for an entire year? One small church plant in Mississippi felt that push from God. As they prayed about how to accurately depict Christ to their community, they were prompted to give away their tithes and offerings for an entire year. Giving Away the Collection Plate exposes the work of Traceway Church and explores the dynamic relationship between generosity and spiritual growth. Regardless of your background, this book will inspire you to consider missional generosity. It will force you to ask, 'How can our church become a better physical representation of Christ in our community?' It may even provoke you to the point that you become radically generous, as God is generous toward us.

Kendra Allen’s first collection of essays—at its core—is a bunch of mad stories about things she never learned to let go of. Unifying personal narrative and cultural commentary, this collection grapples with the lessons that have been stored between parent and daughter. These parental relationships expose the conditioning that subconsciously informed her ideas on social issues such as colorism, feminism, war-induced PTSD, homophobia, marriage, and “the n-word,” among other things. These dynamics strive for some semblance of accountability, and the essays within this collection are used as displays of deep unlearning and restoring—balancing trauma and humor, poetics and reality, forgiveness and resentment. When You Learn the Alphabet allots space for large moments of tenderness and empathy for all black bodies—but especially all black woman bodies—space for the underrepresented humanity and uncared for pain of black girls, and space to have the opportunity to be listened to in order to evolve past it.

My Life on a Plate tells Kelis' personal story through the food she creates. Her style has been molded by her culture, her travels, and all the people she met along the way. This book is a collection of her favorite recipes. Kelis' love affair with food started as a child. A native New Yorker, her mother worked as a chef in her own catering business, run out of their home in Harlem. Driven by the speed and the intensity in the kitchen, Kelis' passion behind watching her mother cook inspired her to roll up her sleeves. Every detail was clear and defined: Red lips, red nails, perfume, earrings and a military demeanour she felt in the presence of a master while watching her mother work. At age 17, Kelis signed her first recording contract and began to travel the world. She discovered local outdoor markets and tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurants and considered them the hidden treasures of her journeys. After 10 years in the music business, Kelis decided to attend Le Cordon Bleu. Attending the famous cooking school gave Kelis the confidence to call herself a chef and to write her first cookbook. My Life on a Plate tells Kelis' personal story through the food she creates. Her style has been moulded by her culture, her travels, and all the people she met along the way. This book is a collection of her favourite recipes. It features a mix of foods from her Puerto Rican heritage, such as Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder), Arroz con Gandules, and Shrimp Alcapurias along with dishes she created after discovering them on her travels around the world such as Malay Curry Chicken and Swedish Meatballs.