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Grace members talk about stewardship
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How blessed are you?
by Julie and Scott Krueger
There was a stewardship moment one Sunday this past year during which the speaker asked the members of Grace to think of how they would answer the question, “Are you rich?” Getting the uncomfortable response of people looking down in their laps and shifting in their seats, the speaker then asked us to reconsider the question and think of how each of us would respond to, “Are you blessed?” I didn’t look around to see what other’s reactions were, but I clearly sat up, reengaged eye contact and stopped feeling uncomfortable. Without hesitation I knew my answer was, “Yes.”
Our family is so abundantly blessed. We live in a place where education is supremely valued and have excellent schools as a result. We have beautiful homes and yards we get to live in and neighbors who care for one another. We have parks, libraries, community services, and events in abundance. We have wonderful restaurants, arts, music, theater and other cultural opportunities available all the time. We have access to amazing transportation options, businesses in many sectors offering employment opportunities, and universities for continuing education. Our personal blessings layer on top of all this: our health, in our immediate family and extending to grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins; friends with whom we have built memories for over 30 years; a relatively crisis-free life (notwithstanding the stuff that comes with raising three boys); a marriage that deepens and strengthens our relationship each year; open communication, honesty and support of a loving family.
And while all of this has made our lives exciting, secure, and fulfilling, we would be lacking if we didn’t have Grace – and, yes, we intended the double entendre. The blessings that come from being in the community of Grace Church have been bountiful. What drew us to the church originally, the amazing music that creates such a worshipful experience for us, has continued to be a pivotal element in our spiritual life. It is at Grace where all three of our kids began singing and where the foundation for their love of music was set. The unexpected discovery of Grace School when we joined the church was a blessing that continues to impact our kids–and us–even after they have graduated. The friendships we have that started with fellow Grace School parents, Supper Shuffles, board memberships and choir are irreplaceable. The blessings of pastors who preach, teach, challenge, encourage and support us are never ending.
The consistency of the proclamation of the gospel, in a physical place that is magnificent and a liturgical style that is so worshipful for us, feeds our souls beyond measure. It is in the security of this knowledge, that by the grace of God, who sent Jesus to atone for our broken humanness, we will spend eternity in communion with God and not in the hell of separation from God, that we are most blessed. There is nothing else that matters.
Upon reflection on these many, many blessings, we realize that this is the answer to the question of how rich we are. We are richly blessed. It makes us look forward to the special Advent Thankoffering when we freely and joyfully, without pressure or guilt, respond to what God has literally poured out on us. It is with overflowing hearts of gratitude that we will again gladly participate in the Thankoffering this year.
How blessed are you? We encourage you to consider this and respond with us.
Stewardship: Giving so that Grace can flourish
What does it mean to be “a good steward”? In this Giving Story, a husband and wife reflect on the responsibility of stewardship and compare it to the role of parents or friends.
Stewardship is not just about giving. A steward is really a person who has something that needs to be taken care of; and stewardship is taking care of it the right way, so that whatever it is flourishes, thrives, is nourished and grows according to its unique potential. Parents, then, are stewards of the development of their children. Friends are stewards of their friendships, those fragile things that cannot be taken for granted. And people who belong to a congregation they love and who benefit from the Church’s own stewardship need to consider what they, in turn, can do in response in this mutually beneficial and nourishing arrangement. We spend a lot of time and money making sure our children receive what they need to flourish. We spend time with friends because that is what friends do. We do them favors at our expense and inconvenience because we care for them. We buy them gifts or treat them to meals. And quite likely they do the same for us.
Like a good parent, the Church nourishes us spiritually with sound preaching, wonderful music – surely food for the soul – an excellent school, opportunities for enrichment, friendship, and community. Grace is a good steward. It takes care of us in a God-pleasing way. It carries out ministries here and beyond, reaching from the neighborhoods of Chicago’s inner city to faraway places like Brazil, Lithuania, Papua New Guinea, and Zambia. But because of the reciprocal nature of stewardship we also need to take care of Grace. We need to give it what it needs to thrive, to flourish and grow. Just as we pray for our kids and our friends, we need to pray for Grace. But our responsibility as good stewards--those charged with caring for that with which we have been entrusted--ultimately does come back to time, talent, and treasure.
Giving is very personal. Each person needs to work through why, how and when he or she gives. Part of that deliberation, however, must take account of what we have received from God, and how, from the heart, we can best care for this church that we love.
With the kids grown and the house paid off, but still with a few good years of pre-retirement earning left, we found ourselves able to increase our giving and so we did. We don’t view this as a particularly mystical thing. The simple fact is that Grace needs money to operate and those who benefit from all that it provides need to help cover the cost as they are able.
Giving Story archive
Giving as circumstances change
As a family’s personal circumstances change, their response to stewardship may take a new focus. Here’s how a parishioner in another local congregation describes his family’s “windfall.”
As parents, my wife and I experienced great satisfaction when our last child finished college. We also experienced deep relief, knowing that the tuition payments would now end. The impact on our financial circumstances was significant—almost like receiving a huge raise at work.
Looking ahead, my wife and I discussed what this drastic change would mean to our household finances. We saw that now, it would be possible for us to achieve two important goals.
As chair of my church’s Stewardship committee, I had the opportunity to reveal our plans publicly in a brief “mission moment” during the Sunday worship service.
I began by describing our first goal: to increase our annual giving to our church by 50 percent. It wasn’t until the laughter died down in the pews that I realized the humor associated with describing our second goal: enrolling in “nursing home” insurance.
I am pleased to say that our postgraduate “windfall” has allowed us to accomplish both.
Does your household anticipate the end of college tuitions? Or another significant change in life circumstances? Perhaps it is time to consider what this change will mean to the family finances.
June 2011
Tithing via automatic withdrawal
This Grace parishioner relies on the automatic withdrawal feature to aid in the practice of regular tithing.
Growing up in a congregation very much like ours at Grace, my Sundays began with Sunday School and worship. I sang in the children’s choir, and then high school and senior choirs ─ two services every Sunday ─ through my teens.
Tithing, however, was not the norm in our household, most likely because of substantial medical bills. In later years my father told me that every payday, from the late 1930s through the 1950s, he went to our local hospital to make a payment until all of our family’s medical debts were paid.
I reached a point in my own life some years ago when I realized, despite childcare expense, that tithing might be doable and I gave it a try. It was, and still is. I regret that I didn’t realize that sooner.
More recently I’ve opted for automatic withdrawals from my checking account, payable to Grace, to ensure that the Church receives my monthly offerings regardless of what other expenses I incur and whether or not I am in church each and every Sunday.
You might want to consider our automatic withdrawal feature for your own contributions. The process is simple and flexible. In the event of an economic pinch ─ perhaps due to layoff, job loss or medical expense ─ withdrawals can be put on hold until household finances improve.
May 2011
Giving to Grace: A Family Story
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
Giving to Grace is a family event in our home. A distinct memory from my childhood is my dad writing our offering check at the kitchen table. We have followed this example in our family. On Sunday morning, our checkbook and Grace envelopes are on the kitchen table along with cereal, milk and toast. During breakfast we write our offering check and our children gather their Sunday school offerings.
Why do we give to Grace? How much do we give? What does Grace do with the money? These are some of the questions our children ask over breakfast. These discussions are cultivating the seeds we hope and pray will take root and blossom into a lifetime of generous living.
We could write our check Saturday night after our children go to bed to have one less thing to do to get out the door in the morning, but then we would be missing a wonderful teaching opportunity.
January 2011
How and when do we learn to be good stewards? One Grace member adopted the practice as an adult and says we’re never too old to learn.
A late start to stewardship
The habit of stewardship is often developed by modeling the behavior of others. In my case, my parents did not attend church and therefore, did not offer an example of scriptural stewardship to me as I was growing up. However, one is never too old to learn.
When my children began attending Grace School, my family and I were not yet members of the church, but I quickly found myself donating my time and talents to the school, and I was happy to do so. The school needed volunteers to augment the services its budget could not provide. What’s more, I had come to admire the people I observed volunteering their time and talent—far more, I felt, than what I had to offer.
While my husband and I had always made monetary contributions to Grace to cover the cost of educating our children, our financial support increased once we joined the church. Eventually, our entire family became active members—again, being drawn in by members whom we had come to respect and who just naturally lived their faith. Our time commitment to the church grew and it became a larger part of our lives. Our donations also increased as we became more aware of the good works performed by Grace-supported ministries and by the church’s needs.
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
Fall 2010
Grace means "home" to us
God gave me so much when he brought my husband into my life some years ago. We met at work and had been dating for a while when he asked if he could attend church with me. (I was already a member of Grace.) He soon knew he wanted to make Grace his church home, and we were married at Grace’s altar.
We make an annual Faith Promise and even though our income is unpredictable, we attempt to exceed our pledge whenever we can. My husband’s industry is struggling during this tough economy and, like many others, he was laid off for several months. We gave up many things during that time—including gift giving—but one thing we couldn’t sacrifice was giving to Grace.
As my husband put it, “We’re going to trust God.” And that is what we did. Trusting God, my husband is back at work now. Despite a 20 percent pay cut, we continue to put Grace first because Grace means “home” to us.
July 2010
The tithe: “our benchmark for giving”
The discipline of tithing played a key role in the married life of this couple.
Early in our marriage and soon after we had found our way to Grace Church, we became involved with the question of how much to contribute to church. We were a single-income household, and our children were just beginning to arrive. It was early in our working career, and we lived on a fixed income. We had recently bought a house, and after considering all our expenses—mortgage, food, property taxes, etc.—there was very, very little left over.
As we thought about the principles of our faith and many statements in the Bible, we agreed that we would use the tithe as our benchmark for giving. This was not an easy commitment to make, but we supported each other as we proceeded down this path. Over the years, the further we went along that path, the easier it became to follow our pledge.
Looking back, we can see the impact that tithing has made in our lives. We have been richly blessed in many ways. God has provided for us and he has helped us lead each other through our lives. Grace Church has made a major impact on our lives. The principle of tithing has had a part in all of this.
June 2010
Where do my offerings go?
Our offerings are instrumental in spreading God’s healing word around the globe. At Grace Lutheran Church, our annual budget allocates ten percent of our giving—a tithe—to support a number of benevolences at home and abroad.
A simple image on a Sunday School envelope figures in this Grace member’s giving.
My World Vision
“My history of giving began with a dime in my Sunday School envelope. On each envelope I recall a picture of the world, which represented support for global mission. Although my personal ‘world vision’ was limited, in the church where I grew up we were visited by missionaries who proclaimed the gospel in Africa and returned to the States to tell us about their experiences.“
“As my earning opportunities have grown, so have my offerings. I’ve always felt that my giving has extended into ministry far beyond any of my expectations. Our Grace benevolence funds support ministries in a number of foreign countries, including Africa. We support hospitals, schools, agricultural projects, and the publishing of Christian books. I have even been fortunate enough to participate in a service trip to Slovakia where I observed joyful stewardship that promises to touch lives for years to come.”
“Like the vision of that globe on my offering envelope, our combined efforts in giving are blessed by God in vast and amazing ways.”
May 2010
Can we give more?
Faithful stewardship is lifelong for this Grace member.
"Going to church was always important in my family. As a child I remember my parents giving me a coin for the offering plate. Once I began getting an allowance, my parents suggested how much I should give to church. Like many parents in the 1950s, Mom and Dad never talked much about money, so I didn't realize it at the time, but the amount they suggested was a tithe.
"As newlyweds, my husband and I didn't have much, but we always gave to church. One year, after reading a Grace Church stewardship appeal, we calculated the amount we were contributing to Grace and asked each other, "Can we give more?" We decided then and there to raise our giving by one percent.
"We discovered that the extra amount we gave didn't seem to have an impact on our household finances. So the following year, we asked ourselves the same question: "Can we give more?" And we did. Again, we saw the same result: we didn't miss that extra amount that was going to Grace.
"Before long, we were surprised to see that our giving had grown into a tithe. We've tithed ever since - and although I'm retired now and we live on a smaller income, we didn't reduce our giving.
"Giving ten percent of your income can seem like "so much." I think it's because we already have so much and don't recognize it.
"What would happen if you increased your giving by one percent? Give it a try."
April 2010
Parents model for their children
This Grace member reminds us that parents play a key role in modeling faithful stewardship for their children.
"I grew up in a family of six children and money was scarce. Before I was even a teenager, my father became ill and could not work. He died at age 51 after a nine-year bout with a dreaded disease. My youngest brother was just 10 at the time. Needless to say, there were no frills in our home. On one Christmas, I recall each of us receiving one small item of clothing as our gift.
"Church attendance was never an option in our home: it was assumed. Some of my fondest family memories included singing hymns and carols as we traveled to and from worship services. And even though we did not have much money, I can forever hear my mother saying, “We do not have a lot of money, but we give a tithe to church.” It was emphasized that we were to give of our first fruits and not from what was left over. “What we do not have, we do not miss,” was another of my mother’s favorite sayings.
"As small children, we were always given money to put in the church offering plate. When we became old enough to earn money on our own, our parents reminded us to tithe.
"By giving our children an opportunity to place an offering into the plate during worship (and letting them observe us doing the same), we teach them to share."
March 2010
The path to discipleship
As Jesus' disciples, we are committed to certain habits: participating in weekly worship, daily prayer, and the regular reading and study of Scripture; serving at and beyond Grace; nurturing Christian friendships; and giving of our time, talent, and money. Making a Faith Promise is a financial expression of discipleship.
Here is how one Grace member describes the path to discipleship.
The first fruits go to our Lord
Growing up in my close-knit Norwegian-American family, church was at the center of our world-even in the midst of the Great Depression.
My father had lost his business; my uncles, too. Still, our extended family continued to give what we called "the first fruits" to the Lord. (We didn't use the word "tithe," but it was ten percent that we gave - even during those difficult times.)
I learned that faithful stewardship also meant we served those in need. It's why my grandmother installed what she called "Jesus' chair" at her dining-room table: an extra place for a person that, she said, Jesus might send - and during the Depression, plenty of people were hungry.
It's also why my grandparents remodeled their attic into an apartment so that they could offer housing to Jewish refugees-a widow and her children - who had escaped the Nazis during World War II.
When I consider my faith formation, one childhood memory is particularly vivid. I remember drying dishes in my grandmother's kitchen as she washed them, and asking her, "Grandma, do you really believe in God?" She lifted her hands from the soapsuds and turned to me, pointing. "No, I do not believe in God," she said emphatically. "I believe God."
In believing God, I learned to stay open to His bidding and trust in His plan for me.
Believing God: it's what we as Christians are called to do."
February 2010
What has God given you?
"Count Your Blessings" was a popular tune written in the 1950s by the legendary Irving Berlin. Counting one's blessings is also a practice many people enjoy doing at Thanksgiving. But you don't have to wait for Thanksgiving to think about all that God has given you. Faithful stewardship calls us to think about our blessings and to consider how best - and how much - to give back to God.
One Grace Church couple explains how their practice of tithing has returned manifold blessings to them.
God's blessings exceed a tithe
My wife and I tithed before we knew what that word meant. Early on, our parents explained to us that at least 10% of anything we earned was to be returned to God. My dad was a truck farmer who depended on rain, sun and late frosts for crops - gifts only God could give. My wife's father was a pastor in a struggling congregation. Our mothers were homemakers, managing small budgets and large families.
When we married, we just assumed we would tithe. We tithed as our children were born, as they attended college, as we saved for retirement and now we tithe in retirement. Though we both worked for not-for-profit institutions, living on 90% of our income was always enough.
Calculating a tithe was simpler in Bible times. If you had ten sheep, you sacrificed one. Now income can be taxed and untaxed, adjusted gross, tax-deferred and on and on. In our home we use a tenth of all our income as our starting point. We don't restrict our gifts to Grace Church and School because the need is great in so many places.
We continue to experience the joy of giving. Blessings, both spiritual and economic, have come to us in the half-century we have been married. God's blessings exceed a tithe, and we trust that as God "cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, how much more will God care for us."
January 2010
Put your faith in God
It was in 2007 that my life took a downward spiral. My father died; I became divorced. I lost my job and on that same day I had to put down one of my two dogs.
My former job required me to work most Sundays, so often I was unable to come to church. This presented a problem for me, as I am a lifelong member and my family has had a long, rich heritage at Grace. However, once I was no longer working Sundays, I was able to return to Sunday worship and reconnect with God and Jesus Christ.
By January 2008 I had secured a part-time job that became full-time in June. During the time I was out of work, I continued my offerings to Grace. When the job became full-time, I readjusted my donations to the tithing level and even a little beyond that.
Although life looked dismal and bleak for a while, I kept faith in God and even increased my giving. In turn, God blessed me. I have a roof over my head, I can attend church services more frequently, and I have a job that, although it pays only a fraction of my former salary, provides me with benefits and allows me to tithe. Life looks a whole lot better now.
Put your faith in God; He will bless you in return.
December 2009
Tithing has changed us
We grew up in church-going families, but because our parents didn't tithe we had no experience with it. Early in our marriage, however, some Lutheran friends - a couple with three young children - mentioned that they'd begun to tithe. Initially, they said, it was a challenge to "find" the money in their budget, but the longer they tithed, the easier it became. And after tithing regularly, they told us, something amazing happened: an unremitting stream of blessing seemed to come their way.
That testimony was powerful for us, but we soon became parents ourselves, bought a house and learned the meaning of ‘living on a shoestring." Years passed. When the subject of tithing came up again, we were juggling two jobs, a marriage, parenting, and the many other challenges of family life.
Despite our hectic existence-and with college expenses looming on the horizon-this time we gave tithing serious thought. At first the stumbling block seemed to be the ten percent: Could we set aside that much of our earnings without giving up ‘necessities'?
We decided to try it-to take it in stages, beginning with five percent. After regularly giving at that level for awhile, we discovered that the goal of ten percent felt not only attainable but compelling-something we felt called to do.
Tithing has changed us. It's caused us to look at the world in a different way. We feel enormously blessed.
