Respond online  |  Writers wanted   

Sculpting Stewardship with Kids

Five authors write stories about how children are learning what the value of stewardship is, and, conversely, how children have taught adults its value. Our authors include Naomi Franek, Fargo, North Dakota; Mary Rieke Schramm, Leavenworth, Washington; Todd Nelsen, New Ulm, Minnesota; Karen Taylor, Lakewood, California; and Alexander Jacobs, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I Already Have a Sweater
Taking my five‑year-old daughter shopping for school clothes was a joy — even on our limited budget. There were just so many choices! During the summer we shopped the sales, but I left buying her jeans until the very end. Jeans that fit my kids were almost impossible to find. Too long, too short, too wide, too skinny, too something.

With kindergarten starting in two weeks, I couldn’t avoid the dreaded jean shopping any longer. We jumped in the car, headed to the mall, intent on getting this over with.

Unfortunately, between the car and jeans section of the store, I had to walk through rows and rows of enticing back‑to‑school sales. Ann was slightly ahead of me when I stopped dead in my tracks in front of the cutest rack of sweaters I had ever seen.

“Ann, Ann! Come here! Isn’t this c‑u‑u‑u‑t‑e? Do you like this?” Ann looked at the sweater and then looked at me somewhat puzzled. “I already have a sweater,” she replied rather matter‑of‑factly. She turned and headed toward the jeans.

There I stood with the sweater on its hanger, dangling on the end of my finger. Stopped dead in my tracks. This time, by a five‑year-old who taught me more about stewardship in one sentence than all the sermons and temple talks I had earnestly listened to for years. She had no idea of the significance of that simple statement or its impact on me.

You fill in the blank. What do you already have and why do you need another one?

Twenty years later I am still struggling to remember Ann’s simple statement, “I already have one.” I have more than I need. I have more than I can take care of. I don’t even know what I have boxed away.

Our church houses a free clinic and I encounter the homeless every day, people who have all of their possessions in a backpack. Every week I say to many people in need, “I’m sorry we can’t help you. There is no money right now.” From my office window, I can see people looking into dumpsters.

These problems are not abstract. These people are not statistics. They are here. We are face to face. I am reminded of their suffering daily, and still I struggle to remember.

I am so glad that we belong to a gracious God, who, through Jesus, loves us unconditionally and is active in our lives — forgiving, healing, listening. And sometimes, quite unexpectedly, speaking to us through our children while shopping at the mall.

Naomi Franek
Fargo, North Dakota

Tithing an Inheritance
There are 19 of us when our family gathers each year for five days together at our favorite vacation spot. Our ten grandchildren vary in ages from five to 21, and we all look forward to the events that have become traditional for our time together — swimming, biking, reading, and the annual “kids vs. adults” baseball game. Worship is also part of what we do.

Last summer my husband and I received an unexpectedly large check from some bank shares we inherited. We decided to divide the money among the grandchildren with the stipulation that each one was to tithe their check and let us know the recipients. It felt strange and we wondered if this request would feel like an unwanted string that was attached. Nevertheless, we told the grandchildren about the gifts and our request during vacation.

We were deeply touched by their response, and before the vacation was over most of them had decided how they would spend their tithe. Our youngest granddaughter, Leah, decided to give hers to a program she had learned about that provides mosquito nets for children in Africa. Aaron gave his to a family in their church, in which the father was unemployed and their child was in the hospital for many months. Three of the girls provided some of the first funds for a land trust that will build affordable houses in their town. Our college grandson asked if it would be okay to give his to Barack Obama’s campaign. (We smiled and said, yes.) Fifteen-year-old J.P. attends a multicultural church in “the projects” in Tacoma that is always in financial need. It was no surprise where his tithe went.

Perhaps this exercise in stewardship will assist our grandchildren in being generous as they grow to be adults. Each of them found that sharing what they had been given and deciding where it would go was as filled with joy as what they did with the rest of their gift.

Several of the grandchildren have had the privilege of traveling to Central America and seeing first hand the discrepancy between what they have and what children in Guatemala, Nicaragua, or Costa Rica have. Mari recently led her siblings in getting rid of the “stuff” they have that is more than they need.

One more observation for which I am grateful is seeing how our children are teaching their children the stewardship of time. Gracious hospitality, care for a child who has little family life, and building Habitat for Humanity houses are just a few of the ways they model for their children that such compassion and caring is stewardship of their time. This gives me hope in a world that so often brings despair.

Mary Rieke Schramm
Leavenworth, Washington

Don’t Skimp on Salsa!
“The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

“Gracious God, give us generous hearts...” So began the prayer I shared with fourth grade Sunday school students and their parents as we began the Stewardship Milestone class on a Sunday morning in early spring. “Give us generous hearts...” What an interesting request, I thought, for fourth grade students to make of God. As adults in the church, we pray similar petitions in the fall, during the annual stewardship pledge drive, but think of what would happen if we made a similar request of God on a daily basis.

Following our prayer — as a PowerPoint slide of a farmer sowing seeds appeared on the screen — I remarked to the class, “This is the time of year when gardeners and farmers plant seeds in the ground expecting a big harvest.” Then I followed with a series of questions: “How many seeds do you think a gardener or farmer needs to plant in order to get a good harvest? What would happen if the gardener or farmer were lazy and planted only a few seeds? What would the harvest look like? Might there be none at all?”

The answers I received reminded me that our children know a lot more about gardening and generosity than we ever give them credit for knowing. One child’s reply went something like this: “If the gardener skimps on the seeds, he’s not going to get much salsa made in the fall!” We then went on to talk about what happens when we skimp on offering our gifts to God. In the midst of our conversation, I had one of those wonder-filled “Aha!” moments: Our children who have learned from early on about sharing with others are quite possibly the best teachers of cheerful giving.

As adults, we only have to open our eyes to learn the valuable lessons on stewardship that our children can teach us. Just watch for a moment as kids in the lunchroom at your local school share their chips, grapes, or half a cookie. Or take a look at the bench at the next Little League baseball or softball game you attend, and observe how a bag of sunflower seeds is passed along to each and every member of the team. Kids don’t seem to know the meaning of “skimping” as they cheerfully give and share with one another.

And so, may our prayer be, “Gracious God, give us generous hearts ... the hearts of children. Open our hearts and hands, as we cheerfully share your gifts with others. Amen.”

Todd Nelsen
New Ulm, Minnesota

Children Shall Lead Them
Many people would consider 2007-2008 a bad year for St. Timothy Lutheran Schools in Lakewood, California. The organization faced low enrollment, unexpected staff changes, and an angry council president who was determined to close the unprofitable elementary grades. The vast majority of its preschool and elementary school children and staff members were unchurched or other-churched. Should St. Timothy host a school that wasn’t yielding new members to fill the pews and offering baskets? Did the year’s theme, “I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature” (Genesis 9:16), apply to St. Timothy’s schools?

In August 2007, St. Timothy’s associate pastor, Laurie Arroyo, received information about Little Lambs Preschool that serves homeless and low-income families and is housed in a Lutheran parish not far from Lakewood. She and the school administrator, Mary Ann Erdmann, decided to use weekly chapel offerings to support Little Lambs, rather than to “bulk up” St. Timothy’s struggling school budget.

All of the children in our program know that they will have enough food, clothing, and shelter every day when they leave our facilities. Their parents can all afford to pay tuition and provide a relatively comfortable lifestyle. Pastor Laurie and Mrs. Erdmann visited Little Lambs, then shared their experience with St. Timothy’s students. Our children were astonished to discover that homelessness and poverty are not limited to the grimy, often incoherent adults they see daily as they are driven to school. Children can be poor and homeless, too.

The children eagerly brought coins to chapel, and soon the offerings exceeded $500. As Christmas approached, monetary offerings were augmented by in-kind gifts: children’s socks for the Little Lambs students. Although St. Timothy could not afford to bus its students to Little Lambs Preschool for a visit, all knew their contributions were appreciated from the notes of thanks that Mrs. Erdmann read during chapel.

Benevolence offerings from St. Timothy Lutheran Church’s congregation toward the wider work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are normally nowhere near the amounts suggested by synod guidelines. Last year’s church benevolence pledge was eventually paid from endowment money; church offerings were simply insufficient.

I rejoice that the children of our schools are generous stewards, even though they may never see the benefits of their contributions. I pray that their example will inspire our congregational family to more generously share time, talents, and treasures.

Oh, and by the way: we’re still open. The congregation and school have recommitted to being “one body” in Christ. Thanks be to God!

Karen Taylor
Lakewood, California

Well-learned Generosity
For 15 months, I served as the interim pastor at Mount Carmel Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During that time, we engaged in a variety of exercises to help the members discern their priorities and their goals. One evening we gathered adult members along with confirmation classes to look at how we might spend our money for missions. There were three tables of adults and two tables of teens.

I told the group that the congregation had been given an anonymous gift of two million dollars and that they had to come up with a plan to spend it. Each group brainstormed for 20 to 30 minutes and then reported their proposals. Each group had a long list of items, including building improvements, debt retirement, new staff for outreach, and partnerships with local urban churches or international parishes.

Most interesting was that both of the teen groups gave one million dollars off the top to world hunger or poverty relief. The three adult groups gave between $200,000 and $500,000 to the same causes. When all the proposals had been shared, the adults felt the need to explain that they were being more “practical” or more “realistic” in their budgeting. One adult came right out and said that the youth were just more “generous” than they had been.

I pointed out to the adults that they, in fact, should feel very good that they had raised youth who were generous, concerned about hunger and poverty. Their youth had learned well the lesson of good stewardship of wealth. One result of this was that in the Mission Exploration Report, stewardship received an important place, with special emphasis on increased benevolence.

Alexander Jacobs
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Stephanie Frey is lead pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, Spring Grove, Minnesota, and editor of Written on the Heart.