Dear church members and friends of St. John's,

One of you gave me a sweet little book by Robert Strand called Moments for Pastors. In anticipation of Stewardship Sunday I would like to share a story with you from that book.

In a particular church they had experienced such growth it demanded that they enlarge their facilities. It represented quite a step of faith. After much planning, praying, and working together, they decided on a  new church building. It would be adequate for their expanded ministry. It was an exciting moment as together they came to the moment to begin raising funds for this multi-million dollar project.

The pastor and church board made their projections, along with their appeal to the congregation to share in this need by sacrificial giving. Everyone was challenged to be part of this expansion project.

After the service was over a lady came to the pastor personally and handed him a check for $450, asking at the same time if her gift was satisfactory. The pastor immediately replied, "If it represents you." There was a moment or two of soul-searching and she asked to have the check returned to her. She left with it.

A day or two later she returned to make an appointment to see the pastor. This time she handed the pastor her check for $5,000 and again asked the same question, "Is my gift satisfactory?"

The pastor gave the same answer as before, "If it represents you." As before, the truth seemed to be sinking deep into her mind. After some moments of quiet hesitation she took back the check and left. Now the pastor was beginning to get a bit worried. Perhaps he had been too bold and had offended her. He also wondered if she would ever return.

About two weeks later there was a phone call at the church office asking for another appointment with the pastor. It was the same woman. As before, she came with a check in hand and a big smile on her face. This time the check was for $50,000. As she placed it in the pastor's hand she said, "After earnest, prayerful thought, I have come to the conclusion that this gift does not represent me, and I am most happy to give it to the church for our new project."

Money and giving are always touchy subjects to many people. Why? Do we have guilt in this area of our Christian living? Are we too selfish about the material things in our living? Giving and living are two things that go together in the Christian lifestyle. The Bible talks about sacrificial giving as well as cheerful giving. Just another question: Will your giving this week really represent you?

Here are a few upcoming events:

St. John's Breakfast, Saturday, November 7: Breakfast is served at 8 am and Father Hugh Cullen from St. Thomas More Catholic Church will speak at 8:30 am.

Stewardship Dedication Sunday, November 8: Bring your pledge card to the worship service, then stay for the catered barbecue dinner from Mikeskas.

Clayton Thomas Memorial Service, Saturday, November 14: The memorial service will begin at 2 p.m. with a reception to follow in McPhail Hall. All are invited to join with Clayton’s relatives from Ohio and California to celebrate his life.