I received my first set of offering envelopes, at the age of 13, during the yearlong confirmation class at Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church in Augusta, Ga. It was thrilling - and a little overwhelming - to be considered grown-up enough to play a part in the church’s overall mission. My banker father, who was serving as an Elder at the time, helped me calculate an accurate tithe based on the weekly allowance I received which was supplemented with periodic babysitting. That same year, singing in the choir, making Chrismons during Advent, visiting shut-ins, and participating in youth group events took on new meaning; I was beginning to understand the value of serving my faith community with my tithe, my time, and my talents.
At St Andrew’s, Dan and I have found great joy in many ministries, but we are always most impacted by the opportunity to work with our youngest members. In a recent conversation on the playground, we asked the children what happens with the money in the collection plates. “Charity”, replied Cliff. How wonderful! As we pondered this question together, other answers were shouted out: the playground equipment, the salaries of our priests and staff, the candles at the altar, the lights in the building, the goldfish and juice boxes for Chapel!
One of our great challenges as Christians is to teach our children that as stewards of God’s church, we are each called to serve with our time, talents and resources. The annual pledge campaign is really a stewardship campaign, a perfect time to reflect on how we can invest in God’s kingdom right here in our community.
-Karen Waddill
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