Inspiring Generosity
23/11/13 05:19
The good news is that the forecast is calling for light or no winds throughout the day - winds under 5 mph all day at Eagle Butte. Still, it will be cold. It’s only 7 degrees up there as I write with a forecast high of 23. We should be working outside during the warmest part of the day. And, as I said, there isn’t supposed to be much wind.
There are ten parking slots in the northwest corner of our church parking lot. Each is occupied by a trailer filled with firewood. Around town most of the tow vehicles are filled with firewood. And there are a few pickup trucks that won’t be towing trailers that are also filled. Add to that the SUV that will be hauling more than 50 frozen turkeys and the four boxes of books that are in the back seat of our pickup truck, and the boxes of knitted hats and scarves, and we’re ready for our annual run to Eagle Butte.
It is a pretty good run - a little over 180 miles one way. And we’ll make an impressive caravan with 14 or 15 vehicles, ten of which are pulling trailers. Wherever we stop along the way, the first question will be, “Where are you heading with all of that firewood?”
One of the things that is most surprising about it is that this is the third Saturday in a row of firewood deliveries. We’ve delivered over 32 cords of firewood to other locations already. That’s pretty impressive for a project that started with a few trees from a family’s project of thinning trees on their property, a borrowed pickup and horse trailer and a handful of volunteers.
From those humble beginnings our church’s firewood project has grown to over 100 cords to be delivered this year without any meetings, without any budget, and with a basic principle of “What people give us we will use, what they don’t give us we will get along without.”
To get a picture of the scale of the operation, today’s delivery will consume over $1,500 of fuel. All of that fuel will be donated by the owners of the vehicles. Each person will pay for her or his own fuel as we make the trip. Add to that the fuel for the splitters and chainsaws, the wear and tear on tires and equipment, and the generosity of the congregation is truly impressive.
I have written about the Woodchuck Society many times over the years and there isn’t much additional that needs to be said and these days talking about the Society sounds mostly like bragging to my ears. And I don’t mean to devote space in this blog to self aggrandizement.
It is important to say that while I have participated in a lot of Woodchuck work days and deliveries, the idea wasn’t mine and has grown through the leadership of lay members not through some extraordinary pastoral leadership.
I believe that projects like the Woodchuck society are an important expression of the faith of our people. They want to help others. They want to serve. They want to be connected with our neighbors. The ministry sprung from the grass roots and the positive intentions of the people of the church.
Hands on mission isn’t the the only aspect of ministry in our congregation. We budget tens of thousands of dollars a year for benevolences, including major support of Our Church’s Wider Mission, an important source of funds for our church’s state and national ministries. We receive special elections for Neighbors in Need, One Great Hour of Sharing, The Christmas Fund and Strengthen the Church. We support Church World’s Service’s Blanket Fund. Our youth group’s two biggest fund drives each year are for mission projects: Souper Bowl Sunday and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
And our congregation is quick to respond to emergencies. Last week, in addition to our annual pledge drive for our operating budget, there were announcements about Blanket Sunday and we were preparing for this week’s turkey delivery. In addition we ran a otter from Jim Moos, our church’s minister for Wider Church Ministries, appealing for support for a special fund for Hurricane Relief in the Philippines. That letter in the bulletin produced over $800 on Sunday and people have been bringing in checks all week.
People are generous. They want to be connected. They want to serve.
Having said that I finally am getting around to the story I want to tell. We have a freezer in the church, so we can receive some of the turkeys that are donated to be distributed by the pastors of the Dakota Association can be dropped off during the week by those who are unable to meet us at the church this morning. Working in the building, I get to visit with people as they drop off their donations. I received a turkey from a successful doctor with a thriving practice and a very busy lifestyle. It probably would have been easier for him to make a cash donation. He was scrambling because he has to leave early this morning for an out of state trip. He works long days because his practice is growing. But somehow he found time to go to a store, buy a turkey and make a special trip to the church to deliver it.
Another member is a widow who lives on very limited means. She was born in another country and her primary connection to our city was her husband. When he died, she was left alone. With no family and little means to return to her homeland, she stuggles to survive in our community. Sometimes she needs to ask for help with home repairs and other tasks that overwhelm her. She drives a 25-year-old car that seems to always be on its last legs. She dropped by the church with a turkey that was so heavy that she struggled to cary it by herself.
There is something right about a ministry in which a struggling widow and a successful physician are able to make the same sized donation.
There is something right about a church that inspires such generosity.
There are ten parking slots in the northwest corner of our church parking lot. Each is occupied by a trailer filled with firewood. Around town most of the tow vehicles are filled with firewood. And there are a few pickup trucks that won’t be towing trailers that are also filled. Add to that the SUV that will be hauling more than 50 frozen turkeys and the four boxes of books that are in the back seat of our pickup truck, and the boxes of knitted hats and scarves, and we’re ready for our annual run to Eagle Butte.
It is a pretty good run - a little over 180 miles one way. And we’ll make an impressive caravan with 14 or 15 vehicles, ten of which are pulling trailers. Wherever we stop along the way, the first question will be, “Where are you heading with all of that firewood?”
One of the things that is most surprising about it is that this is the third Saturday in a row of firewood deliveries. We’ve delivered over 32 cords of firewood to other locations already. That’s pretty impressive for a project that started with a few trees from a family’s project of thinning trees on their property, a borrowed pickup and horse trailer and a handful of volunteers.
From those humble beginnings our church’s firewood project has grown to over 100 cords to be delivered this year without any meetings, without any budget, and with a basic principle of “What people give us we will use, what they don’t give us we will get along without.”
To get a picture of the scale of the operation, today’s delivery will consume over $1,500 of fuel. All of that fuel will be donated by the owners of the vehicles. Each person will pay for her or his own fuel as we make the trip. Add to that the fuel for the splitters and chainsaws, the wear and tear on tires and equipment, and the generosity of the congregation is truly impressive.
I have written about the Woodchuck Society many times over the years and there isn’t much additional that needs to be said and these days talking about the Society sounds mostly like bragging to my ears. And I don’t mean to devote space in this blog to self aggrandizement.
It is important to say that while I have participated in a lot of Woodchuck work days and deliveries, the idea wasn’t mine and has grown through the leadership of lay members not through some extraordinary pastoral leadership.
I believe that projects like the Woodchuck society are an important expression of the faith of our people. They want to help others. They want to serve. They want to be connected with our neighbors. The ministry sprung from the grass roots and the positive intentions of the people of the church.
Hands on mission isn’t the the only aspect of ministry in our congregation. We budget tens of thousands of dollars a year for benevolences, including major support of Our Church’s Wider Mission, an important source of funds for our church’s state and national ministries. We receive special elections for Neighbors in Need, One Great Hour of Sharing, The Christmas Fund and Strengthen the Church. We support Church World’s Service’s Blanket Fund. Our youth group’s two biggest fund drives each year are for mission projects: Souper Bowl Sunday and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
And our congregation is quick to respond to emergencies. Last week, in addition to our annual pledge drive for our operating budget, there were announcements about Blanket Sunday and we were preparing for this week’s turkey delivery. In addition we ran a otter from Jim Moos, our church’s minister for Wider Church Ministries, appealing for support for a special fund for Hurricane Relief in the Philippines. That letter in the bulletin produced over $800 on Sunday and people have been bringing in checks all week.
People are generous. They want to be connected. They want to serve.
Having said that I finally am getting around to the story I want to tell. We have a freezer in the church, so we can receive some of the turkeys that are donated to be distributed by the pastors of the Dakota Association can be dropped off during the week by those who are unable to meet us at the church this morning. Working in the building, I get to visit with people as they drop off their donations. I received a turkey from a successful doctor with a thriving practice and a very busy lifestyle. It probably would have been easier for him to make a cash donation. He was scrambling because he has to leave early this morning for an out of state trip. He works long days because his practice is growing. But somehow he found time to go to a store, buy a turkey and make a special trip to the church to deliver it.
Another member is a widow who lives on very limited means. She was born in another country and her primary connection to our city was her husband. When he died, she was left alone. With no family and little means to return to her homeland, she stuggles to survive in our community. Sometimes she needs to ask for help with home repairs and other tasks that overwhelm her. She drives a 25-year-old car that seems to always be on its last legs. She dropped by the church with a turkey that was so heavy that she struggled to cary it by herself.
There is something right about a ministry in which a struggling widow and a successful physician are able to make the same sized donation.
There is something right about a church that inspires such generosity.