March 10, 2019 - How Can I Be a Steward?

Despite the time change and dicey icy sidewalks or slush we're so glad so many of you made it to church last Sunday.  Bravo!  Since a big goal of the Stewardship Committee this year is to build and grow a church culture of appreciation and generosity, we decided it was essential to include children in some discussion of the Annual Budget Drive.  

Focus: "How Can I Be a Steward?" 

Main takeaways: 

• Places we care about like our home and our church, don't exist magically.  They exist because of the time, talent, and treasure(donations of money) shared generously by the people of the congregation. 
• A person who helps care for a place is called a steward.   

Activities: 

1. We began with the welcome song and stretches to get our wiggles out. 

2. Shared names and either a Joy/Concern (9am) or a Way We Help out at Home (11am).  

3. Sorted over a dozen items connected to being a steward of either home, church, local community or the world (community or planet Earth).  

Examples: 

• Broom = we can sweep at home or at church to help clean up after a messy snack.  
• Kids piano book = we can share our talents, like singing or making music, during worship (kids are always invited to help with prelude or postlude)
• Bottle = we can recycle to be stewards of the earth
• Order of Service = adults and some kids give their time ushering at church
• Community pouch = we can give money to help our local organizations and the church  

4. Pledge Brochure and Fair Share Guidelines

The kids had fun finding their friends or even themselves in the pictures in the brochure. We looked at the Fair Share Guidelines just long enough to note we want to be fair and want people to feel welcome to give WHATEVER amount works for them.  It wouldn't be fair to ask some people for $500, if they have nothing to spare at all, and that for others, they might be able to give far more than $500.  Maybe over the heads of the preschoolers but the others seemed to key in pretty well.  

Continue the conversation at home:  

• Do you remember the signs for each way people contribute to our church community?   
• Time (pointing to wrist, like a watch)
• Talent (arms out with fingers wiggling--like: "Ta da!")
• Treasure (hold hand up in air and rub thumb against fingers) 

• Who are some of the people at church that you see being stewards (helping)? ... greeters, ushers, the choir (volunteer their time and talent), Kids Snack Table hosts, baristas...  

• If/when your family makes a pledge talk with your kids about WHY you do this and what about our church inspires you do do it.  Have them help seal the envelope you put your pledge in (feel free to keep the amount private from your kids if you wish), and have them write UCM on the envelope!  They can put it in the box on Sunday in the vestry.  Make sure you all where the "I PLEDGED" pins with pride through the end of the drive on Mar. 24th.  If you can't make a pledge, maybe you can make a plan for a way you can share your time or talent with the church.  

• If they would like to give some small amount, we'll talk on Sunday to see if they'd like to start to having a Community Pouch that we pass during the Children's Chapel.  They could put in a small coin if they want, or just pass it along. Many churches do this in their kids time.  

Upcoming Sunday (Mar. 17): We'll give some of our LSE TIME to the church with stewardship projects.  Ideas that came up on Sunday: scrubbing some of the art marks off the tables we use.  Dusting, cleaning the wooden molding around our classrooms and the building.  Sharpen pencils, check markers for working/not working.  We'll make sure there's some choice involved and some kind of game bookending the work time!