Stewardship

May 2013 - Pay It Forward

We have all heard the phrase "Pay it forward," but do we all understand what it means? Basically if someone does something good for someone else, instead of repaying the person doing the deed, the recipient does something good for someone else. The kindness is passed or "paid" on to another.

Although the phrase itself may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book, In the Garden of Delight, the concept goes back much further. Benjamin Franklin said the following in a letter to Benjamin Webb dated April 25, 1784:

"I do not pretend to give such a deed; I only lend it to you. When you […] meet with another Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him: enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go through many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money."

In his 1841 essay Compensation, Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way:
"In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them, or only seldom. But the benefit we receive must be rendered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody.

The concept of "paying it forward" need not involve large sums of money or great acts of charity. It could entail seemingly minor acts, but they may be of great help to the recipient. For example, someone gives you a lift when they see you walking during a storm and getting soaked. You are grateful for this act but may never see this person again. So you pay it forward by cleaning out your elderly neighbor’s gutters, or spend some time with a shut-in; you get the idea. Small, selfless acts like this go a long way to make our community a better place.

Did you know that there is actually a Pay it Forward Day? It is April 25 (corresponding to the date of Benjamin Franklin’s letter). The goal is to help remind us of the power of giving. In 2012, people from 52 countries around the world participated. If you want to learn more about Pay it Forward Day, you can visit their website: http://payitforwardday.com/.

We don’t have to wait until next year to participate in Pay it Forward Day. We can participate every day. Paying it forward is a large part of good stewardship which is (wait for it), an activity that goes on 24/7/365. Where have you heard that before?

Stewardship Ministry

April 2013 - Thoughts on Community

Recently I had some "windshield time" coming home from a function in Southern Indiana and got to thinking about the word "community." Just what is a "community"? When I got home I did a little research, starting with my good old 1966 Webster's Dictionary of the New World and found that it was derived from the Latin communitas (cum "with/together" + munus "gift"), and that it can be defined as group of people living together and having interests, work, etc. in common.

There are many different types of communities, including where we live, where we work, where we worship, service organizations we work with, sports we participate in, our schools or colleges, and the list goes on. Communities can be small (a string quartet) or large (the I.U. Alumni Association); static (with its members constant) or dynamic (with its members constantly changing). We are all members of many communities.

I decided to make a list of all the ones I could think of that I belong to. I soon had written down twenty-two distinct communities, and if I had taken a bit longer I probably could have added more. If you were to do this, I am certain you would have an equally impressive list. Then, if we were to compile a master list of all the communities that all Bethlehem's members touch, it would be staggering.

OK, now here's the "So What?" In communities we come together and have the opportunity to share the gifts that God has given us with others, (yes, I'm back to that Time, Talent and Treasure thing again). Within all of those communities, how many lives do each of us have the opportunity to touch? And further, what are we doing with those opportunities? Are we just there in the background, or are we truly making a difference to others? If we are in the background and think that we can't make a difference, then maybe we should think back to what a carpenter's son was able to accomplish with that ragamuffin gang of twelve that he put together. Imagine that. . .

Postscript: Before I quit I need to make a clarification for last month's article about Via de Cristo. It was pointed out to me that I made it appear as though Via de Cristo retreats were for men only. Not true, there are women's, men's and co-ed retreats. And, if you would like more information about any of them, please talk to Fred or Jody Winter, Ken or Karen McCune. OK, now can I stop sleeping on the couch?

Stewardship Ministry

March 2013 - Via de Cristo

How many of you are familiar with Via de Cristo? As I ask that I'm anticipating a sizeable number of puzzled looks, much as I see if I ask someone (unless they have talked to Fred Winter first - I'll come back to this later).

Via de Cristo (Spanish for The Way of Christ) is a three day weekend course to review Christian fundamentals, discuss ways to live them actively and learn some practical tools to keep them vital. Each day there is prayer, worship, communion, a lot of singing. I forgot to mention great food, for we all know that's what happens when two or more Lutherans are gathered together. More to the point, the purpose of the weekend is to help attendees gain a deep, permanent living awareness of their faith and the response that comes from that awareness.

The Via de Cristo weekend is centered on a series of talks, some given by pastors and some by lay persons who form the team of hosts. These talks are based on the person and teachings of Christ, giving attendees a sample of true discipleship. Those who attend have small roundtable discussions and in the evenings share the content of those discussions with the entire group.

I did not know about Via de Cristo until about a year ago. Fred Winter approached me and offered to sponsor me to attend a weekend last March. I accepted his invitation and am very glad that I did. I now have a deeper understanding of the concept of Grace and what it means to be a true servant of Christ. By the time you read this I will have had the privilege of serving on my second Via de Cristo Team, delivering one of the talks and leading discussions. Along the way I have also developed deep and lasting friendships and relationships with fellow attendees and team members.

I have found my experience with Via de Cristo extremely rewarding. I know that Fred would say so also. We would encourage you to experience a Via de Cristo weekend in the near future. If you have an interest in learning more about it, please contact either Fred or me.

Stewardship Ministry

February 2013 - Servanthood

In Blaze articles over the past few years I have tried to help define servanthood by discussing Robert Greenleaf's concept of the Servant Leader and acquainting you with people that I consider to be servant leaders at Bethlehem or in our community. They perform good deeds of kindness, sacrificing personal time and resources for others without the expectation of recognition, reward or being repaid. Why do they do it? I believe they are living out their perception of Christ Jesus lived as a servant to others. They have figured out what it means to lead by serving: that this was what servanthood was meant to be.

In the Bible, to be a true servant meant to put others before oneself no matter what. Jesus led by example. At no time did he proclaim himself better than anyone else, although on every occasion his heart demonstrated to others what is meant to truly 'love.' No one could deny it because that love was present 24/7/365.

Our servant leaders consider this lifestyle to be something that is incredibly important. Christian servitude is manifested in their daily lives because they are willing to lead by serving. And, they constantly demonstrate to the rest of us how Christ's example can be lived out in today's world. They are able to look past themselves and truly see Him. Their focus is in the right place.

So, what is servanthood? I guess I would say that it is the ardent devotion to the ideal of always putting the needs of others above those of ourselves. What a concept.

Stewardship Ministry

January 2013 - "Why Not?"

First, I hope that you all had a joyous Christmas season. Next, I want to thank you for your generosity in terms of time, talent and treasure during the year 2012. Space and time restrictions limit me from mentioning all of our accomplishments; however, I would like to mention some highlights.

Although the year-end final results are not in at this writing, I can say that our 2013 pledges have increased over 2012; the third year in a row that we had an increase! You also rose to the occasion and enabled Bethlehem to deliver 80 boxes of food to Sharing Place and Mid-North Food Pantry. You sent our youth to New Orleans and helped the community of Holden, Indiana rebuild after it was decimated by tornados. I think I can safely say that we do understand what it means to be stewards of our church and our community.

Now we are at the beginning of a new year and have recently celebrated the day of Epiphany, the day the church celebrates the revelation of Christ to all nations as represented by the magi who came to worship Jesus. As I was deciding what to write for this article, I wondered how to tie stewardship into Epiphany. I ended up on the ELCA website (which I might add is a good site to help getting rid of writer's block), and found these central themes of Epiphany that tied directly to stewardship:

The revelation of Christ to all nations
Christ as the light of the world
Jesus' public ministry
Growth in a Christian's baptized identity

The ELCA also said that at the close of the worship service we are sent out to seek the presence of God in our everyday lives and offer our gifts of service. This is stewardship, plain and simple. But it should not be limited to the Sundays that we actually make it to church. It has to be 24/7/365 if it is to work.

We as a congregation have accomplished a great deal over the years, but I know that there is a great deal more that we can and will accomplish in the future. Over the past few years you have seen me pose the question "Why not me?" in these articles, thanks to an interview I did with one of our members recently. For those who have responded to that question I offer my sincere thanks. For those who have yet to do so I offer my encouragement. I think that when Jesus said "Follow me," he was actually asking us to ask ourselves "Why not me?" So, why not you?

May you have a happy and prosperous New Year.

Stewardship Ministry

December 2012 - Stewardship = Grace

As we head into the holiday season, I take my inspiration for this month's offering from the Apostle Paul:

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

II Corinthians 9:6-8

As you know, we are all stewards of God's possessions. Everything we have is a gift from God, and it is our responsibility to manage the affairs of our life for the furtherance of His kingdom. If we are to grow in Christian stewardship we must acknowledge that God owns it all, and we are simply the stewards of what He has given to us. When we give, it is not a matter of how much we give to God, but rather how much of what God gives us we keep for ourselves.

In his writings, Paul uses nine different words to talk about an offering, including "bounty," "giving" and "ministering," but the one he uses most frequently is "grace." Grace is not created by our will or knowledge; it is done in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. In the above passage Paul is appealing to the church of Corinth at a high spiritual level which he calls a "grace of giving."

Everyone is at a different spot today in the area of grace giving. How do we know when we are growing in the grace of Christian stewardship? What is the benchmark? It is not by comparing ourselves to others. You can find the benchmark in the Bible, in the words of Paul. (Hint: It's in II Corinthians 8.)

I wish you all a joyous Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

Stewardship Ministry

November 2012 - "Why Not Me?"

It is hard to believe that another year will soon be drawing to a close. As I reflect back, I am reminded of and truly humbled by the gracious outpouring of time, talent and treasure from our members throughout 2012: from the trips to Holton providing aid to tornado victims to our campaigns against hunger supporting local food pantries to our increasing pledges of financial support to the Church over the last three years. It caused me to also reflect on the words of the Apostle Peter:

"Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you had received. Whoever speaks must do so as one who speaks the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ." (I Peter 4:8-11)

It is apparent that the Bethlehem community takes these words to heart, wouldn't you agree?

At this time every year I once again ask for a financial commitment from our members. This enables us to plan our budget for the coming year by returning a pledge card indicating that commitment. Did you know that only 40% of the family units Bethlehem return a pledge card with that commitment? This makes it extremely difficult to establish a realistic budget that will enable us to expand our outreach within the church and to our community. If you have not pledged before, I ask you to give prayerful consideration to the return of the enclosed pledge card by Sunday, November 11, 2012. Your pledge will be kept confidential. This will be extremely helpful for our budget planning process.

There are also other ways to support our ministry. It takes the dedicated work of many to make sure that everything happens that is supposed to happen, from the behind-the-scenes work for the Sunday services to support for fellowship activities to outreach to the greater community. Those who serve in these capacities asked themselves "Why not me?" They serve with a passion personifying Peter's words above. If you are currently not involved in activities at Bethlehem, I would also ask you to consider ways in which you might engage your time, talent and treasure with us. I also invite you to ask me to do the same.

Stewardship Ministry

October 2012 - Given to Them So They Could Give

Over the past few years I have discussed many people I like to call "Servant Leaders," from members of our Bethlehem community to people that have touched my life and the lives of others in special ways. Today I would like to go back a little further in time and share some of the words of one of the earliest Servant Leaders, Paul, from 2 Corinthians 8:1-7:

"And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ²In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you — see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

The Macedonians were poor people, but they did not feel sorry for themselves. They behaved in a manner that was uncommon among disadvantaged people. They dug into their pockets and offered assistance beyond their means to poor Christians in Jerusalem, demonstrating good stewardship as givers and managers of the resources that belong ultimately to God. In the passage above and continuing on in his letter Paul proposes that God provides abundantly so that we may share abundantly, and do so as cheerful givers.

Soon I will be asking you to once again demonstrate your stewardship to the Bethlehem community by making a financial commitment for the coming year. When you hear from me I would ask that you reflect back on that passage when deciding how to make that commitment.

Stewardship Ministry

September 2012 - Church Service: Behind the Scenes

In past Blaze articles I talked about Servant Leaders, and introduced you to some of the more visible leaders at Bethlehem. Now I would like to introduce you to the people that I call the Behind-the-Scenes Servant Leaders at Bethlehem.

We all read the Blaze, right? Great articles, right? This is most certainly true; however I would like to call your attention to the Assisting Ministers page. It shows you who will be engaged in the various elements of our services for that particular month. This lets you know who is serving and when.

But what about one other important group of leaders, the people that organize the groups that assist in the services? Since they normally fly "under the radar," I would like to introduce them to you. We'll go right down the page:

First, the cantors, Kent Steele and Andy Swenson. They are there week in and week out enhancing our liturgy. Then, communion cups and wafers don't just magically appear on the altar. Shirley Daniell schedules the assistants and makes sure we don't run out of wine, wafers and cups. Next, someone has to count the offering every week. We have a group of counters taking extra time on every Sunday to make sure that it is done efficiently and accurately.

Acolytes don't just appear either. Catherine Folger has had the task of ensuring that we have acolytes at every service, and soon Travis Wilson will be taking on that role. We have a large group of lectors to manage. That task falls to John Seest (among many other things). What about the Children's Sermon? Well, Eadie Barrie makes sure that Pastor Felde doesn't have to (or get to) do them all himself. Then there are the ushers. Doug Stephan makes sure that we have a rotation of ushers for two services per Sunday.

Those of us who come in the front door on Sunday are always welcomed by a smiling face (or faces). Nancy Stephan makes sure that there are those smiling faces there for us each week. Then, there is the matter of flowers for the altar. These are not given to the church; we have them due to the generosity of our members. (Check the board; there may still be an opportunity to get in on this.) Then, where do the flowers go after the service? There is a small group that delivers them to some of our shut-ins after the 11:00 service (there is another opportunity to help here-check the August Blaze).

Now there is one more important group of Behind-the-Scenes leaders we need to recognize. If they weren't there, I wouldn't be writing this and you wouldn't be reading it, and that would be a travesty. Jen Pittman-Ensley and Carl Crabiel edit and produce the Blaze, and the Staple and Label team of Nancy Capron, Chervyl Lesher and Betty Jersild make sure that it gets to our mailboxes in a timely manner.

Church services don't just happen. As you can see, Pastor Felde has an entire support network behind him to make them happen. If I inadvertently omitted any of our Behind-the-Scenes leaders, I apologize. These leaders don't get a lot of recognition for what they do. When you see them, please thank them for what they do. Better yet, seek them out and ask to get involved!

Stewardship Ministry

August 2012 - Humility in Leadership

When asked "How does one lead in philanthropy?" contemporary philanthropic scholar Bruce Sievers replied "With as much humility as possible." He went on to say "Leading in philanthropy may ultimately look like following in other arenas of social life." Sievers said this in support of Robert Greenleaf's concept of the Servant Leadership, but he took it one step further. Greenleaf listed ten characteristics of a Servant Leader: Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the growth of people, Building community. Sievers adds one more characteristic: Humility.

Humility? Hmm. Webster defines humility as "the absence of pride or self-assertion." Does humility fit within the framework of Servant Leadership? I would argue that it is indeed a key attribute of a Servant Leader. Look around our Bethlehem community. A lot of things are happening, but they don't just happen. Someone is responsible for everything that happens, but often we barely see or hear the actual happening. Yet, things happen.

In previous Blaze articles I have tried to introduce you to leaders that I know both in Bethlehem and our greater community. They are all leaders, but they lead by being humble and they all serve. Could you be one of these leaders also?

The concept of the leader as humble was proposed long before Greenleaf and Sievers. I will leave you with the thoughts of ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.), the founder of Taoism:

A leader is best
When people barely know that he exists,
When people barely know that he exists,
Worst when they despise him.
'Fail to honor people,
they fail to honor you;'
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will say, 'We did this ourselves.'

Stewardship Ministry

July 2012 - Remarkable Grace

In a quiet neighborhood on the north side of Indianapolis there is a remarkable house. On the outside it's just another house in the neighborhood; it doesn't stand out by being immense or gaudy. The remarkable thing about this house is what goes on inside. It's called Indy Grace Place, and it provides temporary transitional housing for a small group of ex-prisoners.

If you meet Dan Gushee, the owner of the house, he probably would seem like a really nice guy, but not remarkable. If you hear his story, you might change your mind, like I did when I met him. Dan was incarcerated for three years. When he got out, he was one of the fortunate ones. He was able to get a job and ultimately bought this house, but he had seen first-hand the struggle that ex-prisoners less fortunate than he had to get back on their feet and how many end up back in prison. After a lot of prayerful thought he decided to open up his home to help as many as he could to successfully transition back to society.

Dan will have up to four men staying at the home at any given time. There is a limit on the amount of time they can stay there, and there are rules. They pay a modest rent, and are expected to attend daily Bible discussions, to maintain their own rooms and help with chores and food. No tobacco, alcohol or other substances are tolerated. There have been times when he will ask one to leave if they break the rules, but that has not happened a lot. Dan lives with them, helps them find work and counsels them. It's usually not a bed of roses for him, but he is committed to helping as many as he can get their lives headed in the right direction.

Dan Gushee is truly remarkable for his compassion and desire to help men that most people would shun. If you visit the Indy Grace Place website, www.indygraceplace.org, you will find Dan's guiding principle on the home page. Romans 6:18, And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness. To Dan, that says it all. I couldn't agree more.

Stewardship Ministry

June 2012 - The Survey Says . . .

Earlier this year the Leadership Team put together a detailed survey to find out what new and different ways that the congregation would like to get involved in our ministries work. This Interests and Commitments Survey (the purple booklet) was introduced at the Annual Meeting on May 6. I would like to thank all of you who completed and turned in the booklets to us. You have given us a lot of good information.

I spent the last week reviewing these and compiling the results and completing reports in the different areas of the survey. I will be sending this information to the ministry leaders shortly, so if you expressed interest in a certain area, I am certain that you will receive a shout out.

Let me share some general observations about these:

First, many of our members are involved in a lot of things! Many of them are things that we all see because they go on within the church, such as Sunday School, the recently completed Helping Hams project, various adult study groups and all the fellowship activities (Dining In/Out, Lemonade on the Lawn, etc). However, many of these are activities that we don't all see, for example, Scout Leaders, volunteers at food pantries and other local nonprofits. When you compile all of the activities that members shared in the surveys, it makes pretty impressive list. I got to thinking that it I should find a way to share the many talents of our members with everyone, so watch for a new bulletin board that will do just that in the near future.

Second, some of you commented that instead engaging of a lot of smaller "outside the church" projects, we might have a greater impact rallying behind one "Big Thing". I would like to know what more of you think, and encourage you to talk either to me or members of Council about this.

Third, I noticed that many of the surveys were completed by long-time members who have been engaged in their activities for a long time. I think it is fantastic that we have this dedicated core group of volunteers; however they could use additional help. What would happen if some of them retire and kick back, get transferred and move away, or just get "burned out"? It would make it more difficult for us to make a real difference in the community. If you haven't done so, please consider getting involved. It's not too late to complete a survey. We have copies in the church office, and if we run out, we will be happy to make more.

Stewardship Ministry

May 2012 - Half-empty or Half-full?

There was a circus athlete who earned his living by displaying astonishing feats of physical strength. His show would normally conclude with a simple, yet impressive, demonstration of his ability to squeeze an orange dry!

After completing his act, he would challenge his audience to produce anyone who could extract even one drop of juice from the crushed fruit.

On one of these occasions, a little man volunteered. He was so diminutive that his very appearance raised a laugh from the spectators. Undaunted, however, the man stepped onto the stage and took from the athlete what appeared to be nothing more than a shriveled up piece of rind.

Then bracing himself, he slowly and firmly compressed his right hand. Every eye was on him, and the atmosphere was electric! A moment or two elapsed, and then, to everyone's amazement, and not the least the athlete's, a drop of orange juice formed and dripped to the floor.

As cheers subsided, the athlete beckoned the man to come forward, asked his name, and invited him to tell the crowd how he had managed to develop such fantastic powers.

"Nothing to it," replied the man. And then, with a grin, he added "I happen to be the Treasurer of the local Lutheran Church!"

- taken from the Luther Seminary website

A lot of the literature about congregational stewardship starts by asking the reader if his/her congregation is one of scarcity or abundance. Congregations of scarcity always believe that the glass is half-empty- there is never enough money, nobody is willing to do anything; you get the idea. For congregations of abundance the glass is always half-full- there is enough money to pay the bills and there are always enough members to accomplish what they want accomplished.

Think about the story above. Does the church treasurer belong to a congregation of scarcity or one of abundance? Now, what about Bethlehem; are we a congregation of scarcity or abundance?

To answer these questions it is helpful to further define "scarcity" and "abundance." Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament describe "abundance" primarily in relation to food and drink. Having enough of both was a daily challenge for people in biblical times. Abundance was having enough to eat and drink and scarcity was not having enough.

So we see that the term "enough" is important to our definition. Now let's add two more terms: "fear" and "hope." Can we say that scarcity is the fear that there will not be "enough," and that abundance is the hope that there will be enough?

Now, back to my earlier questions: are the congregations of the little man's church and Bethlehem ones of scarcity or abundance? Think about it, and join me when I revisit this subject in upcoming articles.

Stewardship Ministry

April 2012 - You May Be a Servant-Leader If . . .

Last April I introduced you to Robert K. Greenleaf, who spent most of his professional career in the field of management research, development and education at AT&T. He did extensive research on leadership and developed the concept of the "servant-leader". To recap, the servant-leader's primary motivation is a deep desire to help others, with the following characteristics:

Listening: They are deeply committed to listening to others.
Empathy: They accept and recognize others for their special and unique spirit.
Healing: They recognize that they can help "make whole" those whom they are in contact with.
Awareness: Awareness aids in the understanding of issues involving ethics and values.
Persuasion: They seek to convince rather than coerce others.
Conceptualization: They are able to think beyond day-to-day realities to "dream big dreams".
Foresight: They can understand the lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and the likely consequences of a decision for the future.
Stewardship: They are committed first and foremost to serving the needs of others.
Commitment to the growth of people: They believe that people have an intrinsic value beyond their tangible contributions.
Building community: They seek to build community among those who work or belong to a given institution.

Now I would like to drill a bit deeper and examine the question "Who is the Servant-Leader?" Greenleaf proposes that there are two extreme types of leaders. The first is the leader who wants to lead first and serve later, and the second is the leader who wants to serve first and then lead. The motivation of the first type may be the need to acquire power or material possessions to meet his/her needs first. The second type, however, works to ensure that other people's highest priority needs are being served before their own. These are the servant-leaders.

How does the servant-leader know if the needs of others are being served? Greenleaf's acid test is to answer the following questions:

Do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely to become servants?
What is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or at least, not be further deprived?

In the act of serving, the leader cannot know for sure if this is happening, and often the results of his/her actions are long delayed. Greenleaf suggests that the servant leader develops a hypothesis on what serves the highest needs of others as he/she goes along. This hypothesis will be "evergreen"; it will constantly be revised with each new experience. The process could get discouraging, but Greenleaf says that the leader who is servant first is more likely to persevere and refine the hypothesis than the leader who is leader first.

Now back to the question "Who is the servant-leader?" This can lead to other questions, such as "Who are the servant-leaders at Bethlehem?" and "Am I a servant-leader?" In upcoming articles I plan to examine what Greenleaf says about the ten characteristics of the servant-leader to help answer these questions.

Stewardship Ministry

March 2012 - New Direction for Life

I would like to introduce you to another friend that has had a large impact on my life for the past few years. Aster Bekele is a native of Ethiopia who came to Indianapolis to attend college and ended becoming a chemist at Eli Lilly. Instead of living out in the 'burbs, she moved into the Martindale-Brightwood Neighborhood on the near north side, one of the poorest sections of town. She began tutoring neighborhood children and discovered a need for education on nutrition and healthy eating habits, due in part to the fact that the area had become a "food desert" due to the closing of many food markets, making it difficult to purchase nutritious food locally.

When she retired in 2004, she purchased two blighted properties and opened a community garden called Felege Hiywot Center (Ethiopian for "direction for life"). She runs a program called Education by Gardening for local elementary school children, teaching them how seeds grow into plants, how to care for the garden, how to be environmentally responsible in gardening and how to prepare, eat and share the produce from the garden. The program runs ten weeks every summer, serving about 250 children.

Aster partners with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Purdue Agricultural Extension, Eli Lilly, the Lilly Endowment and others to put the camp together. It has been so successful that she has added an after school program that serves two IPS schools in the neighborhood, planting gardens on the grounds. Late last year Aster was awarded a grant from the City to purchase and rehabilitate two additional pieces of property and she plans to add a fruit orchard later this year. Oh, and did I mention that the Center also supports an orphanage in Ethiopia?

Aster could have had a very comfortable retirement, enjoying leisure time and spoiling her grandchildren. Instead, she said "Why not me?", and chose to adopt over 250 kids a year, teaching them to produce and eat healthier food and empowering them to be active community servants, helpful team players and responsible family members. Not bad for a little old "retired" lady.

To learn more about Felege Hiywot Center and the impact it has please look at its website: www.fhcenter.org.

Stewardship Ministry

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