I have found another one of those hidden treasures. One of our dear old Saints died and the family is going through all the things that she saved. There was a yellowed piece of paper that was a report from the “Circuit Rider” on how the District assessments were going. Each congregation was assigned a portion of the District budget and were expected to meet a goal for each quarter.
Here was the part that I found fascinating – rather than a “Biblical Stewardship” harangue the District Stewarship Secretary writes this -“If you want the goose to lay the Golden Egg, you have to have the Propa-Ganda! His point was that the District had a story to tell and that everyone should be told the story, the propaganda, and the gifts would come. It is obvious that they set the budget and the needs of District and Synod in one place and gifts and offerings for ‘mission’ in another.
My contention has been that after years of ‘stewardship emphasis’ and stewardship education Districts and Synod are in about the same situation with flat lined giving while giving to restricted gifts has risen. Maybe we need to examine the whole stewardship idea. Tommorow I will talk about more of this little letter that was written in 1952.
