Sunday, March 20 Temple Talk from Jeff Berger.  You can also watch the video here.

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Jeff Berger. Along with my wife Candace, daughter Mackenzie, and mother-in-law Joyce, we have been attending services here for almost two years and became members last Fall.  I have been a Christian my whole life and a Lutheran for most of it.  I have heard and been involved in a number stewardship campaigns, but I think this is first time I have talked about what it means to me.

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, we all had to find new ways forward in all aspects of life, and worship was of particular importance to our family.  As this evolved, the church we were attending seem to become more locked down and isolated.  Our spiritual needs were not being met, so we looked for new solutions.  The most important of the things we found were the outdoor Sunday evening services here at Christ Lutheran Church.  Even though we did not know anyone, including Pastor Wes, and there weren’t a lot of people attending, we immediately felt the Christian fellowship we were sorely missing.  And because of the care taken in how the services were run, we also felt physically safe.

As the pandemic has ebbed and flowed, Christ Lutheran Church has done an excellent job monitoring and adjusting activities offered and the implementation of them.  I see this as a great act of stewardship of resources.  CLC has also been able to take advantage of opportunities to secure funding to keep us moving forward in the pre-school and on-line worship.

When you think about how you want to utilize the blessings God has given you, where does Christ Lutheran Church fit in?  When you ponder this question, please think about what the church means to you.  Is it just one of the things you do, or is it the foundation on which everything is built?  Think about how you share your life with loved ones and friends in both good and hard times.  Now think about what it would be like if you couldn’t do it.  Well, when your life is based on your faith, you can always share your life with Jesus, and giving of your time, talents, and money to CLC helps create valuable opportunities to grow and share our faith with other Christians.

Over the years, I have participated in and help fund quite a few Church functions including a number of mission trips.   Sometimes, I was excited to be involved, other times, I was apprehensive.  However, I would say that in every case I had a great sense of accomplishment once it was done.  One quick example.  When I move to Indianapolis after college, one of the first things I did was find a new home church.  After attending for a few months, the father of one of the kind families I met asked me if would consider teaching the HS SS class.  I was 23 yrs old, barely older than they were, and had never done anything like that.  I wasn’t sure about it, but I said if they thought I could do it, I would give it a try. It ended up being one of the most rewarding things I have done. Think about the things you have been involved in and how you felt afterwards. If you haven’t participated lately, think about re-engaging.

And obviously, it takes funding to provide the programs we all share in our church community.  When Candy and I give to the church, we have confidence it will be appreciated and used wisely.  Think about what you give to.  Where does the church fall on this list?

As you plan your stewardship to Christ Lutheran Church in the next year, I hope you will consider these things and that it is as important in your life as we do in ours.