Stewardship

Entrusted With – 2025

The Stewardship Team has chosen Psalm 24: 1 for our stewardship emphasis theme this fall. We will send regular stewardship messages via enews in preparation for the Celebration of Faith Sunday, November 23rd. We ask you to bring intent of giving cards to worship that Sunday.

Stewardship starts with an understanding that all that we have, and all that we are, is God’s! When we think like this, we open ourselves up to the generosity and abundance of our loving God. And when we remember this, we begin to see what it really means to believe that we have all been created in the Image of God, are loved by God, and are co-workers with God in the world today.

We are entrusted (made stewards) with all that makes us who we are, by God, including:

• Our lives, health, bodies, souls, hearts, minds, hearts, and relationships;
• Our time, ideas, dreams, questions, and stories;
• Our talents, gifts, strengths, passions, and vocations;
• Our treasures, money, finances, and assets of all kinds;
• And all creation that we are a part of.

Stewardship is part of what it means to live a life of faith and growth as a disciple. We grow in our faith by telling stories of faith, and sharing all that God has done and continues to do, for us. We are so moved by all that God has done and continues to do, that we can’t help but be overjoyed and want to share in that good work. It is our joy and gratitude that shapes our response to God’s gifts and promises for us, that is our stewardship.

We hope you enjoy the upcoming articles and are inspired to do your best to be a good caretaker–a steward–of all that we’ve been given–giving back to God what you can.

Entrusted with Our Talents – Brandon Hansen

Stewardship at the physical church is an important part in allowing us all to share God’s teachings.

This same stewardship also extends into every corner of our lives — not just within the church. As 1 Peter 4:10 reminds us, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Our talents and strengths may show up at work, in the classroom, at home, or in the community. Gifts of encouragement, creativity, leadership, compassion, and skill are all ways God’s grace becomes visible in daily life. Passions that bring us joy and energy are often clues to how the Spirit is guiding us to serve others. And our vocations—whether as parents, students, professionals, volunteers, or neighbors—are sacred callings where faith meets life.

Martin Luther taught that all honest work is holy work when done in service to others. The farmer, teacher, builder, nurse each serve as God’s hands in the world. Being a faithful steward means recognizing that every ability and opportunity is a trust from God to be used for the good of others.

When we live this way, every day becomes an act of worship, every encounter a chance to reflect God’s love, and every gift a means to serve the world beyond the church doors.

Entrusted with All Creation – Rex Quadhamer

Our theme verse reminds us that the earth does not belong to us—it belongs to God.  Every mountain, river, forest, and creature is part of His handiwork.  As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to care for it with gratitude and respect.  When we pollute the air, waste resources, or ignore the suffering of creation, we are neglecting a sacred trust. 

My son has a degree in wildlife ecology. He believes mightily in using native species of plants. Insects and birds have developed relationships with native species over hundreds or thousands of years. They depend on them for food and reproduction, and when alien species are planted, they are mostly unable to use them. I was able to get a list of native species from the Nebraska Extension office and have started many of the plants in our yard at home.  It’s amazing the number of pollinators that we get on these plants when they are blooming! Omaha nurseries carry these plants, or you can go to seed catalogs and order them. 

We are caretakers of God’s creation and each act of care, no matter how small, becomes an act of worship to the Creator.  By tending to the earth, we proclaim that we recognize and honor the Lord’s ownership over all that exists.

Entrusted with Our Time – Deb Lund

Brian and I attended the 2025 Nebraska Synod’s Assembly in late May/early June, with the theme, Imagine! Here are some thoughts connecting our stewardship theme to the Synod’s Imagine!

Time: Each of us is given 24 hours a day, and we have choices for how we use each of those hours. I’ve always felt called to be a teacher and an organizer. I’m a hard worker, and like to be productive, so lead a busy life. I enjoy doing what I can to help others—it’s rewarding. But I learned from my hard-working farmer father long ago, that it’s good to relax, rest, refresh, and have fun too! “To fish or not to fish? What a stupid question!” A priority now is to spend time with family and friends as much as possible, including travel to do so! How do we use our blessing of time to bless others?

Ideas and dreams:   God gave us our brains, and it’s good to use them! I’m blessed with a great partner to share ideas and dreams with. We often think differently, and learn from each other. I  share thoughts and ideas with others on teams and committees, but try hard listen to others’ thoughts and ideas, too. An important call for us Christians is to think and dream—imagine–how we can be Christ to others. It is a blessing for us to dream and imagine those dreams as ideas that we can make realities. 

Questions: It seems like the older I get, the more questions I have! At the same time, I believe I’m more accepting of not having and getting all the answers, too. So many things are in God’s time, not mine. I agree with the line used in tv ads for Viking: “Be Curious!” The world is a wonderful place and full of interesting people. It’s fun exploring the world and other cultures. Getting to know people from other parts of the world reminds me of how much we have in common!  Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get to know other people! Imagine a world where each of us is treated equally and appreciated as another child of God!

Stories: As more and more loved ones leave this earth, their stories are more often a part of my thoughts and my own narrative with family and friends. I learned so much from so many, and am grateful. We’ve been given “Grandpa’s and Grandma’s Story” books to complete for our grandchildren. We hope we live lives of faith with stories that are worth sharing—maybe even inspiring others, as others have done for us. Imagine your stories being models of faith-filled living—tell them!

Entrusted with Our Lives – Kathy Christiansen

That’s a lot to be entrusted with, isn’t it? But isn’t God so generous with us? He gives us hearts and minds that are able to connect to him and others. He gives us bodies and health to to do his work in this world. And I think most importantly he gives us family, friends and if we’re lucky, a faith community to support us as we travel along life’s roadways.

It’s no secret that the past year has been a bit of a rough patch for me. Two months in rehab for neurological complications after a spinal fusion which has been followed by a slow process of nerve regeneration and healing. And more recently, the unexpected illness and death of my beloved sister was another hard time. Yet through all of this, I knew that I was loved by God because he surrounded me with my family, my amazing friends and my faith community. Whether it was a visit, a call or text, a card, flowers, lunch, a ride to therapy or the hospital, I knew I was supported and loved. 

During this last year when things sometimes seemed insurmountable, I added something to my daily journaling. I resolved to write One Good Thing (“OGT”) about every day. I looked back on the last several months recently. I noticed that although some entries involved the beauty of God’s creation, like a sunrise or a pretty blossom, the majority involved the goodness or generosity of others. It reinforced that with the support of so many, I know that I am loved and cared for by God. Because God has been so generous to me, I want to share the time and gifts that he has given to me. Being a part of this faith community, I know that we will continue to share our abundance to do God’s works.