Ministries

You Just Never Know

           My family makes fun of me for saying, “You just never know,” in reference to keeping the pantry well stocked. Actually the phrase is applicable to life in general. Most of us have an image of what we are good at and rarely, if ever, do we venture out of these areas. That was certainly my experience as a child, but the unexpected happened over and over again.

After my father was called overseas during World War II, my family left Massachusetts to live with my maternal grandmother in the then pretty rural small town of Hackettstown, NJ. I attended school there through the 5^th grade and was always a good student.  Those of you who know me now won’t be surprised to learn that I was what we then called a “goody-goody” in most ways. I had lots of friends, but I had no athletic talent whatsoever.  During recess, when it was time to pick teams for kick ball or dodge ball, I think that I was about the last one selected. I always assumed that they finally selected me because they did not want to embarrass my friends. At that stage of my life, my self-esteem was based on academic prowess solely.

The summer before sixth grade, we moved to Ho-Ho-Kus in Bergen County to be closer to New York City for my father’s work. The self-confidence that I had built up was erased instantly as I found the classes much harder and the teachers more demanding. And imagine what I thought I would find in the dreaded gym class. Curiously enough, I found out that fall I was not bad at volleyball, and for the first time in my life, I was among the first picked for teams. I can still picture riding in the car to a girl scout meeting with my leader who said, “I hear that you are a great volleyball player.” I had never imagined that I could be even average, much less quite good at any sport.

I bring up my personal history to illustrate a point related to church involvement. You just never know where or when you will fit in. The Stewardship Committee asked every member to complete a Time and Talent form, and by now we hope that you have been contacted by leaders of areas where you wish to serve. Now we’re going the next step, and looking at people who we think have potential to get more involved in the life of First Lutheran Church. You may find yourself in the same situation that I did in 6^th grade: amazed at a latent talent that you have been afraid to try.

Why not try something new? Try speaking to the people who sit near you at worship to see if you can talk about mutual interests. You know we can use all the help we can get, from the simple to complex, and from people who work behind the scenes to people who are public figures. We hope that when you are contacted by members of the Stewardship Committee you will be willing to try your hand at something different. Of course if you cannot carry a tune in a bucket we would not expect you to sing in the choir. However, anybody who loves kids might try teaching; if you thought you might like to get more people involved in church activities, you might test out the stewardship or evangelism committee. You just never know.

One thing we do know is that God will support us in our efforts. Isn’t that assurance enough to give us strength to branch out?

Trusting in your bravery,

Carol E. Fox, Chair

Stewardship Committee

PICTURES FROM OUR 2007 TIME & TALENT FAIR