Moment for Mission Archive

A few weeks ago Chris Jones raised the Moment for Mission bar so high that when I was asked to represent the Deacons for today’s Moment for Mission, I thought of following Chris, and MY inner voice said, NO, NO, NO! Anyhow, here we go.

Today is the culmination of Stewardship month here at Rutgers. Over the past weeks, you have been introduced or re-introduced to several areas here at the church that could use your stewardship. As you are aware, we are all asked to turn in our blue pledge cards today with our tithe commitment for the year. But, I want to draw to your attention to the back of the blue card, where there are several opportunities for you to donate your time and talents to various programs and committees that are vital to the life of this church. I would like to highlight a couple of these programs that are sponsored by the Board of Deacons.

The first program is the Thursday Nighters Meal Program. This is a community program for seniors that has been in existence for the past 10 years and is orchestrated by Ulla Farmer. Ulla, along with Roger Franklin who presents a movie each week for the 45 seniors, keep this weekly event going with the help of a group of volunteers. Having been one of those volunteers, I can tell you it is an uplifting experience. The fact that you have been able to serve a meal to someone who might not have eaten that night puts a lot of your own daily stress and worries in perspective. They are so appreciative, and let you know it. It takes only two hours of your time to help serve or to help in the preparation of the meals each month or so. Ulla is always looking for new volunteers, and I ask that you give the Thursday Nighters consideration when filling out your pledge card.

The second program I would like to talk about is the Rutgers Men’s Shelter, which is under the direction of Dermonte Alleyne. This is a program that has recently transitioned into seven-days-a-week as opposed to the previous weekend only program. With the help of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian and other churches, ten men are given a safe haven for the evening. Rutgers is responsible for these men each Friday night. In the past, a meal had been prepared for the guys, but that is not the case anymore. So, all that is asked of you and your partner for the evening, is that you are here to greet the men, get them settled in for the night and have coffee ready in the morning. As Charles Platt said in the most recent edition of Renewal, “Does helping people make you feel good? If it does, this is one way to help. I definitely recommend trying it at least once.”

This has been a big week for me. On Tuesday I turned 50 years old. Leading up to my birthday, I did the usual mid-life reflecting about the many blessings in my life -- Robert, my family, friends, my job and work mates. But, I also found myself counting my blessings for my church life as well. Having served on the Board of Deacons for the past five years, I have really felt more connected to the church and the congregation. Whether it is standing behind the table at coffee hour to say hello to everyone, sending out cards to fellow church members with special needs or preparing communion – I’m glad that when I was called upon, my inner voice did not say NO, NO, NO.

So as you consider your Stewardship today, don’t just think of giving monetarily to the church, think about giving of your time and talents to the various service opportunities noted on the back of the blue pledge card. I promise you, the rewards will be great.