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June 2007 Issue
Answering the call to stewardship
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Rex and Gwen Thelen aren’t sure which
is harder, giving hours of volunteer time on a regular
basis as God’s stewards on earth or speaking a few minutes
in front of hundreds of parishioners at four different
Masses at St. Patrick Church in Grand Haven.
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“Frankly, I’d rather coach
a season than stand up in front of everyone again to talk
about stewardship,” said Rex, 38. “It was pretty intimidating,
and a humbling experience.” The Thelens got their fi rst call
to stewardship at St. Patrick when a married couple with six
children spoke during Mass on their experience at how to realistically
balance the three T’s of stewardship: time, talent and treasure.
“I remember listening with
Rex about what this make sure her son attended the ROCK wonderful
couple had to say about stewardship,” said Gwen, 38. “They
talked about their traditional tithing, but they also talked
about giving 10 percent of their time – hours awake, not sleeping
time. I was simply amazed they would do that with that many
kids. Then it really hit home with me that we really needed
to do more.” Thelens take fi rst step in commitment toward
stewardship With four children of their own, the Thelens began
the delicate act of balancing the needs of their family with
the call to be good stewards. It began with the simple observation
that they really didn’t own anything; rather that everything
is a gift from God that they are entrusted to manage well
as stewards. “We took a fi nancial planning class and one
of the principles of the class was that you don’t give God
the leftovers,” Rex said. “It also teaches you that giving
can be an opportunity because it makes you re-evaluate your
priorities. Some people really drive themselves crazy trying
to keep up a lifestyle they can’t afford.”
Natives of the farming community
of Fowler, Gwen and Rex both were raised to actively support
the church, but their parents practiced stewardship in a manner
that suited the simpler times. Their families “never failed
to get the envelope ready” before Mass and their parents sometimes
participated in the fi nancial council or school board, Rex
said, but they didn’t have the same demands of time due to
children’s extracurricular activities as parents have today.
“The family farm was all consuming. There wasn’t time for
my dad to coach basketball or do a lot of volunteering,” Rex
said. For the Thelens, the second calling to stewardship came
through the voice of Sister Bernice about eight years ago.
A nun at St. Patrick known for her skill at persuasion, Sister
Bernice took an opportune moment after Mass to ask Gwen in
front of her family if she would teach religious education.
“How could I turn her down?” Gwen recalled. “I remember wanting
to, but I also realized that I could never say no to this
wonderful woman.” Gwen became involved in vacation Bible school
and woman’s Bible study, then was named co-coordinator of
the children’s ministry for St. Patrick.
Rex is a catechist for the
Reach Others through Christ Kingdom (ROCK) religious education
program for seventh and eighth graders. St. Patrick has a
very active religious education program that serves more than
300 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The Thelens
practice stewardship in other ways as well: serving coffee
and donuts after Mass, leading Bible studies and taking part
in a Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty (CROP) Walk.
They also are working to increase their tithe toward the church
and other charities. “It has been a struggle at times,” Rex
said. “But if we are honest with ourselves, we have to ask
how we can hold onto, with tight fi sts, something that is
really not ours. Where your treasures are – that’s where your
heart is.” Stewardship reaps spiritual rewards Rewards that
come from stewardship can’t be measured through statistics
or their dollars, the Thelens said. One great reward is seeing
fi rst-hand when their giving makes a difference in others’
lives or encourages others to practice stewardship. Rex recalled
after they shared their stewardship experiences at the four
Masses that one mother wrote them a thank you card for encouraging
her to “I remember listening with Rex about what this make
sure her son attended the ROCK religious education program.
“She said in her card that our talk meant a lot to her,” Rex
said, “and that meant a lot to me.”
Gwen likes to recall the story
of a busy single mother who observed how children who were
joining the church were given cloth stoles during the initiation
rite, and she asked where the stoles came from. “This lady
became so excited to learn parishioners had made the stoles,
because then she could contribute. She had to stay at home
with her kids at night, but she could sew those stoles,” Gwen
said. “I think if everyone had just one of the ‘Ah ha’ moments,
we would never have to ask anyone if they wanted to help.”
The biggest reward for Rex and Gwen is passing along the value
of stewardship to their children. “Our kids have been pretty
good,” Gwen said. “Not that they never complain about being
at church from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on a Sunday, but they
know it is part of our lives and a priority for all of us.”
Rex and Gwen both said they have to motivate themselves sometimes
to fulfi ll a commitment they have made – or, occasionally,
they are just plain tired from the bustling schedule. But
Rex said that they almost always feel rejuvenated by the end
of the activity. “It’s like volunteer coaching,” he said.
“Some days you just don’t feel like holding that practice,
but by the end, you are glad you did it.”
“Calling individuals to serve
as a catechist can be somewhat discouraging if they receive
a poor response,” Gwen said, “but fi nding just one new volunteer
makes up for the effort. “It’s a great feeling if I can get
one person to say yes, because once a person starts to get
involved, they usually get more and more involved,” she said.
“Stewardship is a journey, and everyone is at a different
point on the path. People need time to learn about their faith,
about what they need to be doing for their stewardship.” Gwen
summed up her family’s perspective on stewardship with an
observation on the meaning of church, which “isn’t a building
that we all visit once a week.” “It’s the community around
us,” she said. “We had to turn our thinking around from going
to church to get something from it – to trying to fi nd ways
to give something to it.”
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