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A Culture of Generosity

A Culture of Generosity could mean: kindness, big-heartedness, open-handedness, liberality, bounteousness, charity, or munificence.

She was a member of my first church—St. Andrew United Methodist Church. (1988-1992) Her name was Alice Newman. Alice showed me what my personal goal should be when giving financially to the church. I never knew if she had been a schoolteacher, social worker, homemaker, or if she had retired from any career outside her home. She had one daughter.

What I do know is that she taught an adult Sunday School class. She often wore the same dress, knitted scarf, and head covering most Sundays. I can still see her face and smile—treasured memories of a faithful soul. She once gave me my first pellet gun to help keep the “huge” neighborhood dog at bay in the church parking lot.

I remember noticing the amount of her monthly check one day—it was lying on the finance secretary’s desk. (Just once.) I never forgot the figure: $32.50. While most of us round our checks to the nearest dollar, Alice’s check was an odd amount—and unforgettable.

I once visited her at home. No lights were on except for the single bulb above her recliner. Her old dog rested quietly beside her. She had been “under the weather for a spell.” Her home was simple—just the essentials. I still recall the books on invertebrates she gave me, knowing my love for science.

Alice’s gift was her tithe to the church. I’m convinced it represented 10% of her monthly Social Security check—which arrived faithfully at the start of each month. (Remember those days?) Her faithfulness taught me what my own giving goal should be: an intentional, prayerful response to God’s generosity.

There are many “Alice Newmans” in our church today—faithful, quiet givers who step forward little by little, finding peace in generosity. Every gift matters. Every act of giving is a spiritual discipline, a tangible response to the goodness of God.

Thank you, church, for your generosity through the years. Your faithfulness helps make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world—and it could not happen without you.

With gratitude and grace,
Pastor Frank
(alegria@lakewayumc.org)

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…”
— Matthew 25:35 (NRSV)