For Christian education and nurture leaders.
Money at life’s milestones
By Jeff Steckley
Mennonite Foundation of Canada commissioned singer-songwriter Bryan Moyer- Suderman to compose and record a collection of songs for worship related to stewardship of finances. At a recent introductory concert, Bryan reflected on the development of this stewardship music, noting that the texts he created for many of these pieces are unconventional and challenging.
As a child, I don’t recall singing phrases so direct as “My money talks, so what can you hear it saying?” but I expect that today’s children will be formed differently as they sing this new stewardship repertoire. Perhaps we’re on the edge of nurturing a new wave of openness about our relationship with money in the church. Recently I saw a young child nearly stand on his head in order to spring his offering coins from his shirt pocket. Will this sort of enthusiasm become the norm as our relationship with money becomes an accepted and necessary part of our faith formation conversations?
At milestone celebrations children can learn about both giving and receiving.
A number of congregations are expanding their milestone celebrations to include stewardship teaching and response. Milestone celebrations are times when we use ritual, symbol, and response to intentionally mark the significant moments of change and growth in people’s lives. Through milestone observances and related activities, children, youth, and young adults receive the teachings and blessings of God. In turn, they are being invited to respond with gratitude by sharing the many gifts they have received from God, including their money. The talk about receiving and giving is intentional, up-front, and direct.
Life transitions provide teachable moments for parents, children, and young adults.
A recent publication by the Canadian Interchurch Stewardship Committee, Wrapped in God’s Love: A Milestones Ministry Resource, provides a structure for the congregational observance of milestones from infancy to 18 years, offering both suggestions for faith nurture and opportunities to respond to God’s love.
Life transitions provide teachable moments for parents, children, youth, and young adults. A milestones ministry ensures that these rich opportunities to nurture faith and invite generous response are not lost. Here is a sampling of ideas that point to the connection between planting seeds of faith and growing generous hearts.
• When a child has been born and the congregation is celebrating God’s gift of new life, invite the parents to create or review their will, consider establishing an education savings plan for their child, and reflect with others on how they will nurture a healthy life balance—managing new parental responsibilities along with homemaking, work, and marriage. The venue could be a Sunday school class, a congregationally sponsored parents’ night out, or a smallgroup gathering. Invite someone with financial stewardship expertise to serve as a resource.
• The transition from being at home during the day to attending school for the first time reflects a child’s growing independence, including an increased awareness of money and its power. This is a time to prompt parents to think about their allowance practices, to consider opening their children’s first bank accounts, and to introduce children to money-management concepts like saving, spending, and sharing. Invite parents and children to a gathering where children will create their own saving, spending, and sharing banks while the parents meet to reflect on the use of allowances as a tool for teaching healthy money management.
• Many congregations mark the twelve-year milestone during worship by giving twelve-year-olds a Bible with favorite Scripture passages marked by members of the congregation and offering a prayer of blessing, noting that this is a time to begin to explore questions of faith in earnest. At this milestone, the opportunities to invite generous response begin to multiply. Invite the twelve-year-olds in your congregation to a retreat to explore how their gifts and passions might connect with a service, mission, or environmental project. Pair each twelve-year-old with an adult mentor as they explore the ways in which God might use their particular combination of gifts and skills.
• Young people turning sixteen often associate this milestone birthday with the increased independence that comes with being able to drive a car and secure part-time employment. As their geographical and relational worlds expand, so do their choices. Present each sixteen-year-old with a special keychain inscribed with a Scripture reference, such as 1 Timothy 4:12. Give each young person $100 to “invest” in God’s work, providing opportunity at a later time to report on “investment earnings” as a way of reminding them to include God as they make financial choices. Invite sixteen-yearolds and their parents to a financial literacy seminar to introduce budgeting, creditcard use, debt management, and investment planning. For youth who are earning income through part-time employment, this would be the opportune time to provide them with an adult offering envelope.
As Bryan Moyer-Suderman writes and sings, “My money talks, so what can you hear it saying?” Milestones ministry is but one way to ensure that talk about financial stewardship becomes part of the fabric of our lives as communities of God’s people, so that at each step along the way, both receiving and giving, both faith and action will be partners on our journey.
Jeff Steckley is the congregational ministries minister with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada. He delights in enabling individuals and congregations to discover and share their God-given gifts and assets. Jeff is a member of Hillcrest Mennonite Church in New Hamburg, Ontario.