Two months out


Giving thanks— and good gifts M


in need. A new way to give


thanks was born, an approach that will become a Thanks- giving tradition passed on from these children to their


aya, the youngest grandchild, definitely wanted a pig, and Jacob, the oldest grandson, listened carefully as the other cousins chose what they wanted from the


ELCA Good Gifts catalog (www.elca.org/goodgifts). The children, parents and grandparents asked questions and made important decisions about spending $500 donated by the adults. This Thanksgiving they will do it again. Frank Moore, director of community ministries at First


Lutheran Church, Greensboro, N.C., shares this family story, encouraging others to do the same: “We wanted the children to participate in a way that focused on being ‘blessed to be a blessing,’ making decisions together and experiencing the joy of generosity. And the catalog offered a great approach—plus the children liked the animals.” To help his nine grandchildren understand how financial


gifts can make a difference in someone’s life, Moore offered choices of pigs, sheep, goats, bees, etc., stopping occasionally to give details about items such as water purification tablets. After explaining the process and the importance of serving


and sharing, Moore said there was a bit of confusion during this first deliberation for ages 4 to 12. “It was like a church council meeting,” Moore said. “Different people had different opinions. But after a few questions and a long pause, the ideas exploded.” One child yelled, “Chicks!” Another concurred, but then


there were suggestions for bees, a goat and a garden. An adult, aware of how fast money can be spent, said, “Well, let’s see how much that is. ... How about a share of a garden?” Animal selections dominated the process. The purification


tablets were an unexpected choice, but the children agreed that clean water is important. A survival kit also made it into the shopping cart. This Thanksgiving they’ll add selections to this “family


farm” that grows and nurtures other families in the world— gifts through the catalog go to nearly 90 countries. “The idea is full of hope and optimism—teaching children


the joy of giving on a national day of thanks,” Moore said. “It was a 15-minute session that started slow but resulted in happy shouts and glimmers of understanding about serv- ing others and using our God-given resources to help those


42 www.thelutheran.org


children—all of them children of God seeking to share gifts of peace.” Last year’s shopping spree


by Maya, Mason, Emily, Rachael, Mary Margaret, Rachel, Sarah, Aaron and


Jacob resulted in two sets of chicks


($20), a sheep ($125), three pigs ($90), one set of bees ($20), a goat ($50), a survival kit ($76), one set of water purification tablets ($50), two backpacks ($20) and a share of a commu- nity garden ($50). 


Good one! Catchy adult education


The adult education team at Our Saviour Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Ill., takes biblical literacy seriously—and playfully. Since the congregation jump-started adult education five years ago, 75 teachers have taught more than 150 classes with such catchy titles as “The Truth about Ruth”; “The Gospels According to The Simpsons”; “Hebrew for Gentiles”; “Adults Only: Bible’s Obscenities and Obscurities”; “Gaga for the Gospels”; “Peasants, Widows, Bandits and Beggars: The Everyday World in which Jesus Lived”; and, most recently (below), “The Most Inter esting Man in the Wor ld: Dead King Talking” (Ecclesiastes). Contact Eliz- abeth McKay at liz1471@ comcast.net for information.


Send congregational stories—both those for a specifi c month/holiday or your best timeless idea—to julie.sevig@thelutheran.org.


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