MARY CARBELLO, MEMBER
I have been attending this church for a long time. I remember when this building was opened. I can recall sitting in the sanctuary when there were only 35 people, post Covid, and also remember an Easter Sunday when there were 1200 people in this room. I guess I have seen the best of times and the times when the congregation was not secure. I gave a stewardship presentation not to many years ago, and between times the church has flourished and grown. So many new people, so many new names to learn. The Stewardship Committee has chosen the theme, Here for Good. I would like to add another word to this, Here for More Good. This leads to my story or legend about the early days of the church. I may have told it before but it bears repeating.
Back in the early 1900’s the congregation called Rev. Karl Koch, I believe from a church in Wisconsin. He agreed to come, if he could have $10.00 more in his monthly salary. I believe at the time, he was supporting a wife and three children. The elders, all men of course because that didn’t change until the 1960’s, agreed and two men agreed to increase their monthly giving by $5.00 each. Rev. Koch paved the way for the legacy we have today; from the various church buildings, to the splendid pipe organ, to the “Old Folks Home” on Dayton Avenue. Rev. Karl Koch and later his son, Rev. Erwin Koch grew this congregation to be Here for More Good.
I really dislike stewardship campaigns, actually in many rural churches, they don’t exist. If the church needed more money at the end of the year, and crops were good or if some livestock had to be sold, the money would be there. I also remember in the 50’s and 60’s when stewardship committee members would visit each family in their home to hopefully secure a generous commitment to the church for the coming year. So this general appeal is more gentle, not so in your face, and more understanding of other personnel financial commitments.
I have a couple examples as to why I have continued to financially support this church. Just this past week while nine women gathered at Boca Chica for food and fellowship, one person expressed their frustration with navigating the Social Security, Medicare, and Supplemental Insurance experience that one must do when you retire. This person needed help and there were many at the table relating their experiences and offering to help.
Also at the same meal we discovered that one of us had used an Uber to get to the restaurant. Immediately, she was asked where do you live, and offers to take her home were extended. A little thing to many, but it shows how members here are willing to help their neighbor, just like we do with many of our activities, such as gathering school supplies, packing the pews with food staples, and stocking the food shelf in the outer lobby and even supporting the marathon runners.
Also this week I spent 2 hours with Robyn W. going through some archive materials. She was looking for information to use for Totenfest (All Saints Day) on November 1. I was looking for materials related to the 75th anniversary of the church building. We both found many examples of events that had taken place. I guess what was most interesting is how the Lydia Guild, a group of working women who were not available to meet with the other women’s guilds during the day, memorialize their events with pictures and drawings and sayings all recorded in a large, very large scrapbook. This was important work for these women, they ate together, laughed together, and prayed together. The group Monday night and the Lydia Guild from the past showed how they are here for good, for more good.
So should you decide to make a financial commitment, aka known as the pledge card, please think of the theme, Here for Good or Here for More Good.
Let’s be sure that we in 2026 leave memories behind for future generations and that some day, the future generations will see that we were here for good or we went over and above being good and really did more good.
Finally, I admit I looked it up on the Google, that $5.00 from 1900 today would be $199 and change.