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Kristi  & Rick Ponder

February 25 & 26, 2006

My name is Kristy Ponder and this is my husband Rick.  I have been a member of St. Jude since birth, with a few hiatuses when I went away tto college.  I went to St. Jude grade school and was active in Youth Ministry during High School.

Rick and I met in 1998 and got engaged in 2000.  Before we got married in 2002, Rick, who was not Catholic, decided he wanted to join my Catholic Faith.  He came into Full Communion through the RCIA program a few months before our wedding.

Through the RCIA, Rick learned a lot about what it means to be Catholic.  I, the cradle Catholic, go a much needed refresher course on all the details.  The RCIA process really added to our relationship and spiritual life.  It brought us closer to God and to each other.

Our journey of Stewardship has evolved, with ups and downs along the way.  I first heard the term "Stewardship" in about 7th grade. Father Bill Schooler played a role in introducing it to St. Jude in April 1989.  I never really thought twice about it.  I had no money; therefore, I had none to give.  I figured that my parents' offerings counted for me.  The same held true through most of High School.  When I got my first job, I would throw in a few bucks or whatever was in my pocket.  In college, I had no job; therefore, no money.  Whatever money I had or was given was spent on pizza - not put in the collection basket.

Rick and I got married in August of 2002, and we were on our own.  We officially registered with the Parish and began to get our own envelopes.  When it came time to put money in them, we would put whatever was left over after bills.  With house payments for our 104 year old home, home equity loans, school loans, car payments, utility bills, and insurance payments there was not much left over.  In reality, there could have been more left over, but we had used most of it for our social life, traveling, going out to eat and to the movies.

We did a lot of rationalizing, thinking that if we donated our time and talent for the church, that would make up for the treasure or lack thereof.  We volunteered for Eaglemania and I assisted with Sunday school.

Our rationale lasted until the next annual Stewardship mission.  After hearing the speakers, we didn't feel like we were giving enough back to God, and we realized that we owed him more to thank Him for our health and happiness.  Rick and I sat down and came up with a regular weekly offering; nothing too painful, but we felt better with a structured plan.  We set up an electronic transfer to cover weekends that we were not in town or if we forgot our envelope.  This solidified our comittment.

In 2004, Father Tom gave us the opportunity to be on the Stewardship committee.  Not only that, but the committee was looking for 2 people to go to the annual Stewardship conference in New Orleans.  Rick and I gladly signed up.  That conference made a big impact on our faith.

There were seminars that talked about every aspect of Stewardship.  I never knew that people could talk about Stewardship for hours and hours and days and days.  The best take home message that we got pertained to first fruits.  Give God your first fruits; in other words, pay God before you pay others. That was a new concept for Rick and me.  We shouldn't be giving God what is left over, but pay him first, pay the other billss and then enjoy what is left over.  The concept stuck.

As a side note, Hurricane Ivan made New Orleans even more memorable.  We were staying in the Superdome, which was a safe haven.  By the grace of God, Fr. Tom managed to get us out of there.  As we left, hundreds were coming to our hotel.  Unlike Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ivan went a different path and New Orleans was spared for that time being.  We were blessed to see such a great city before the destruction hit.

Back home in Indiana, Rick and I sat down and decided to increase our offerings.  It was a sacrifice, but God had given us so much we felt like it was necessary.

Life was good.  We began to renovate our 104 year old home.  We literally tore down our kitchen and bathroom to build on a new one.  Children were

St. Jude was also my refuge about fifteen minutes after I was told that I had a 90% chance of having breast cancer. That day, May 5, 2000, I received the Sacrament of the Sick, and I believe this was God’s way of saying I will be with you. And God was and is.

St Jude is a very holy place. I feel God’s presence every time I walk in the door, and I’m grateful God sent me here to begin my journey as a Catholic Christian.

As part of this talk, I also should tell you that I’m one of those who used to drive my parents crazy, asking the dreaded "but, why?" … it was more than just parental pride when my mom said she knew I could obtain a journalism degree. I think this curiosity gene, plus my Protestant background, had something to do with my actually volunteering to do a stewardship talk some day. Or it could have been one of those I’m-truly-out-of-my-mind moments.

How it all started … I had read an article citing statistics showing Catholics don’t tithe as much as Protestants. I was curious about this. So here I am. Well, during my preparation for this talk, God taught me some things about tithing. No, I didn’t learn any more about bridging the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. Although I must say, I’ve worked in communications for almost twenty years, and I know that statistics don’t always tell the most accurate or whole story. Instead, with this talk, God gently reminded me what he expects from me and showed me how much he loves me.

Preparing for this talk first took me back to my childhood. I was raised in Veedersburg, Indiana, a town that has a population a little bit bigger than St. Jude Church, by a mom and dad who are devout Christians. My dad is an elder in the church that I grew up in. One of his many responsibilities as I was growing up was church treasurer. On Sunday evenings, we’d sit at the kitchen table and he’d let me count the nickels, dimes and quarters and stamp the checks "For deposit only." I still remember how I would stamp checks – week after week – from the same people. Because of their tithes, Sterling not only paid a minister full-time, maintained a beautiful place of worship, offered Bible studies and youth programs. The church also supported many missions locally and abroad. I remember speakers from Indonesia and India in particular. All this from a church that, while I was growing up, was excited when reaching 100 in attendance – and that included the children in the nursery. Looking back on this experience as church treasurer, I realized that it shaped my whole attitude about tithing. From the time I’ve held my first real job in corn detasseling, I’ve always given money to the church. It’s always been a way to continue God’s work.

Looking back on my experience also reminded me that I need to be a good example for my son, like my parents were for me. My son gets the honor of placing our envelope in the offering basket, and we talk about how we are giving thanks to God with this gift. As he grows, I want him to experience the joys of being part of the liturgy.

More recent experiences continued my learning about tithing. This fall, JoAnn Gardner asked me if I could make some telephone calls for the Bishop’s Appeal. First, I want to say how much I admire JoAnn for her incredible work with this mission. Secondly, she’s a hard person to say no to. This volunteer experience helped me better appreciate our church leaders, whose responsibility includes asking for donations for worthy causes. I’m guessing that this task, while an important part of being a shepherd, isn’t the most favorite responsibility of our priests and bishop. While I was making these calls, I was also reminded that it’s not how much you give, but how you give it. I talked with one woman, on a limited budget, who wanted so badly to give that she was going to hold a yard sale to pay for her pledge. I was so in awe of her gift.

However, it was my experience with cancer during the Jubilee Year that probably taught me the most about tithing and most important, about God’s love.

I considered myself a decent Christian. I had always given time, talent and money. For example, one of my favorites is providing food for the funeral dinners. It’s a simple but very effective way of showing Christian love. What I learned during my almost nine months of treatment was that it didn’t matter whether I had given money or potato salad for the church. God loved me and as a result was going to be with me.

And God was with me every step of the way. To say I was terrified is an understatement. I feared everything, especially the chemo. It was hard knowing that the same medication that could cure me could also seriously damage other parts of my body. But God gave me wonderful doctors and nurses who knew what they were doing. I also had good insurance and access to first-rate treatments. He also gave me some wonderful moments with my son I probably wouldn’t have otherwise had or fully appreciated. There were times I truly felt like Jesus was carrying me as I prepared for the next needle, blood draw or treatment. And He didn’t ask me first whether my tithing was current.

It will be a year on February 6 since I’ve undergone my last treatment, and I’m incredibly grateful. I believe God will answer my prayer that I get to raise my son. I used to pray, help me live even during my treatments. Today I pray, help me use this day wisely. Help me to be a good mom. Help me to be an instrument for you, God.

I think this is what tithing is all about, being an instrument for God. There are some days I’m a better steward than others. But always, I try to remember the scripture passage,

John 17:10, "All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And my glory is shown through them."