Announcing a new book on Stewardship as lifestyle
by Jerry L. Schmalenberger
I was raised on a little Darke County farm outside Greenville, Ohio. Behind the
farmhouse situated near a narrow creek, we had a springhouse. On a hot day
in August it was quite a treat to leave my assigned work hoeing corn to drink of
that refreshing cool water. The trouble was that on those hot days the pitcher
pump had to be primed before one could pull any water from the dug well.
My father always kept a tin coffee can in the shade of the overhang of the roof
for that purpose. When you first poured the water from the can into the top of
the pump while pumping the handle, the water would come pouring out. But the
family rule was that you should not drink any of the water until you first
re-filled the can and placed it back in the shade of the rafter for the next
thirsty person before you drank any for yourself. That was stewardship.
In this book on the subject we will talk about refilling the can and giving
careful consideration as to how we can share the good water. It will be one of
our metaphors for living a lifestyle that provides for future generations,
making sure that our grandchildren and great-grandchildren might also have
enough to live well.
Some chapter headings in my new book: I. Defining the Stewardship Concept. II.
Stewardship Lifestyle Implications. III. Stewardship Warnings. IV. Stewardship
and Congregational Life. V. Raising Funds for Mission. VI. Stewardship stories.
Published by
Fairway Press of Lima, Ohio, “The Stewardship of All Believers; A Lifestyle
and Ministry for These Times” is available by sending your check
for $20 made
out to “Friends of LTS/USA & Canada” to the author, Jerry L. Schmalenberger, 162
Pelican Loop, Pittsburg, CA, 94565. The shipping is free and the entire proceeds
will go to the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong.
Jerry L. Schmalenberger
Retired President, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, CA
Affiliated faculty, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Hong Kong
Affiliated faculty, Huri Kristen Batak Protesten Seminary, Sumatra
Affiliated faculty, STT-Abda Sabda Seminary, Medan, Indonesia
Guest lecturer, HKBP Balige Deaconess School, Sumatra