Pastor Kathryn Gulbranson

November, 2008

On my internship, I had as a mentor one of the finest pastors I know. His name was Iver Haugen. He wanted me to get a broad scope of the ministry in that congregation in Bellevue, Washington. And he always found creative ways to do that for me.

One day, he told me to call this particular family – Steve and Amy – and visit them. “They’re expecting your call” he informed me. “I want you to visit them, because they are tithers here at Cross of Christ. It’s important for you to spend some time with a faithful couple like them before you become a pastor.”

I was intrigued. I imagined all sorts of things about them. Since the congregation had 2,700 members, I had no idea who they were. I suspected, though, that they were a bit older (I was twenty-seven, so by “older” I meant someone my age now!), well established in their careers and most likely lived in a nice home in the hills of Bellevue.

Before I knocked on their door, I checked the address once again. It was an apartment complex in the “flat” part of Bellevue. When they opened the door – I did recognize them! They attended the weekly lectionary study we held at the church. They were in their early thirties. She had beautiful, long black hair and always wore bright red lipstick and had bright red nails. (Funny what you remember!) He was handsome.

They were overjoyed that Pr. Haugen had “chosen” them to speak to me about their stewardship. They shared with me that they volunteered at the church, helped serve meals at the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner which the Roman Catholics put on each year and yes, they gave ten percent of their income to the church.

Their home was simply furnished and their car wasn’t fancy. They told me that they planned to have children soon, and were saving up a little each month for those upcoming expenses.

I don’t really remember the rest of the details of my visit with them. What does stand out for me are two things:

• Their JOY: They loved each other, they loved the church and they clearly loved God. They weren’t embarrassed to share all of their joys with me.

• They were not AFRAID: I do remember explicitly asking them if they were afraid to give that much money away each month. They were not. They considered it one of the many ways they could express their gratitude to a God who was deeply in love with them.

Along the way, on our faith journeys, we encounter saints who inspire us. I still remember Amy and Steve and the impact they had on my faith. As I’ve shared before, Thomas and I are making our way back to being tithers after Nikolas’ many heart surgeries. We’ve just made the decision to raise our giving, once again, in 2009.

I remember Amy and Steve every time I consider what a joy it is for us to give!

In Christ,
Pastor Kathryn


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