LORD, what do You want to do through me to fulfill Your will for KUMC?

Growing Our Faith Through Generosity

Some Thoughts From KUMC Members - September 2023

Betty Jo Koons

Betty Jo Koons joined KUMC in June, 2023. She said, “When I walked through the door for the first time, I felt everyone was putting their arms around me!” She’s a member of the Seekers Class & participates in LifeLines & Movie Nights.

Betty Jo said a generous spirit is definitely evident in the church because she’s seen generosity of kindness, volunteering & serving. Even her family & guests have said what a warm & welcoming church KUMC is. They’ve been impressed by the number of people who have spoken to them & welcomed them to worship services & other church event.

Already Betty Jo has helped with the yard sale & preparing newsletters to be mailed. She’s been eager to explore other ways to serve & has just joined the ministry of the Prayer Group!

Kathee Cernicky

Kathee Cernicky has been a KUMC member since 1969. She feels that being generous has increased her faith & said, “It always works out when you trust God.” Kathee enjoys getting the social hour together each month. She said, “Some months, it doesn’t look like things will come together, but God always comes through as He works through people in the congregation who step up at the last minute.

Kathee has enjoyed helping with Bible School, children’s events & numerous other activities through the years & feels it’s just something we are supposed to do when stewardship becomes a way of life. “It becomes a way of life,” she said, “because we are the church. We are the hands & feet of God, & when we serve God & care for His people, it makes Him happy. God gives everything to us each day, so why shouldn’t we be good stewards for Him?”

Kathee’s very active in our church & sings in the choir & likes building on her strengths & abilities. She said, “Sometimes I even think about trying new things & getting out of my comfort zone! As we age we can’t always do as many things as we’d like to do, so I’ll enjoy working & contributing to the life of the church as long as I can.”

Jim Ketner

Jim has been a KUMC member since 1975. He has always enjoyed serving God &helping people in need. Jim believes growing in his relationship with God has led him to increase his faith. He knows that without God, he can do nothing. He said, "I don't question, 'why.' Ijust trust God. I trust His will." Jim cites the love our members have for one another as evidence of our church's generosity. He sees our congregation as genuine & welcoming. He loves seeing the smiles on people's faces. Jim longs to continue growing in numerous areas.

He feels church attendance & LifeLines help him grow in the area of scripture &Bible study. Studying scripture helps him, personally, & he likes knowing scripture verses to share with others who might be struggling. Jim always enjoys outreach opportunities as a way of being God's hands & feet. "We're all God's people. I want to keep on learning. The older we get, the hungrier we are for more of what God has for us. I want to share God's Word. I want to do everything He has called me to do."

Brenda Lynch

Brenda Lynch has been a member of KUMC since July, 2001. After last year’s “The Privilege of Giving” stewardship emphasis, Brenda set a goal to increase, & be more consistent in, her financial giving. She was committed to the idea of “First Fruits Giving.” Brenda said she wasn’t sure giving as she planned would work out, but it did! She has no regret taking this step. She said it increased her faith seeing how God was at work to help her fulfill her commitment. She’d like to encourage everyone to step out in faith & do the same.

Brenda considers stewardship to be a way of life. She said, “We build our faith in Christ by helping ourselves through Bible Study, which she enjoys, by helping others & by trusting that the Lord will provide & take care of us. Brenda said, “God is generous, helps us endure all things & is faithful! He does everything for us! Giving & serving Him & others is something we can do for Him.”

Brenda would like to increase the ways she serves our church in the coming year & said she already has some ideas in mind!

Whitney Lang

Whitney Lang has attended KUMC since her birth. She was christened here & became a member when was confirmed around age 13. She enjoys serving wherever her God-given strengths & gifts can be used, whether in her business & personal life or for the benefit of the church. Whitney sees great value in stewardship, offering back to God & helping the church financially.

Whitney’s interested in growing further in the areas of generosity & faith. She said, “Even though I have a goal to increase my financial giving, I know everything I do for the church is like an offering to God, & my ability to keep the Website active helps the church, too.”


While Whitney currently has time constraints, she’s identified areas of interest for the future. “There are things I’d like to help organize & implement one day, like ways to involve more families, especially young families; explore educational opportunities & new topics, such as apologetics & other topics of interest to the church & potential members; maybe a class/workshop on what to say to & how to encourage people who are teetering in their faith or who want to increase their faith; provide a space & place for seekers to ask questions.

Whitney also likes the idea of teaming up with nearby churches, building on each other’s strengths, to accomplish things so churches don’t have to duplicate their efforts.

Pat Brauer

Stewardship becomes a way of life. The more we give, the less we miss it! God has always been with us & there for us in tough times. Whenever I hear of people in need, like in Maui, my heart is so touched. I'm thankful for the opportunity to give to UMCOR & make a difference. We want to be generous, & giving feels so good! I wish we could help everyone. We don't want to see anyone hungry, down or in need.

I used to teach. Today I continue to enjoy helping & encouraging others, making them feel good or helping them feel better. Taking food to others is an example. I believe the more we serve, the more we enjoy serving. Our own efforts of generosity encourage us to keep on. I strive to use the gifts & abilities God's given me. Sometimes I wish I could step out & do different things.

My wonderful Mother was a fine example of generosity. I'm one of twelve children, & she was loving, caring, steadfast & generous with sincere compliments to each of her children, always making us feel special. Even when she had "nothing," I'd watch her put coins in the offering plate, just like the story of the widow in Mark & Luke. I want to emulate her.

I've had a marvelous life - wonderful parents & a wonderful husband. I've been blessed in so many ways. I wish I could express, even to God, just how thankful I am.

Sandy Jordan

In her book, Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach states, “Worship is withdrawing from the world to honor Spirit... any workplace can be a temple.” That means a bar, restaurant, ballpark, doctor’s office, grocery or retail store, airport gates – anywhere! Keep those places in mind...

We grow our faith by being generous in the area of witnessing. When we are thankful for God’s generosity toward us we have an avenue for growing our faith. We feel compelled to talk about faith with others, even strangers. Speaking with others from the depths of our faith enables our personal faith, & theirs, to grow. This is our ministry.

In 2012, Roy, a man in my Eufaula, AL church, gave a few of us copies of Praying for Strangers, by River Jordan. What an impact that book had on me. Our KUMC Seekers Sunday School Class even used the book for a lesson series.

The author set a goal for one year to approach one stranger a day & offer to pray for them. She didn’t usually pray on the spot, but promised to pray for them throughout the day & again that night. Reading her experiences was inspirational. It’s something I’ve enjoyed putting into practice for years, although I don’t do it daily. It’s a soft way of witnessing that’s been meaningful, emotional, rewarding & most enjoyable!

When people sense you really care, it’s amazing how they open up & let you into their lives. Since I began praying for strangers, only twice has the person declined. (I prayed for those folks even more!) Sometimes, the person has asked if the prayer could be for someone else. In fact, most of the requests are for others. Once you pray for someone, it’s not easy to forget them. Some have even offered to pray for me – a double blessing! Faith quickly becomes the focus in a wonderfully natural way.

This works in all the places mentioned above & more. When friends are with me on praying expeditions, they become engaged in the process, too. I’ve been told by some friends that they’ve returned to the same establishment & been remembered by the “prayees,” who often say, “I remember you! You were with the lady who prays for people!” What a great way to be remembered, & what a meaningful way to connect with God’s children!

Join me in growing our faith through the generosity of witnessing... Be prepared… it might change your life!

Johnny Hayes

Johnny’s been a member of KUMC since 1999. When asked if generosity increases our faith, he said, “Of course!” Johnny demonstrates stewardship as a way of life through his presence & giving. He appreciates God’s knowledge that he (& all of us) have fallen short of His glory. Johnny said he’s thankful for the life God has given him. He’s also thankful for the talents God has given him. He said, “My talents & passion for the arts have brought me much joy. So has giving to the church. I’ve enjoyed this nice long walk with the Lord!”

Nora Harvey

Nora has been attending KUMC about 18 months. She met Cheri Bennett in the grief group, & accepted Cheri’s invitation to attend a church service. Years ago, Nora had a difficult time, domestically. Circumstances alienated her from “church.” Years later, when her twin sons were born, she saw to it that they were baptized, & she took her first grandson to church. She continued seeking God. When she began attending worship here, she invited Dan Sisson, whom she met in the same grief group, to meet her at church & visit, too.

Nora agrees that being generous increases our faith in the long run. She said, “Sometimes we have to look back to see evidence that God has been working in our lives. The first time I came here I felt absolutely at home & welcomed by the people. I’m still getting to know people. I enjoy being social, but I can also be a loner.” She continued, “Faith is giving. Giving brings me joy. I think this is a generous church. I want to be more generous & look forward to learning more. I think we learn stewardship as we get older.”

Nora has volunteered to serve in a couple of areas, & each time something prevented her from doing so. She looks forward to learning about ways to serve & participate, maybe with VBS, Mission Dinners and more.

Stewardship