“Edythe’s Gifts”
(A 3-act skit for Stewardship)
by
Margaret D. McGee
Margaret@inthecourtyard.com
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Washington
from InTheCourtyard.com
Adapted for FBC Delavan
Cast:
EDYTHE, a new member at First Baptist Delavan
ANGEL
DIANNE, Church Financial Secretary
BRENDA, Church Treasures
GREG, Church Moderator
Setting:
Edythe’s living room – table/desk, chairs.
ACT 1: Edythe’s First Gift
(EDYTHE, a new member at First Baptist, is sitting at her desk, waiting for the church financial secretary to stop by)
EDYTHE: (to herself, while checking her watch) Might was well do all these charities all at once, and get it over with. Let’s see. Hospice Foundation. What did I do last year? Looks good. (writes check) Red Cross. Same as last year. (writes check) 4H Program, hmmm. It was great having little Edie stay here while she showed her animals at the Fair. She printed pictures of the awards ceremony for me to put on my frig. I guess we can kick that up a level. (writes check) And First Baptist… Same as the Red Cross?
(ANGEL enters, dressed like an angel)
ANGEL: Excuse me.
EDYTHE: Yikes! You’re not First Baptist’s Financial Secretary… Are you?
ANGEL: I’m your guardian angel.
EDYTHE: Wow! Do I need a guardian angel?
ANGEL: Everyone needs a guardian angel. I’m here to help. Now, why do you give money to these groups?
EDYTHE: Umm… Well, I think they do good work. I support their goals. Why, is there something wrong with this list?
ANGEL: No, it’s fine. Do you support First Baptist for the same reason you support the Red Cross?
EDYTHE: No. I’ve been pretty lucky and haven’t needed the Red Cross for myself. Yet. But I didn’t even know how much I needed First Baptist until I started attending. The worship service, and the people. They took me in and put me to work. I like to be useful. I guess I support these other groups because they make the world better, but First Baptist because it makes me better.
ANGEL: So,… First Baptist makes you better.
EDYTHE: Right. (thinks) Right! (makes out check. Very pleased with herself) Okay, then. They don’t get a donation like that every day. Thanks!
(ANGEL exits)
(DIANNE the Financial Secretary enters, knocks on the door)
EDYTHE: Come in!
DIANNE: Edythe? I’m Dianne, from First Baptist. Did you have some questions about your pledge?
EDYTHE: Have a seat, Dianne. Thanks for coming over, but I think I’ve got it all worked out.
DIANNE: You have?
EDYTHE: Absolutely. Let me tell you what I’m giving to First Baptist this year.
DIANNE: Well, Edythe, I don’t need to know now…
EDYTHE: Oh, that’s okay. I want to tell you, because I had a kind of epiphany about it. I was taking care of all my annual donations to charities and was going to make my pledge to First Baptist pretty much the same as all the others, when I realized just how important the church is to me. First Baptist has really helped me get closer to God.
DIANNE: I’m glad to hear it.
EDYTHE: So here it is. (show her the check) Three times my usual donation.
DIANNE: Why, thank you. Thank you very much. (pause) And that’s for the whole year?
EDYTHE: (slightly disappointed at her response) Yes. A little more than your ordinary donation, I bet.
DIANNE: Well… not really.
EDYTHE: It’s not?
DIANNE: No. As Financial Secretary at First Baptist, I can tell you than many people give in this range. Somewhere between $_____ and $_____ is a very common annual donation.
EDYTHE: Really? This is just average?
DIANNE: Oh no. No, no, that’s not anywhere near average.
EDYTHE: You said it was very common.
DIANNE: Well, the top givers change the average quite a bit. And it’s a good thing they do. We could make it otherwise. More than ____ people gave to the church last year, but the top _____ givers paid for more than half our bills.
EDYTHE: Really? So, what’s the most anybody gives?
DIANNE: This past year, our top few donors, added together, gave more than $___________.
EDYTHE: (Stunned) What? Holy manoli! Man, that’s some commitment.
DIANNE: Yes, it is. But you have to understand, these people have strong ties to the church that have deepened over time. People who give at that level are likely to support First Baptist in a variety of ways, time and talent as well as money. First Baptist is their church.
EDYTHE: First Baptist is my church.
DIANNE: Yes, absolutely. It’s your church, too. And we’re blessed to have you’re here, blessed in every way, and grateful, too. So, are you ready to fill out your pledge card?
EDYTHE: Umm… No. I guess I need to think about it some more.
DIANNE: Well, bless you, Edythe. Let me know if I can answer any other questions. You’ll bring that pledge card to Ingathering Sunday, won’t you?
EDYTHE: Yes, I will. Thanks for coming over, Dianne.
DIANNE: Goodbye, Edythe.
(DIANNE exits)
(ANGEL enters)
EDYTHE: Hello, again. You didn’t exactly tell me everything I needed to know, did you?
ANGEL: (blessing Edythe with a kiss or touch) Under Christ’s direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy, growing, and full of love.
(ANGEL turns and addresses the audience, leaving EDYTHE working on her pledge)
ANGEL: And now you have seen what was done
By Edythe in year number one.
You have seen her first calculation
Of her annual First Baptist donation.
What will she do in year two?
Stick around and we will show you!
(ANGEL exits)
ACT 2: Edythe’s Second Gift
(One year later. EDYTHE is again sitting at her desk. She’s waiting for a visit from her friend Brenda who is the church treasurer.)
EDYTHE: (Studying the church annual report in front of her) These number don’t tell me how much I owe.
(ANGEL enters)
ANGEL: Hello, Edythe.
EDYTHE: My guardian angel! You’ll be proud of me this year. I’m going to pay my way. Can you help me figure out what it is?
ANGEL: I’d be happy to. What do you have?
EDYTHE: I haven’t gotten anywhere. I was looking at last year’s budget, but I don’t know how much of that is mine to pay.
ANGEL: No, forget the budget. The budget doesn’t matter. What do you have?
EDYTHE: I can tell you’re an other-worldly being. I want to be practical this year. It costs money to run a church. I want to may my way.
ANGEL: We’re not talking about the yacht club, Edythe. Now, how much do you have?
EDYTHE: You’re no help. Go away.
(ANGEL exits.)
(BRENDA enters, carrying an empty food container)
BRENDA: He, Edie!
EDYTHE: Hi Brenda, come on in and take a chair. Help me figure this out.
BRENDA: Okay. Here’s your container. Your pumpkin cookies were a bit hit at the Homeless Shelter.
EDYTHE: Oh, good.
BRENDA: Whatcha figuring?
EDYTHE: How much it costs to be a member of First Baptist. That’ll be my pledge this year.
BRENDA: How much it costs to be a member? No, that’s not how we do it.
EDYTHE: It’s how I’m doing it. Come on, Brenda. Just help me with my logic here. The last couple years, our total annual budget, including programs, building expenses, salaries, mission, and everything else, was about $___________________. Now, what’s the total membership?
BRENDA: Around _60_ , I guess.
EDYTHE: Okay. 60 into $______________ makes, umm, $_________ for the year.
BRENDA: Wait a minutes. I should let you suck me into this, but, if you have to do it this way, you ought to be clear about what you’re doing.
EDYTHE: Good. I want to be clear.
BRENDA: That membership number includes families and children. Are you saying that a family of four owes First Baptist four times what you do?
EDYTHE: No. That doesn’t make sense. Okay, so I’ll divide by the number of families. What’s that?
BRENDA: I don’t know offhand. How about the number of pledges? Last year, that was about _____.
EDYTHE: Hmmm. That makes a very different equation. Does every household pledge?
BRENDA: Some do, some don’t. Some don’t pledge but still give quite generously. Some give very little money but might contribute in other ways.
EDYTHE: Gee, Brenda, this is hard to figure out. Okay. Well. I’m going to make the divider _____. That seems fairly accurate for total households, and it’s easy to divide. So if I divide _____ into $______________, that come to $_________. Gulp.
BRENDA: Let’s divide it into monthly and weekly payments, then see what it looks like. (figuring) It comes to about $______ a month, $_______ a week. Now, can you afford $_______ a week, Edie?
EDYTHE: I guess so.
BRENDA: What would you have to give up to pay for it? Anything you can’t live without?
EDYTHE: No. Yes. I mean, if I kept that money, I’m sure I could put it to good use. And it’s more than I give to any other organization. But I could do this and still eat and pay my bills.
BRENDA: Well, I’m asking, because I know other members of First Baptist couldn’t say the same. Some would have to make hard choices in order to pay that pledge.
EDYTHE: I suppose that’s true.
BRENDA: And some won’t give that much, whether they can afford to or not. But we’re all still members, right? We want a place where everyone is welcome, because we all bless each other. We find God’s blessing in the whole body of Christ, not just the ones who may a certain amount.
EDYTHE: Absolutely. I believe that with my whole heart.
BRENDA: So that’s why we don’t do it this way. Do you really think membership at First Baptist means paying for yourself alone?
EDYTHE: It sounded good.
BRENDA: Instead of looking at what you owe, think about looking at what you have.
EDYTHE: What?
BRENDA: After all, Edie, this is not the yacht club. Now, are you ready to make your pledge?
EDYTHE: No, I guess not. I guess I have to think about it some more.
BRENDA: Okey-donkey. Be sure to bring your pledge car on Ingathering Sunday. OK?
EDYTHE: Sure, Brenda.
BRENDA: See you Sunday.
EDYTHE: See you Sunday.
(BRENDA exits)
(ANGEL enters)
EDYTHE: Hello again. You don’t have to tell me, I get it. This is not the yacht club.
ANGEL: (blesses Edythe with a kiss or touch) Under Christ direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy, growing, and full of love.
(ANGEL turns and addresses the audience, leaving EDYTHE working on her pledge)
ANGEL: So Edythe thus chose what to do
For her pledge in year number two.
What will she do in year three?
Stick around a bit longer to see.
(ANGEL exits)
ACT 3: Edythe’s Third Gift
(One year later, EDYTHE is again sitting at her desk. It’s shortly before the time set for a visit from Greg, the church moderator, the lay leader of First Baptist. She is talking on the phone to her friend Betty.)
EDYTHE: Alice, that’s good news… So when’s your next radiation?… Do you have ride?…. Excellent. … You get some rest now…. It’s our team for Potluck duty this Sunday – are you up for it? You can always give me a call, you know. Okay, okay, see you Sunday then…. Love you. Bye. (hangs up)
(ANGEL enters, sits next to EDYTHE)
EDYTHE: (casually) Oh, hi.
ANGEL: (casually) Hi.
EDYTHE: That was Alice on the phone.
ANGEL: How’s she doing?
EDYTHE: Better. Lab reports came back, all good.
ANGEL: Wonderful.
EDYTHE: No kidding. For awhile there, I was afraid we might lose her.
ANGEL: Oh, no. We won’t lose Alice.
EDYTHE: Really? That’s good news. Since you’re here, it must be money time again at First Baptist.
ANGEL: It’s all about love.
EDYTHE: You’re still talking about Alice. Yes, it is all about love. I pray for her every day. But now I have to work on my pledge to First Baptist. I wish I didn’t have to figure it out all over again every year. I wish I was one of those people who find this easy.
ANGEL: I don’t know many people like that.
EDYTHE: You know, the ones who know what they’re supposed to do. I wrestle with it every year.
ANGEL: Yes, it’s all about love.
EDYTHE: What are you talking about? Money and love are two different animals. Just tell me, what’s enough?
(ANGEL shrugs and exits)
(GREG enters, knocking.)
GREG: Knock. Knock.
EDYTHE: Come on in, Greg, and sit down. Thanks for coming over. You know, the last two years, I thought I knew what my pledge was going to be, and I ended up changing my mind both times. This year I’m starting out confused, so maybe that’s progress.
GREG: Tell me what’s confusing.
EDYTHE: To be honest, I keep remembering a pledge drive at my family’s church right before I left for college. The theme was Thankfulness. It was all about giving back to God out of thanksgiving for all that God gives us.
GREG: Okay.
EDYTHE: I was fed up with church back then, and the theme sounded self-serving to me. The idea that I’m supposed to figure out what I owe God, and then give it to my church? I care a great deal about First Baptist, but it’s not God.
GREG: Beside which, you don’t owe God anything.
EDYTHE: I don’t?
GREG: No. Everything we have, our lives, this amazing world we live in – it’s all a gift from God. A gift of love.
EDYTHE: And in exchange, I’m supposed to…
GREG: No! There’s no payback for a gift. You can’t pay back God anyway, because you live in God’s world. The gift of God come to us in the form of a trust. We manage the trust, but we don’t own it.
EDYTHE: “All things come of Thee, O Lord, and of Thine own have we given thee.” It’s a prayer I remember my childhood pastor saying.
GREG: Exactly. Now let me ask you something. What do you think the Apostle Paul meant, when he referred to the church as the Body of Christ?
EDYTHE: Ummm…. Just Paul being Paul?
GREG: Stick with me here, Edythe. Is your body the same thing as ‘you’?
EDYTHE: It’s not all of me, no. My body’s how I do things. But I’m more than that.
GREG: All right. The church grew out of Jesus – the recognition of God’s own child, alive and active and at work here on earth. One of us.
EDYTHE: Right.
GREG: And the church is contained in Jesus today. We’re not just another social group. Unless we believe that God is personally involved here, we’ll never get where we need to go.
EDYTHE: That makes me think of when I took a turn filling in at the church office during Rocky’s vacation. We got a call from Twin Oaks about a woman who needed help paying for a tooth extraction. She was having other troubles too, and – well, long story. Stuff happens.
GREG: That it does.
EDYTHE: I referred the call to Delavan Human Concerns. Our contribution to them from Helpers in Harmony ended up helping to pay the woman’s dentist bill. Then she sent a letter to them that they shared with us. I remember part of it because it touched me. She said, “I can’t thank you enough for helping someone you didn’t even know.”
GREG: I’m glad we were there to help.
EDYTHE: Me, too. She’s not a member here, but it didn’t matter. Stuff happens to anyone, stuff that can make you feel hopeless. Like all the doors are closed. What matters is hope. The chance. When that door cracks open, then yes, I think God is involved. Sometimes I wish I could just give all my pledge to the mission fund.
GREG: But the mission fund is nothing by itself. Your moment of hope needs a place for that woman to come – a place where she’s treated with respect. It needs a phone that works, and someone to answer the phone. In fact, it needs a whole community of people who practice their faith.
EDYTHE: That’s something I love about First Baptist – all the ways we get to practice. From fixing meals for the Homeless Shelter, to packing backpacks with food for children at Turtle Creek School, to send our coins to ministries here in town and all around the world, to coming together every week and praising God. It’s like a giant river, and I get to be a part of it.
GREG: “The river of God is full of water.”
EDYTHE: No kidding. I like that river.
GREG: I do think language that mixes up the identity of the church with God can be confusing. The church building is not God, the pastor is not God, and the whole Baptist denomination is not God. But that moment of hope – that just might be God. All those other things give that moment shape. They’re what brings hope to life. And that is the Body of Christ.
EDYTHE: You know, I was just talking to Alice on the phone.
GREG: How’s she doing?
EDYTHE: Pretty good, overall. She told me how much it meant to have communion brought to her home, when she couldn’t come to the service. Made me think about what I’d want, if something happened to me.
GREG: Me, too.
EDYTHE: Yeah. But it’s not just for us. I want that kind of caring for anyone who needs it. The phones, the place, somebody on the job. And I want that job to be recognized and compensated.
GREG: “The worker deserves his wages.” Luke 10:7.
EDYTHE: Right. First Baptist is here so that anyone can be welcomed into a world where they are loved and cared for. And this is how we do it: With a beautiful and welcoming space. With a pastor who’s there for us and for the whole community. With worship and programs that teach that way of life.
GREG: No that we always get it right. We’re human too. And when the church gets it wrong, I don’t think it gets much wrong-er.
EDYTHE: Even then, deep down, I have to believe it’s part of the struggle toward love. Love is not always easy.
GREG: No. It takes practice.
EDYTHE: So,… my pledge. How much? It always comes down to that, and it’s always a problem.
GREG: That’s why the church teaches proportional giving. It’s fair, and it comes out of our abundance, great or small. My advice is to give a percentage of what you have.
EDYTHE: Right. The tithe. I’ll tell you, Greg, giving 10% of my income to First Baptist would be a big shock to the household budget.
GREG: The principle is more important than the exact percentage. And, Edythe, do you know what? If each household gave just ___% of their annual income to First Baptist – just ___% – we would have no money problems at all. The bills would be paid, our programs could blossom and grow, and we’d have energy and resources to work toward that world where all people are cared for and loved.
EDYTHE: You don’t say. Well, my income next year will probably be pretty close to what it is this year. And I can do the math. (figures) In fact, I can do a little more than that. (Fills out the card, puts it in her purse) For once, I’m ready for Ingathering Sunday.
GREG: I’ll be there, with bells on. Bye now.
(GREG exits)
(ANGEL enters)
ANGEL: So now that we’ve lived and breathed at First Baptist,
Feasted and prayed and cleaned up the campus,
And laughed with each other and cried without shame,
We find that “my” body is one and the same
With your body, his body, her body, God’s!
(Who know this would happen? And against such high odds?!)
Our hearts have been altered by the voice of the dove,
It’s not about cash –
EDYTHE: No, it’s all about love!
The End
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