Fraternity-Testvériség, 2002 (80. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2002-10-01 / 4. szám
FRATERNITY Page 21 Youth Corner The Blessings of Giving by Kati DePetrillo Somebody once asked me why I was so involved with my church youth group and the volunteer work that we do through and within our church. I assumed that they thought I was doing it to impress colleagues, make myself look good so that I could make it in, which unfortunately ends up being the objective of so many teenagers who are desperate to stand out among the rest. When asked, I immediately knew that this wasn’t the reason, because I know how angry and frustrated I get when I find out that others fall into the habit of volunteering for this reason. Giving should never be an obligation or a ticket to something. It should never be a way to make one look or feel good. Because, then, just like so many activities in life, it turns into yet another selfish act. Yes, very often one receives when one gives but it is unintentional and it happens to be an unexpected gain as a result of the act, rather than the motivation in anticipation of the reward. I’ve come to define giving as really our duty, not just as Christians, but also as people. We were made to put others before ourselves, to give of ourselves, sacrificing time, energy, and more, to make the lives of others better, whether we directly know them or not. If you think about it, and read the Bible, one of the main points of Christianity is just this. Jesus never stopped talking about helping others, living in humility, trying to avoid acting in selfishness. Countless times, this idea is mentioned throughout Scripture. We are told by Jesus that this is the key to life: giving in response to the need of others, not for our own benefit or glory, but purely for the benefit of those being helped. Of course, there are many ways of giving. You may give of your money, for example to a charity or a church. You may sacrifice something of your own and give it to someone who needs it more, for example clothing, food, a cherished item that could make a significant difference in the life of someone else. You may also give of your time, not just in volunteering, but maybe in other ways also. You give your time to your family and friends. Parents give much of their time and energy to their children and later on, when the table turns, children give the same to their parents. Many people give time to their jobs, teaching students, putting out fires, cracking crime cases, saving lives, sometimes getting paid for this and other times not. I know that all of you in this church give your time and energy in ways like these, but you also give much to the church itself. Many of us are on boards and committees. I’ve witnessed, through being part of the Pastor Nominating Committee, wonderful people who sincerely give their time and energy in helping the church find a new pastor, on top of work and much else that makes up busy weekly schedules. All of those who have served as deacons, trustees, and elders have given continually to the well being of this congregation. Many adults have given their time, energy, and ideas in hopes that it will keep our youth and music programs going. The youth, in turn, participate and give their own time and thoughts to these programs and, together, they remain intact and dedicated. In the past few years, we’ve suffered a bit, but we have never faltered as a congregation when it has come to giving. We are constantly giving to each other, to the church, to family, and to people who are less fortunate than we are. I think God would be pretty proud of us, because overall, as a congregation we know what giving is and we know how to do it with sincere care and feeling towards whomever or whatever we are giving to. I think it is this bond, throughout giving as well as through each individual’s willingness to give without the promise of receiving that has held us together and strengthened us as a church. Kati DePetrillo delivered the above sermon at her church, the Schenectady Union Presbyterian Church, on Youth Sunday. Kati is a senior at Schenectady High School and a regular participant at the Hungarian Reformed Youth Camp. She, her parents, Dr. Michael DePetrillo and Lillian Bertalan-DePetrillo, her sisters Bitsy and Lili, as well as her brother Michael, are all members of the Federation. r \ Paul Gyukeri Scholarship The Paul Gyukeri Scholarship in the amount of $250 will be awarded to a member from Branches 501 -502 during this scholastic year. To qualify, the individual must be a member for a minimum of five years and registered in at least the second year of college. For further information, please contact Mrs. Margaret Pauli, Branch Manager, 84 Center Street, Metuchen, NJ 08840. V_______________________)
