McKernan Baptist Church

WALKING IN STEP WITH GOD'S SPIRIT: BEING A GOOD STEWARD
by Pastor Sharon Harewood

I’m a farm girl at heart, so I was delighted to have the opportunity to attend the harvest fundraising event hosted by the Leduc & District Chapter of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank* (CFB) on October 20th. The CFB, a Canadian inter-faith initiative, provides emergency relief to hungry people in countries where there has been drought and other disasters and promotes food security by helping needy people grow their own food and become more self-sufficient. Due to anticipated inclement weather on the day planned for the fundraising event, the grain was harvested the previous day. However, the cool weather and the absence of combines actually harvesting the grain did not detract from the significance of the event and the obvious passion farm families and their supporters feel as they make a financial
commitment to help feed hungry people around the world.
Vernon and Cam Klapstein (father and son team) have been directly involved in selling grain to help feed hungry people around the world since the 1980s, long before there was a local chapter of the CFB. In the early years Vernon delivered grain to the local elevator and donated it to this organization. Thirteen years ago, Cam was involved in establishing a Leduc and District Chapter of the CFB.
I was curious about how their involvement in the CFB reflected their Christian faith, so I asked them. Cam did a lot of travelling in his younger years and visited countries where he saw a great deal of poverty. He was struck by “how blessed we are in Canada”. As a farmer who is able to grow more than enough grain to meet his own needs, he saw an opportunity to respond to the needs of people who were less fortunate. As a Christian, he saw this initiative as a means of “being a good steward of what God has given us”. Vernon echoed his support for Cam’s perspective and reminded me that farmers are dependent on God - they can work hard, plant the seed and harvest the grain, but it is God who gives the sun, rain and wind that make the crops grow.
Vernon and Cam are examples of people who are committed to ‘walking in step with God’s Spirit’ by using their gifts, talents and resources to care for less fortunate people. Their story reminds us that we don’t need to leave home to be involved in what God is doing around the world. It is also a reminder of the importance of being good stewards of the talents and gifts God has entrusted to us. If you would like more information about how the Klapstein family intentionally uses their talents and gifts to serve the Lord, talk to them some Sunday at Higher Grounds!