Your Generosity Enables Trinity’s Generosity

One of the things I admire most about our congregation is its generosity. Whether providing a free reception after a concert, starting a new nonprofit to meet a need in Berks County, or sharing our offerings with God in the offering plate, Trinity is a profoundly generous congregation.

One of the greatest ways that Trinity’s members have been generous in the past is through estate gifts. In the last issue of Steeple Notes I shared with you about A. Raymond Bard, whose bequest helped our congregation modernize its office space and help generations of Trinity members to attend college more easily. But Bard’s gift is not the only one that has resonated through Trinity’s history.

In fact, in 2024 Trinity received a number of generous estate gifts from its members, both large and small. Some of these, like Bob Reimer’s, were designated–in Bob’s case, his love of Trinity’s steeple led him to designate the largest percentage of his estate for the care of this Reading landmark. In other cases, we received undesignated bequests from longtime members like Helen Roberts, trusting that Trinity’s leaders would know best how to use this gift to help perpetuate Trinity’s as we approach this congregation’s fourth century.

When we receive an undesignated bequest, Trinity practices tithing–the same practice that many members of this congregation, myself included, practice in our weekly stewardship. Trusting that God will provide for us, Trinity sets aside 10% of these undesignated funds to a purpose outside of the congregation.

Historically, these funds have been used in various ways–sometimes locally, other times globally. But they’ve always been used to benefit others rather than ourselves. Trinity’s Vestry decided in 2024 that we wanted to narrow our focus to work in Berks County–so we set aside the 10%, which grew as the year progressed.

As I have been getting to know other nonprofit leaders in our community, I’ve been listening for possible partnerships. I wanted this gift to make an impact over multiple years–not to just support a campaign to pay heating bills and salaries (necessary as those things are). As I drank coffee, had lunch, or walked around downtown with fellow leaders, a number of possibilities arose–but none was the right size or would have the impact we were looking for. That is, until I heard about a dump truck.

In a lengthy and wide-ranging meeting with leaders from Habitat for Humanity, they mentioned in passing a need for a quality used dump truck. You see, in their mission of rehabilitating old homes and building new ones, they were met by a bottleneck: waiting for (and paying for) the disposal of soil and other debris. This not only slowed down their work crews, it also ended up significantly increasing the costs of their homes, which are passed on to the future residents. They had the volunteers and the place to dump the fill for free–they just didn’t have a truck.

I shared this with the Vestry, and they agreed that this sounded like the kind of opportunity we were thinking and praying about. Through business connections, Steve Welz helped us identify a high-quality used dump truck at a dealer in Lebanon for a price that neatly matched what Trinity had set aside. Habitat was sceptical that a good truck could be had at that price, but they travelled down 422-W anyway. When they got there, the truck was perfect–the right size, low mileage, and with everything in perfect working order and no rust. You might even say it was heaven-sent.

I got to work sharing the news with Vestry and getting the appropriate approvals. Habitat got to work reserving the truck and getting their titles together. Construction Masters Services, a local contractor that helped us to find the truck, offered to pay for the wrapping of the truck–a significant expense!

Soon, folks all around Berks County will see a new, brightly-colored Habitat for Humanity dump truck with Trinity’s logo prominently displayed on the side. When you see it, I want you to think about the generosity of all those saints who have gone before us. We see their work around us here at Trinity prominently–but this congregation’s generosity doesn’t stop at the edge of our property line.

Yes, Trinity is a generous congregation. But it is your generosity that makes this possible, aided by the guidance of the Holy Spirit.