Blessings by the Bushel
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
- Jesus in Matthew 13:23
As farmers prepare their fields for planting, NLOM prepares the hearts of young people to receive the seeds of faith. We often have to break through the hard ground of disbelief, work topsoil so that roots will grow deep, weed out the thorns that choke the Good News, and cultivate fertile soil that produces a plentiful harvest.
The seeds you plant in your field can help the seeds of faith sown in the hearts of our youth. We encourage you to consider donating bushels of corn, soybeans, wheat or other commodities directly to NLOM. While you will likely receive tax advantages for your gift, you will receive a greater blessing by making an eternal investment in the lives of Nebraska’s children and teens.
Tax Advantage*
| Donating Cash | Donating Grain | |
| Grain Value | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Income to Farmer |
$5,000 | $0 |
| Federal Income Tax (28%) |
$1,400 | $0 |
| State Income Tax (7%) | $350 |
$0 |
| Self Employment Social Security Tax (15.3%) |
$765 |
$0 |
| TOTAL DONATION | $2,485 |
$5,000 |
*For illustration only. Consult your tax advisor for information specific to your situation.
Reasons to Give
Beyond the tax advantages, there are many reasons to make a commodity gift to NLOM.
• Invest in the potential and promise of our young people.
• Support the local community by raising strong, faithful leaders.
• Develop younger, more enthusiastic members of your congregation.
• Enable NLOM to reach children and teens through relevant programs.
• Increase the number of young people who are able to attend camp.
How to Give
Please complete the Blessings by the Bushel form below. We will create an account at your chosen elevator and provide grain disposition instructions. Upon delivery of your commodity to the elevator, please request that the donated bushels be placed into NLOM’s account. If you or your elevator operator have any questions, please contact Jason Gerdes toll-free at (888) 656-6254 or at 402-430-1693.
Grain Elevators with NLOM Accounts
If you do not see your grain delivery location on the list, please contact Jason Gerdes at 1-888-656-6254 or e-mail •This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it• and we will set up an account for you.
Fill the Bin!
Goal: 70,000 total bushels Deadline: January 31, 2012
Blessings by the Bushel Pledge Form
From Farmer to Pastor: Roots Remain Strong
Written by Timothy Koester
NLOM’s leadership development work is vital to the health of our church and communities. I am pleased to endorse the Blessings by the Bushel program. Giving grain is a terrific way to support such a dynamic ministry.
____________________
There is no escaping the connection humanity has with the earth but some are privileged with a ‘unique’ relationship to the soil. I am blessed to be among them because I grew up on a Nebraska farm, the only son of farmers, from families who tilled the land for as far back as anyone can trace them. When other kids rode bikes in imagined races, I hooked my oversized tricycle to pretend disks and farmed the graveled yard in back of the house.
Rural life shaped me in profound ways and eventually I came back to the family farm after receiving degrees in Agronomy and Agricultural Honors at the University of Nebraska. There were opportunities to follow other career paths but I wanted to come back to my community, contribute to the tradition that formed me, and raise another generation of farmers.
For nearly twenty years, that is what my wife Shelli and I did. Yet all the while, God was carefully preparing us to work in a different kind of harvest.
Faith, and the community of the faithful, shaped my life from the very beginning. My family was very involved within our local congregation and I attended the Lutheran school at our church until the eighth grade. However, it wasn’t until I went to camp as a junior in high school, that faith took on added dimensions. There I ‘encountered’ God in new and fresh ways as we spent time in small groups where we shared our doubts, fears, and dreams with one another. I witnessed faith in action through the example set by the adult leaders and pastors who directed the camp and I even met a beautiful young woman who would eventually become my wife!
It was at the 2004 Nebraska Synod Assembly that the seed God had been nurturing within me finally burst through the soil and unfurled its leaves. Through a series of odd and unusual events Shelli and I both heard an unequivocal call to not wait until our kids were through school - to not wait until the timing was right for us – but to go now and follow the call into ordained ministry.
It was a difficult step to consider, especially for our two children, but after planting my final crop and tending it all summer, we headed for Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque. I interned at a rural four-point parish in southern Wisconsin and when our senior year came around, we requested to return to Nebraska.
We are now engaged in a vibrant ministry at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran in Bloomfield. We have returned to a rural parish to once again contribute to the tradition that formed us and grow in faith together with the good people of this place.
Regardless of where we are in life, the soil that clings to our roots will come with us - for the new future that awaits grows from the deep history we have been blessed with.
Giving Options
27416 Ranch Road, Ashland, NE 68003 • 1-402-944-2544