Sowing Into the Future: Seeds of Faithfulness

In the 1970s, 凯利和谢丽尔·基思利听了一位名叫查尔斯·曼斯克的先驱教育家的话, Concordia’s founding president, 在他们的教堂讲述南加州一所路德教会大学的愿景. His presentation inspired the young couple.

“Our kids were all young and college seemed a long way off, but we were really excited about the vision,” Cheryl says. “当时我们没有多少钱，但我们付出了，我们一点一点地增加了它.”

凯利·基斯利(Kelly keith)曾从事种子业务，1981年，他满怀信心地走出去，创办了自己的公司. Cheryl wasn’t convinced it would work.

谢丽尔说:“刚开始的时候，我们太穷了，无法集中注意力。. “我唯一能想到的就是他挨家挨户地拿着种子包卖给家庭主妇. 我开始哭着说，‘你怎么支持我们这么做呢?’ I had no concept of selling seed by the pound to growers. I figured when it started we would raise our kids, hoping to have enough money to send them to college.”

Kelly had training in agriculture, not business, 但从一开始，他就把公司奉献给上帝，花了很多时间为公司祈祷, his customers and his employees.

“He has been like a mentor to his employees,” Cheryl says. “They feel comfortable coming to him with personal problems. He always points them toward God. 很多人不去教堂，也不读圣经，但这些年来，我们看到他们开始去教堂. He does that not just with employees but everywhere he goes.”

The Keithlys’ seed company grew and today, under God’s guidance and blessing, keith - williams Seeds是北美最大的种子经销商，年销售额为1.1亿美元，拥有150名员工. 该公司从世界各地寻找并分销种子. 他们在特定的种植区域测试种子，这样农民就可以看到结果. They have expanded into transplants, growing seeds into seedlings in greenhouses, 然后把幼苗运到种植者那里，种植者把它们种在地里. Many growers prefer that to planting seeds themselves.

基思利夫妇还在包括康科迪亚在内的许多基督教事工中播下了慷慨的种子.

当上帝祝福我们时，我们能够增加我们的奉献，”谢丽尔说. “Concordia is right at the top of our list next to our church.

我们给教会的一些事工捐款，尤其是康科迪亚, the Lutheran Hour and world missions. That’s where our heart is. We give to lots of other things, too, 但我们喜欢把它集中在人们能听到福音的地方.”

Cheryl’s parents were “big-time tithers,” she says. “从我们知道一美元钞票是什么时候起，他们就教我们什一奉献. It was just the natural thing. 我父亲的收入从未超过385美元，但他非常慷慨，而且非常非常快乐.”

Though raised in a different church denomination, 凯利在和谢丽尔约会的时候就开始参加路德教会的活动，并且热情地加入，“你会以为他是最初的路德教徒。,” Cheryl says. 他在他们在霍尔特维尔的教会担任长老多年，现在是他们现在教会的长老.

“He has such a heart for missions,” Cheryl says. “我总是惊讶于他在吃饭时看到坐在他们对面的人, sharing his faith in a low-key way, 敦促人们进入神的话语，如果他们还没有进入教会，就去教会. 他每天给相当多的人发送路德一小时的祷告，并检查他们是否在阅读.

He's quite the little missionary. He has a long list of people he prays for. He gets up early in the morning. I'll go out and see him with his Bible and prayer list.

基思利的女儿卡拉1992年和苏安就读于康考迪亚大学欧文分校. SueAnn’s husband is a salesman for the seed company. 该公司的运营副总裁娶了基思利的大女儿. 谢丽尔是路德教会妇女传教联盟的礼物规划倡导者，自20世纪90年代以来一直担任CUI董事会成员, 我很高兴这样做，因为这让我更多地参与其中,” she says.

谢丽尔说，她和凯利“对康考迪亚大学现在提供的所有新课程感到惊讶”, 不仅仅是本科生的增长，还有成人课程的增长, master’s degrees, online programs. It’s become so big and far-reaching. 它在社区与信仰和商业论坛上所做的一切, the public policy program, the theatre and music departments that reach into the community, 这个盛大的晚会为奖学金筹集了50多万美元. 自从我们的女儿们上学以来，看到校园的变化，简直无法与现在相比. The leaders they are producing, not just church workers and seminary students and teachers, 而是拥有基督教世界观的商业领袖——这是非常需要的. 商业领袖通常能够触及更多的人，就像我的丈夫一样. 他在三十出头时曾考虑去神学院，但后来决定不去. I think of the people he has reached with his life. 他走遍世界各地，以一种他在讲坛上无法做到的方式影响人们.”

美国种子贸易协会最近授予凯利终身荣誉会员奖, one of the highest awards it gives out. “上帝对我们的祝福远远超出了我们的想象，”谢丽尔说. “我之所以这么喜欢它，是因为它让我们分享了这份礼物. We can live quite simply. 快乐来自于能够分享这些礼物，并以这种方式使用上帝的钱.”

When they die, 基思利的遗产将会被转交给六个不同的路德教会-密苏里教会，包括康考迪亚大学欧文分校.

谢丽尔说:“这太令人兴奋了，在我们离开后，上帝的祝福还会持续很久。. “对康考迪亚学生生活的任何投资都将在几代人中得到多方面的祝福，因为这些学生走出去并使用他们所学到的知识。, whether in church work, school, business, medicine, engineering, whatever. 他们不仅仅是在学习学术知识，而是在学习一种生活方式.”

想到自己和凯利在康考迪亚大学欧文分校成立之前就开始捐赠，她感到很兴奋, “when it was still just a vision,” she says. “那时候，如果你告诉我们，在我们生命的这个阶段，我们会参与什么，我们不会相信你. It was inconceivable. It’s been an exciting ride.”