A Cheerful Giver

Shelley Pearson • May 26, 2022

There was once a miserly old farmer. He bragged about the $5 lunch he enjoyed with his wife at the local fast-food restaurant (a value menu cheeseburger and drink for each along with a shared fry). His overalls were patched and repatched. He didn’t take vacations or bring home flowers for his wife. He never, ever visited a coffee shop for even a plain black coffee. It seemed understandable. Farmers face a myriad of challenges: droughts, floods, freezing temperatures, the price of grain or milk, the breakdown of expensive machinery, etc. But when this farmer died, he had amassed millions of dollars. Did he ever question whether there was more to life than holding onto as much as he could “just in case”?

We are Called to be Wise and Generous

Saving money for a rainy day and putting money aside for retirement are certainly good ideas. After all, we are called to be smart with our finances: “The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down” (Proverbs 21:20). We are also called to be generous in our giving: “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7b), not only to further the Kingdom but because God knows if we hold money too tightly, we take our eyes off of Him (Matthew 6:21 and 1 Timothy 6:10).

But how much do we give and to where? Thankfully, there is great freedom in looking to God for direction on all matters of our finances, including our giving, and we can never outgive God.

FCA is a donor-supported ministry, and we cannot do any of the work without the generosity of others. Some give $2 (keep reading for a fun story about this), some a million, and many somewhere in between. Dan May has been an FCA donor for over 40 years AND brings others alongside him who become generous givers themselves. He regularly seeks God’s leading on where and how much to give, and he models faithful giving to his friends, family, and others.

Meet Dan May

Dan grew up in East St. Paul with little money. He attended Minnesota State University – Mankato where he studied business, economics, and marketing. He also met Kris, who he later married. FCA had been an integral part of her childhood as her dad, Bill Nieno - beloved wrestling coach and FCA huddle coach in her hometown of Marshall, Minnesota - invested in the lives of many youth through FCA over decades. It was a huge part of her life experience, and she shared that with Dan. That’s why he wrote his first check to FCA in 1980, only one year after he started his career in financial advising.

A young man named Ron Backes came to work for Dan after returning from the Olympics in 1992. Several years after that, Ron joined FCA staff, and Dan became one of his supporters while continuing to support Minnesota FCA in numerous ways. Dan has been a faithful giver for 42 years because he sees the impact FCA makes in the lives of coaches and athletes. Dan says, “Even though we aren’t in there in the locker room, we know that we’re part of the work, and our efforts are making things happen.”

Besides regularly giving a portion of his income, Dan also supports the ministry through an annual bike ride.

FCA 100 - Bill Nieno Memorial Bike Ride

Dan started this ride in 2011 as a way to expand the support of Ron’s ministry while bringing others along for the ride (literally and figuratively). Some of his kids and/or their spouses, as well as nephews, nieces, brothers-and-sisters-in-law and friends join him on the 100-mile fundraising bike ride. Even more family members and some of his grandkids provide support along the way so that all riders finish well. The day is truly a family affair (along with friends who become family) and a tremendous opportunity to share the Gospel, make great memories and raise money for Kingdom work.

Dan’s nephew, Johno, formerly played minor league hockey and is a regular participant in the bike ride. As a hockey player, he had built a following on social media and used that channel to fundraise throughout the ride one year. One five-year-old girl was a huge fan. Her mom showed her Johno’s posts, and she quickly gave $2 to support the ministry (she only had $3). Dan says, “It was like the widow’s mite. That’s what’s been a blessing.” This ride invites so many people to be part of something bigger.

They finish the ride at Dan and Kris’s cabin and enjoy a meal and fellowship time together. Dan says, “We will laugh and cry about the ride, but we sit there at the side of the lake and we’re just hanging out.” There are usually around 15 riders, but 40 people are part of the day. Dan’s brother will be the cook this year. Others set up the meal. His grandkids come to hang out, and they look forward to the day they can join the ride.

Dan says, “It’s a great feeling that God blessed us. We feel good that we got in 100 miles and raised money for the ministry. We’ve been blessed so we try to share the resources we have. Every year we bring in new people and they get to hear the FCA story, and we’re getting a chance to witness to those who join us.”

The 12th annual ride will take place this year on June 24th. Participants will ride round trip from the May cabin in Sturgeon Lake to Duluth via the Munger Trail. The group continues to extend invitations to other friends and family members to join the ride or support riders with financial gifts. Dan has even invited the president of a company he works with. This year will prayerfully bring riders from Los Angeles, Kansas City, and Washington, DC.

What’s Your Choice?

We all have a choice in how to spend the resources God has given us. We can save our money like the miserly farmer or be generous like Dan and Kris and so many other FCA donors. We can hold our finances tightly or hand them over to God, knowing that He knows how to make the biggest impact. We can do work on our own, or like Dan and Kris, we can ask others to join us.

How might God be calling you to give today?

If you’d like to give to FCA, consider one of the following: