Sherwood Historical Society Column: On stewardship

By June Reynolds

SHERWOOD, Ore. — I am in Veterans’ Park one sunny day. The first of the monarch butterflies are fluttering around since their younger days on the milkweed plants we sowed last summer. The children are shrieking to the tune of the robins as they rush across the green. Two adults reluctantly mosey out into the sun. There are four children dashing into a garden of rhododendrons.

Suddenly, Crack! Snap! The children are literally climbing the bushes. With another blood-curdling shriek, a child hurt herself on the broken stick and is running to the adult. The adult keeps scrolling on his phone. I go over and talk to the other three children.

“Hi there. Do you remember me telling you on Monday not to climb on the bushes?” I ask, as I look the familiar urchin in the eyes.

“Yeah, but this is our lair!"

“You will not have a lair if you kill the bushes.” I say evenly. “They are going to die if you don’t leave them alone. You can come in here but you cannot climb the bushes.”

The children ran off, but by this time the adults had come close enough to hear what I said. We have reasoned with the adults before, getting no results. The Rhody Plants were planted decades ago as a memorial to Jim Remillard, boy scout leader of Pack 710, Den 1.

This is why stewardship is so important. We all need to not only be involved but also pass this responsibility to others and their children. Public spaces are to be shared, not decimated. 

Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care, such as an organization, property, financial resources, or the environment. It implies acting as a caretaker or trustee, ensuring that what you manage is protected, preserved, and utilized effectively for the benefit of others. This is our heritage: one where past, present, and future comes together. There are four types of stewardship:

• Environmental Stewardship: Way back in Bible times, this was the primary role of stewardship. The responsibility evolved from ancient household management, to land, crops, and cattle, to religious concepts of creation in the book of Genesis. The responsible use and protection of the natural environment was handed down from generation to generation.  It focuses on conservation and sustainable practices to ensure ecosystems are preserved for future generations.
• Financial & Corporate Stewardship: The ethical, transparent, and profitable management of a company's or an estate's assets. It involves making decisions that protect stakeholders' wealth and the long-term health of the organization or family. Usually there is some sort of trustee who would make decisions about family artifacts. This was where the phrase “generational wealth” came from. In Oregon, the pioneers came out west for a Donation Land Claim. Over the years following that time, people like four-year-old pioneer J.C. Smock was handed land they were to develop with houses, post offices, schools, and roads. It was their responsibility to do this for the village. J.C. Smock brokered the right-of-way for the railroad and platted the nine square blocks of the township with his wife.
• Biblical & Religious Stewardship: The belief that resources (money, time, talents, and the earth itself) are ultimately gifts from God, entrusted to individuals to manage, honor, and share. The male elders or deacons were responsible. This is where the idea of tithing a certain amount of money on a regular basis came in. Every member of the church gave fifteen per cent of their wages to their church.  
• Organizational Stewardship: The act of leading or managing a team, charity, or project. Successful organizational stewardship ensures the group thrives under the leader's guidance. People dedicated to the government and or political parties’ fall into this category.  Civic organizations, functioning for a cause or purpose, are part of this stewardship for the whole community.

Stewardship evolved easily into a modern framework of life.  Taking on any type of stewardship is good for an individual’s mental health. People find value in their work, and an increased sense of accountability. They are eager and happy to serve others. Successful cultures of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans were based on how the majority of the population behaved. Successful cultures are proven to buy-in to the concepts of stewardship.

When I was 12, I dashed into a room where I overheard my mother and aunts talking:

Aunt Gerry: “No, give it to June. She takes care of her things. She is the only kid that knows how to take care of anything.”

“Well, I don’t know ... " countered my mom.

“She’s right.” Said Aunt Helen. The three of them sensed me in the room and stared at me.

As years went on, I became aware of my legacy. That is how I got the Wells family meat platter, which I gave to the museum. I was the steward of many family artifacts. Now, at age 74, the charge is overwhelming. I don’t have things — things have me. But I feel grateful and hope to be a good steward. 

As you read this, we are very deep into summer. We had street theater popping up for America 250, Music on the Green, Explore Sherwood for kids, Robin Hood open house, and Car Show open house. And of course, the museum is open Wed. and Sat. 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Come and take in some heritage!