Charles Frey: A Life of Giving

When we bought this business from our father it was such a small business. It had two employees. We had a meeting with my two brothers on how are we going to run this business and what are going to be the important things in our life and in our business. At that point we decided that we were only going to take enough to live on. So we decided we would pay these two drivers, $100 a week and we would take $25 a week. So that's the decision we made to start out to make sure we had some profit to give to the Lord. My father, when he took me to church I was like five or six years old. He always gave me a quarter to put in the offering. That taught me to give. And also at home we always had family worship. If the telephone rang, it rang, no one answered it. We had family worship every night. So the way we were brought up and taught at home, and taught to give, I feel like that is the way the Bible found its way into my life.

Running His Business:

We said that we were going to tithe this business, and we were going to tithe 20% of the profit of the dairy, the business, and our own personal profit. That’s the way we started the business. As I look back I see that as the most important decision we could have made, in order to show the Lord that we want to run this business for him. The Lord always honored our business and he always helped us to make money. I don’t think there was a time in our business, any year that we did not make money. So He blessed us in many, many ways. I never set any level of attainment each year. I just lived it everyday as hard as I could live it, just worked it every day as hard as I could work. Whatever we get out of it at the end of the year fine. We almost always made a lot.

Giving to LBC:

If I give this year to support say ten students, and I do that next year, and the next year. When I did that for ten years, think of how many people I have witnessing and on the mission field. Now that is fantastic. If you want to give money where your money returns its investment and keeps returning to the Lord, where is a better place than Lancaster Bible College? We have that fund, that drive every year and I might have a few hundred students out there still at work, my investment is still working.

I am getting along in life and I’m not going to be here too many more years. So I said why wait till I die to give the money. I’ll give it to them now and then they can enjoy it in this new building. It was a building that was greatly needed, that would tie things together, and bring offices together. I think this is a good building. I believe that you should not talk about your giving, I believe that the Lord will honor you if you don't. With this building Dr. Teague came to me and said he wanted me to put that name on their to speak to the rest of the people who have the ability to put their name on buildings. I felt I was really encouraging other people to give. Not only give while I’m giving but give while I’m going. I enjoy giving. But when I was done and started thinking about where I’m going to give, what I’m going to give, and how I’m going to give, I thought you know this is a joy. I spent all of my years making money. I wasn’t as happy as I was then as I am now giving it. It’s going to be a great building for the College, a great building.