We know how great it it feels to give to someone you love a gift that is so overwhelming they are speechless. Imagine even more so doing that for a complete stranger. When I lived in California I use to attend a church that did just that and I have to say, I am still emotionally touched by it! Given the various articles on community giving, this story deserved it only blog..
Sometime around the summer of each year, my former church in California, (goharvest.org) would send out several people to churches all over the USA and have them "attend" and scope a church out. No fan-fare involved. The churches had no idea they were there or if they did, they were just "passing through"... I am not really sure of all they were looking for, but they had a mission. Find a church that is so crazy about serving God but has everything working against them.
Once, the "secret pew-warmers" came back to base camp, they would go over their findings and decide what church was the next victim to radical and overwhelming giving plot our church hosted annually. Well... from then our whole church was involved.
Starting in September, all of the members of our church were asked to start donating funds to a offering just for the "supplies" needed for this "struggling" church we were going to bless. Lists of the items were also posted so that if you prefer you could go and purchase the items directly and bring it to our church. Home groups were asked to save up for some of the bigger items and this was a total hands on - all congregation effort. I loved it...
Well, sometime just before Christmas, our pastor would place a call to the pastor of that "hand chosen" church and ask him to come speak at our church. For these pastors, coming from very small community churches to our huge one was in itself probably more than they can handle. They knew that whatever offering was collected for them was more than their church probably saw or brought in throughout the year..
Well the day would arrive for that pastor to speak. The church was packed!! Hankies ready... The worship awesome... The normal platform removed. Instead there were sofas and a living room set set up for the pastor and his family to sit one after he spoke. He would get up and give a Word and deliver his message. Then afterwards he would take a seat on the sofa and that is when the real fun would begin.. (heck I am crying just typing this).
Our pastor would go up there and sit on the sofa and converse with the family and tell the pastor a little bit about why he was there... well as the story goes... My pastor would start off with - there is a 40 foot semi-parked outside of our church. And that semi will be taking to your community church the following items.
Generally all the furniture that they were sitting on. An entire living room set. Then the computers, TVs, computer desks, classroom equipment, sound systems would start to be brought up on stage by the different members of the church. Chairs for their congregation, podiums, musical instruments, but that was not enough.. Many times it was gift baskets for the pastor's wife with several outfits from Macy's, shirts, slacks for the pastor. The kids got bikes, basketball hoops and gift baskets. They got clothes and age appropriate stuff.
I can only tell you that I am not sure if the church or the visiting pastors were crying more. To top it off, they go a fairly nice offering to help their church and community to its feet.
Well readers - to me - that is what the gift of giving is really about !!
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