SOURCE
http://www.covchurch.org/cov/news/item3466.html
What Kind of Difference Can $100 Make?
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TOPEKA, KS (January 23, 2004) - What do you get when you take $3,300
and give it to your parishioners $100 at a time?
At Brookwood Covenant Church, the answer is a "kingdom assignment"
that is changing the lives of people inside and outside the church
walls. A southern California congregation's stewardship of $10,000
became a best-selling book in 2001 entitled The Kingdom Assignment.
Using that experience as a model, Brookwood Covenant gave 33 people
money with instructions to better their world - and better it they
did, creating stories in the process that glorify God and his
goodness.
"Our results have not been the same as the book, but we didn't expect
that they would be," said associate pastor Joan Porter, who has been
on the pastoral staff at Brookwood Covenant since 1991 and was a
driving force behind the kingdom assignment at her church. "In the
book, people multiplied their money for bigger projects - I haven't
heard that being done here yet. But, I've got to believe that many of
the people in the book did exactly what our people have done."
Porter preached on November 23 using I Corinthians 4:7 and the words,
"What do you have that you did not receive?" as the basis of her
sermon. She challenged the congregation to give of what they had
received and then issued an invitation. "If you are willing to accept
a Kingdom Assignment, would you please come to the front of the
sanctuary?"
A total of 27 people walked up to the front of the church during the
first service and six more did likewise during the second. Porter
handed each of them a crisp $100 bill and instructions for how they
could use it. The $100 had to bring glory to God, the gift had to be
consistent with the mission statement of the church and those giving
away the $100 had to report back to the church within 90 days. The
results are due on February 21, the kickoff date for Brookwood
Covenant's "40 Days of Purpose" event.
"I had been working on an idea to give the congregation 'X' amount of
money for this project and my senior pastor Paul Barnes said, 'I've
got a book for you to read,'" said Porter, who knew nothing of the
best-selling story. "There was more than $4,000 in the mission fund at
the church and when I told them of the idea, the mission committee
said, 'Go for it.'
"I wish I could've seen the look on all 27 of their faces - they came
up without a clue of what they were going to have to do - but I heard
the reaction by the congregation," Porter continued. "The thing we had
to make sure they understood was that they (dollars) weren't supposed
to be multiplied and turned back in - it was supposed to be used for
God's glory in the community."
It has become obvious to Porter and Barnes that the Kingdom Assignment
at Brookwood Covenant has been worth every penny. Porter told of a
recently retired schoolteacher who invested her $100 in the lives of a
single mom and her two children. The retired schoolteacher hopes to
serve as a "surrogate grandmother" for the family, Porter said. The
pastor then recited a number of other examples of how the funds were
invested by the 33 individuals to help make a difference:
A few parishioners knew that a nearby Covenant church planter was in
attendance at church and donated the $100 bills for his new
congregation while adding their own funds.
Some identified individual families outside of the church and their
funds were used to help some families during the Christmas season and
help others struggling to pay bills.
Some funds were sent to support world mission ministries conducted by
the denomination - one individual included a significant amount of
their own money to support mission efforts.
"It's been fun and challenging and an eye-opening experience," said
Porter. "People have said they feel so much more responsible for the
$100 they received. But the truth is, we're responsible for all of the
money we receive. The bigger accomplishment in all of this is what God
does in people's lives. I know that people have gained an awareness of
the needs around them."
Brookwood Covenant is located in Topeka, a city of more than 100,000
people located in the northeastern part of Kansas. The church has an
average worship attendance of 140 and Barnes has been the senior
pastor since 1996. More information about the Kingdom Assignment at
Brookwood Covenant will be posted to this online Covenant news report
at www.covchurch.org once final reports have been delivered later next
month.
At least three Covenant congregations have taken the Kingdom
Assignment or its principles and used them in some sort of church
stewardship experience. They include Disciples Covenant Church in
Tucker, Georgia; the Evangelical Covenant Church of Hinsdale,
Illinois, and Creekside Covenant Church in Redmond, Washington.
Covenant Communications is interested in receiving stories from other
congregations that have pursued similar stewardship efforts.
Information may be sent by email to newsdesk@covchurch.org, by regular
mail to the Department of Communication, 5101 N. Francisco Avenue,
Chicago, IL, 60625, or by telephone to staff writer Craig Pinley at
773-478-4631.
Copyright (c) 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church.
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