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www.al.com - Press Register
On a mission to live out parable of talents
White House Fork church raises close to $19,000 to help those in need
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
By BETH OSBORNE
Correspondent
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WHITE HOUSE FORK — In September, pastor Rick Brewster put 25 members of his Whitehouse Fork Ministries church on a nine-week mission.
Brewster said he hoped the end result would encourage parishioners to continue moving out of their safety zone and into the world of putting others in need before themselves.
The project, based on the "Kingdom Assignment" program that started in a California church in 2000, centers around the parable of the talents found in the New Testament book of Matthew, chapter 25.
It tells of a master who, before going on a journey, gave some of his "talents," or money, to several of his servants. Two of the servants put the money to work and the investment grew, while the third servant simply dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
Upon his return, the master praised the two who had grown the money, commending them as "good and faithful servants" and rewarding them with increased responsibilities. The third servant was punished for being lazy.
The White House Fork church, formerly known as White House Fork Pentecostal Holiness Church, committed to giving $2,500 toward its project. The money was distributed to 25 church members in the form of $100 bills. They were instructed only to spend the next nine weeks doing something outside themselves and somehow make the money grow and be used to touch people's lives that they might not otherwise be able to help.
On a recent Sunday, participants shared their stories with the church and visitors on "Kingdom Assignment Story Day," and Brewster was overjoyed with the extent to which the project had reached not only the community of White House Fork, but other areas of the country and even across the world into Africa.
"We feel like, on a conservative estimate, 1,091 people have been or will be impacted as recipients" of money, items or services resulting from the Kingdom Assignment, Brewster said the following Monday morning. Based on reports from that Sunday, the $2,500 originally handed out to members had grown to almost $19,000, and was still growing in several projects started by parishioners, Brewster said.
"This is from a church that averages having 100 people on Sunday morning," Brewster noted.
"It was just a great day all around on so many levels," said Brewster, who came to the church as lead pastor in March.
Brewster and his wife, Debbie, who shares the duties of lead pastor with her husband and who did most of the logistical planning for the Kingdom Assignment project, first heard of the program while living in Australia.
Brewster handpicked five leaders of the White House Fork church to read the book about the program, received positive feedback, and then got a commitment of $2,500 from the church administrative team for a Kingdom Assignment project. He got input from the team to select members of the congregation to be involved in the project, with ages ranging from 10 to 74.
The project was kept secret until one Sunday morning in September, when Brewster's sermon focused on the parable of the talents. At the end of the sermon, Brewster called up the members and gave them envelopes with $100 bills inside.
Groups and individuals that were helped in the Whitehouse Fork Ministries mission included the elderly, the homeless, the North Baldwin Literacy Council, Operation Christmas Child, needy and troubled children at area schools, a United Way anti-drug program, the Angel Tree ministry, an underprivileged school in Texas, and numerous local families in need.
Member Bill Jackson started a library and media center for the church.
Two people felt their calling was to help in Africa. One raised money to buy bicycles for African pastors, while another continues on his goal to raise $10,000 to help in the completion of a school in Africa.
One parishioner felt a need to buy and collect gift cards for needy families to have for Christmas. One employee of Wal-Mart heard her talking with a manager about her mission, and started sending her anonymous gift cards. Others followed suit, and she raised more than $1,100 in money and gift cards.
Betty Godwin's initial reaction to receiving the challenge was "I had so much to do, and I thought, 'Here's another assignment.'"
"My prayer was for something quick and easy ... but God gave me something long and hard and involved. But when he closed one door, he opened so many others," she said.
Godwin and her husband, Ron, have horses they love to ride. After much prayer, they decided to start an equine therapy program for special needs children and adults. So far, they've raised nearly $3,300.
Betty Jo Rider turned 69 in January. Her mother had died at the age of 69, and Rider said she had become reflective.
"I said, 'Lord, what is there left for me to do?' When I opened that envelope, it was like a spark was ignited and I thought, 'God, you're not through with me yet,'" Rider said.
Rider decided to collect and purchase blankets for the Waterfront Rescue Mission in Mobile to help the homeless stay warm this winter. Her grandson, 12-year-old Christopher White, decided to collect pillows to go along with the blankets. Rider's family all jumped in, and spent part of Thanksgiving Day feeding the homeless and handing out the blankets and pillows.
Roselyn Plato was not as thrilled when she first received the money; in fact, she said she was scared to death. She and her grandson started praying over what to do. Money started coming in, and she held a yard sale and raised more than $400. Finally, prayer led her to two projects — the Angel Tree program, and to help the congregation raise money to build a church overseas.
"I wanted to do something to 'pass it forward,' and to help somebody who could then help somebody else," Plato said. "I thank God for the opportunity our church and Brother Brewster gave us to help others. The Bible says everybody has spiritual gifts, but I didn't know what mine was. I realized my gift is helping somebody and giv ing to others."
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