An Eagle River church, which has served the JBER and Chugiak area for the last 41 years, decided to do something a little out of the ordinary after paying off the last of its debt.
This past Sunday, The Sanctuary of Eagle River gave a $20 “Personal Ministry Fund” to everyone in attendance – about 40 people. This was during the celebration of paying off the last debt of the church, about $31,000 in 8 months, making it a debt-free ministry.
The $20 gifts to the Sunday faithful were born of the belief that every Christian deserves to be empowered and supported to share the Gospel.
While the Pentecostal church holds to traditional, conservative biblical views, the pastoral leadership is thinking outside the box when it comes to sharing the Good News.
According to a notice from the church, gift recipients are encouraged to use the money to take someone out to coffee to “share how Jesus has changed your life,” or to bring a meal to someone who could use it or invite a friend to study the Bible and journal together.
“A lot of times churches are asking you to give… but we believe you deserve this, and that God will use it in your hands,” Pastor Derrick Seagraves noted.
One congregant thought the envelope was just another request for giving but was taken aback when told that it was an offering from the church for her personal ministry.
Other attendees were equally surprised.
“I’ve never heard of a church doing that before,” said Dustin Moore.
2 Comments
Amen, God is Good!
Churches need to give more than it receives.
It doesn’t need to take care of Every destitute Heathen coming through its doors pleading to the church staff for a handout so they can pay their rent, buy baby stuff, school supplies, buy work clothes, pay their utility bills, repair home, repair car, buy gas, etc. even though the bible does say to look after the foreigner who can be a heathen.
But churches obligation is to know how each and every member and regularly attending non member are doing in their life and who do they know and who are looking after them. If they don’t have anyone looking after them. Then the burden falls on their church family that see each week. So many church members are quietly struggling while their church family waste money on Building maintenance, heating and lights and sewage , water, and garbage, wireless, phones, sound systems, media, program and ministry expenses; all awhile fixed income members taking a costly prescription that could be met half way by a church family paying 50%, single mothers attending church whose neglecting the basic car services because she must delay until she can afford a repair bill, or a low income elder who needs costly plumbing service for heat and new insulation so her home is warm.
You get the picture. While the Heathens who have a louder mouth to cry out their pain many church members and regular attending non members not yet a member of a church are Quietly struggling and even by many church families their needs are going unmet. Giving 20 dollars is a good start at helping members. But giving to members don’t stop there.