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What Kind of Difference Can $100 Make?
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.
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