Covenant News

"Kingdom Assignment" Makes Difference for One Church

TUCKER, GA (January 24, 2004) - Oakdale Covenant Church in Chicago launched its version of The Kingdom Assignment after pastor Darrell Griffin read the book after receiving it during the Midwinter Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Catherine Gilliard grew up in Chicago and attended Oakdale Covenant. She heard about her home church's experience with The Kingdom Assignment and decided to try it with a multiethnic congregation she was planting, Commissioned Disciples Covenant Church.

Last summer, Gilliard preached about "having spiritual ears and eyes of hurt and pain" with the hope that her congregation of 25 would be a blessing to Tucker, an ethnically diverse city located northeast of Atlanta. After preaching about the parable of the talents, she extenderd an invitation to those willing to "let God use you to make a difference." Gilliard had about $2,000 to give - she gave each participant a copy of the book with money taped to the inside back page ($100 for adults, $50 for children).

Those who accepted the invitation were told they needed to read the book, watch a movie referred to in the book (Pay It Forward), pray about what they were to do and use the money any way in which they felt directed. The only stipulation was that they could not bring back the money. They had 90 days to complete the assignment.

Here are a few of the stories that Gilliard shared:

• A college student found a website with a "wish list" of items cancer patients have requested. He used his money to purchase items for six of those patients and hopes to raise more money to purchase gifts for others.
• One adult raised money for personal items to help people living at a battered women's shelter and is currently raising added funds to further the ministry.
• One couple tried to help their neighbors by alerting friends of the needs of the family. The family in need has been blessed by food deliveries, acts of kindness and the funds that have helped them regain their lives following a series of tragic events

Catherine Gilliard took the assignment and used her $100 to survey college students about how the church could minister to them. Gilliard discovered that students wanted the church newsletter, weekly sermon tapes, postal mail and devotional materials.

As a result of her survey, Gilliard launched what she calls "The Campus Commission." It is a ministry to college kids who are away form their home churches. She is sending out quarterly care packages that will give seven students "physical and spiritual food, including cakes, cookies, stamps, spiritual materials, CDs and other items. Her idea is already catching on as two other churches within the Southeast Conference have heard about the idea and are implementing it in their own ministries.

The rest of the Gilliard family has also received enjoyment from using their $100 assignments for God's glory. Deric Gilliard, Catherine's husband, has used his money to invite homeless people to lunch and to get to know them better. The Gilliards' 11-year-old daughter, Veronica, decided that kids in her neighborhood would benefit from a mobile library that carried Christian books and videos suited for her age group, among other things. She prayed before asking her mother's friends for help to make her vision came true.

Thus far, Veronica has collected $1,200 for the project, along with Christian videos, CDs and books. She is also planning on adding an element to the assignment - visits to battered women's shelters and hospitals to read to children. The authors of The Kingdom Assignment have heard about Veronica's efforts and her story is slated to be part of a second book documenting efforts made by other churches and individuals who have taken the assignment. But even if a second book doesn't come out, Veronica has learned some valuable lessons, her mother said.

"She (Veronica) had to pray about something she was going to do and, after she decided what she wanted to do, she mailed letters (to family friends) and then had to wait," said her mother. "It was a good exercise for her. She asked me during the next two weeks if I thought anybody had gotten her letters. When she got her first letter back (for $100) she thought she was finished. But every day, things kept coming and kept coming and she got excited about going to the mailbox.

That's what has happened to many others," Gilliard continued. "People have launched projects and then waited and waited for God to respond. And it's been awesome to watch people's faith in knowing that God has a plan for them to be involved and, if they were obedient, that God will make it grow farther than they had imagined. Because as it keeps going, it becomes something that's far beyond you and you know God had something better in his plans."

After completing their own "Kingdom Assignment," the congregation celebrated the efforts with a "Giving Thanks" banquet on November 21. The banquet was videotaped and parishioners were given copies. One parishioner had used her $100 to start a computer lab fund to buy a computer for the residents of a local senior citizens home. When the parishioner showed the video to her extended family, one of her relatives said she would donate $1,800 for computers.

"This one lady thought that giving $100 was a start," Gilliard said. "And when this other woman heard about it she said, 'Well, we make this happen now, how much would it cost to get three computers?' She wrote us a check and the computers were delivered on Christmas Eve."

"People were personally living out their testimonies," Gilliard continued. "And I know the projects won't stop because people's antennas have been raised."

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