Covenant News

A Twist: Church Gives Parishioners the Money

HINSDALE, IL (February 4, 2004) - Parishioners usually give money to the church, but two years ago the Evangelical Covenant Church of Hinsdale decided on a different twist - give parishioners the money.

The Hinsdale church board authorized the use of $3,000 for a "reverse offering," with more than 100 envelopes containing $20 bills distributed during a morning worship service, according to pastor Jim Kramer. The unusual project began February 25, 2001, launched by a sermon based on Matthew 25 - the Parable of the Talents.

"It was Randy Phillips of Creekside Covenant Church in Redmond, Washington, who told me about it," said Kramer. "He told me that his church did it and it really excited the congregation. It gave them the incentive to look outside their own group. The $3,000, from what I've gathered, probably multiplied itself by 10 times the amount. But there's no telling how the ministries touched the lives of people. This church has always been interested in outreach. Something like this was a vehicle to allow them to do outreach in a more focused and intentional way."

Sixty individuals and families reported back to Kramer, explaining how they used their $20 "talents." Many added their own funds to the money they received and sent it to various local, national and international organizations to help fight hunger, breast cancer, child and spouse abuse, and to support community development work and Christian camping, among other things. Others donated their gifts to individuals in the community or to mission projects that they and their church supported.

It is possible that Kramer may have been the one most blessed by what occurred at the Evangelical Covenant Church of Hinsdale. He pulled out a stack of letters from parishioners telling what they had done and explained some of the acts of kindness in detail during a 60-minute interview last week. He also received letters from recipients of the many acts of kindness that thanked the church for what certain parishioners had done. Here are highlights of what some parishioners did:

• One family and another individual combined their "talents" to buy groceries for an indigent mother and her children as the mother searched for a job. The mother thanked the church.
• One family gave its money to help a single mother pay her rent.
• A teen bought Christian music CDs and gave them to high school classmates as an act of friendship evangelism.
• Another teen bought lunch for classmates at his lunch table, told his lunch mates how he received the money and asked them to pray to God in thanks for the meal.
• A grandmother took her money and brought her granddaughter along to buy food for the Hinsdale Community Service Pantry. They also donated children's books.
• One child took the $20, made May Day baskets and put marigolds in them. The child then played a game of "knock and run" in the neighborhood, leaving 30 baskets of flowers at individual doors.
• A family used its "talent" to purchase ingredients for a fundraising dinner for Leslie's Place, a transitional housing site in Chicago. The dinner raised more than $1,000.
• Another person purchased food for the youth group's fundraising dinner to pay for a Mexico mission trip. That dinner raised $5,000.
• A family used its money to print fliers asking for support for a bike ministry they were launching. The family enjoys cycling and wanted to develop a bicycle repair and education ministry in their area.
• A child used money to repair his drum set because he realized his drumming was a positive source of entertainment for people who visited his home. "I want to entertain people in God's name," the child wrote in a note to Kramer.

Kramer said that one of the more unusual stories involved a parishioner who invested his money in the stock market and lost it all. He felt embarrassed and invested his own money, along with money donated by some co-workers, into other stocks. He eventually earned $2,000 and donated it to a transitional shelter.

Will the church try another reverse offering? Kramer hopes to explore the idea with his church, believing that the blessings from two years ago are still transforming both his congregation and the local community.

"It's a Kingdom science - if you plant the seed and water it, then it will grow - and there are some pretty creative people here," said Kramer. "I was shocked at how creative people could be and I think our council was also amazed at the depth of our people's response to the needs all around them."

More information about the Evangelical Covenant Church of Hinsdale's effort was featured in a Spring 2001 Central Conference Covenanter article. Email editor Beth Fredrickson at Bethfred@aol.com for information.

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