The whole enchilada!Texas Pastor Volunteers Whole Church to be Good SamaritansWhat would happen in your church if, this Sunday, your pastor gave away the morning offering? That's right, the entire offering. The whole enchilada. And here's
the catch: it's something your pastor does on the spur of the moment. What would happen?
Or perhaps, none of the above. Perhaps your church would be reminded that whatever you give God, God gives back in abundance - just as The Woodlands Christian Church (TWCC) discovered recently. On November 3, 2002, The Rev. Feliberto Pereira, Director of Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries (SWGSM) in Los Fresnos, Texas, visited TWCC to tell of his work among refugees and the poor in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Conveying a harrowing tale of the dangers he endured as an evangelical Christian in the communist Cuba of the 60's, Pereira described his miraculous escape from a firing squad and his equally astounding immigration to America. In recounting the establishment of SWGSM, Pereira frequently referenced Matthew 25:37-40, in which Jesus says that when we show kindness and provide assistance to anyone to "the least of these" we are actually ministering to Jesus himself. At the conclusion of Pereira's powerful and emotional message, The Rev. David Emery, former Senior Minister of The Woodlands Christian Church, The Woodlands, Texas stood with the congregation, applauding the man's courage and selfless work. But something else was on Emery's mind. "I asked myself, what if, for once, we really did what God wants us to do?" said Emery. "What if we really made the 'least of these' our brother? What would happen?" With that, Emery did something that could only be explained, in his words, as "the Holy Spirit at work." He turned, faced his congregation, and pledged the entire morning's offering to Pereira and Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries. A risky move? Perhaps. But Emery believes that as soon as he made the pledge, he could "feel the Holy Spirit moving" throughout the church. In keeping with its fiscal responsibilities, the TWCC board of directors met to approve the donation. It was determined that the pledge was indeed the will of God as described in Matthew and, after setting aside funds for the church's ongoing outreach commitments, they sent a check for the remaining amount of the Sunday offering to SWGSM $11,500. What would happen? The following Sunday at TWCC, when the day's offering was counted, the total amount was approximately $20,000 more than double the usual offering. This heartfelt outpouring occurred with no coaxing or cajoling from church staff. Individual members of the congregation had decided, as led by the Spirit and as God had blessed them, to add an extra amount to their usual offering. But God wasn't finished. The following Tuesday, a man with no knowledge of the situation stopped by the church and presented a check for $5000 on behalf of his father, a former TWCC member who had recently passed away. The man wasn't sure why he was doing it, but believed it was something he was supposed to do. On the Sunday of Rev. Pereira's visit, TWCC pledged $12,500 for missions work. Within two weeks, God blessed the church with a total of $25,000 in gifts and offerings. You do the math. Did this complete God's blessing of The Woodlands Christian Church? Hardly. Over the next month, 20 people joined the church, each of whom mentioned this experience of God at work as the impetus for their decision. They had concluded that this church was the place where they wanted to worship, and this congregation was the family they wanted to join. The fruits of that one act that one "risky" act continue to grow more abundant, both in the church and in the missions served by dedicated people such as Rev. Pereira and his staff. "Risk taking is important in mission business," said Emery. What would happen? Why don't you find out? Maybe this Sunday, perhaps? Emery has recently relocated to Middlesboro Christian Church, near Louisville. He did so on his own volition. Billy Shaw, a technical writer by profession, is a native of Houston, Texas, and a member of The Woodlands Christian Church at The Woodlands, Texas, where he chairs the Education Committee. Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries (SWGSM) was founded in 1985 in Los Fresnos, Texas, to provide assistance to hundreds of people in need, especially Central American political refugees, Cubans, and individuals from other countries in political and economic turmoil. SWGSM receives support from DHM's Refugee and Immigration Ministries program. To learn more about SWGSM visit their Web site at: www.swgsm.org. |
No committee approval. No elders' meetings. No fundraising campaign.
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