Henderson congregation multiplies $1,000 during generosity exercise
Reprinted from the Mennonite Brethren “Christian Leader” magazine
At the conclusion of a sermon series on stewardship and finances, Living Hope Church pastor Luke Haidle distributed at random 10 envelopes each containing $100. Recipients couldn’t keep the money; Haidle asked them to give it away as a practical exercise of generosity.
A month later, envelope recipients told Haidle what they had done with the money, and Haidle shared with his Henderson, Neb., congregation the impact in the community, across the country, and around the world.
“The stories have been really cool,” Haidle says. “It tapped into the idea of, ‘You’re being entrusted with something that’s not yours. Now, multiply it or ‘kingdom spend’ it.’”
Stewards, not owners
Haidle says the series emphasized the shift that happens when a person realizes that finances belong to God, and people are stewards, not owners.
“Generosity is: ‘Lord, where do you want your resources allocated?’” Haidle says.
Haidle’s wife, Joanne, had the idea for the generosity exercise, and Haidle split $1,000 from an anonymous donor 10 ways and distributed the envelopes in early September. Like the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, individuals were entrusted with money and asked to do something with it, in this case, either “kingdom spending” or multiplying it.
“Kingdom spending” meant giving the money to someone in need outside of the church. Multiplying the money meant either investing it in a project that would make more money to “kingdom spend” or doubling it out of one’s own pocket and passing it on to someone else to distribute.
Modeling compassion
During the Oct. 27 Sunday morning service, the congregation celebrated the impact of the exercise, with Haidle sharing a handout listing what the anonymous recipients did with the $100.
Several people chose to help with basic expenses, like one retired man who gave $50 each to two young families with children he and his wife encountered at a used clothing store and Wal-Mart. The retiree says he enjoys striking up conversations with people, so it was natural to initiate a greeting.
“I was so happy that I could share (the money),” he says. “I’ll be doing more of that on my own. I’ve never done it before, but I thought that was a really good idea. You meet people. They’re so appreciative.”
A farming family with three children split the money three ways. First, they purchased diapers and wipes for a pregnancy center. Then their teenage daughter suggested buying a meal for the next car at a drive-thru. They gave the rest to a missionary. The mother says the exercise provided a good way to model compassion for her children.
“I don’t think the church needs to supply $1,000 every time we do this, but it’s very cool to see how people give,” she says. “When you give, you’re just happy, and you know that you helped make somebody’s day better.”
Some doubled the money and gave it toward an elementary school’s Family Night or added money to students’ lunch accounts so they could get second helpings of food like their peers. Others gave generous tips for restaurant wait staff or purchased a walker for an aging parent.
Chain reaction
Often, one generous act produced a chain reaction.
For example, one person bought New Testaments to distribute and ingredients to make baked goods to sell. The sale made $200, which they passed to another church family, who gave the money to two local families experiencing financial stress.
In another case, an adult in her 80s sent the $100 to her grandson, who was involved in campus ministry, along with Bibles to distribute. Her grandson used the money to purchase toys to give to a child with a brain tumor, she says, adding that she sent another $100 of her own money to a friend, who doubled it and gave some to a friend’s daughter to renew her nursing license, some to parents to help with groceries and some to a waiter.
“I don’t think a thousand dollars ever generated more curiosity, excitement, and love than that thousand dollars,” the woman says.
Others broadened the scope, such as the person who sent money to a single mother in Kenya and the group of six children, including two of Haidle’s, who purchased supplies to sell root beer floats at a club football game. They sent the $400 they earned to The Life Center, an MB church in Lenoir, N.C., for hurricane relief.
“What this taught me about being generous is that sometimes it takes stepping out of your comfort zone,” says Micah Haidle. “We had to set it up with one of my football coaches, (and) I don’t know if he really goes to church that much. Since this was a church event, I didn’t know if that was going to make things awkward.”
His sister, Kate, adds: “My favorite part was getting to spend time with my friends while doing something meaningful.”
Luke Haidle admits he was a little nervous initially, not knowing how the experiment would turn out.
“I knew it had great potential,” he says. “It worked really great as a wrap-up to the series.”
