By Pastor Devlyn Brooks
$28.95 … That was a monetary donation that we received recently at Churches United.
A large pile of change and four $1 bills. … $28.95 in all.
We’ve received hundreds -- no, actually a couple of thousand individual donations -- since I joined Churches United six months ago.
Some of those donations have been large. Beyond generous! … Some donations have turned into ongoing monthly donations. And still others are memorable for other reasons.
But a donation like $28.95 really grabs my attention. … I mean how does this donation come about?
Was it a young person who cleaned out their piggy bank to give it to house and feed their neighbors? Was it someone’s trip fund that, after they thought about it, ended up going to something more important? Did someone clean out their vehicle’s car seats or their couch cushions?
The total allows the imagination to conjure up a number of various stories as to how we received a donation of $28.95.
But what makes this donation special in my mind is thinking that the giver just might be like the widow in the Gospel of Mark who gives her two meager bronze coins.
In that story, Jesus was sitting in the temple, watching person after person throw in large amounts to the offering plate. But then a poor widow comes by and drops in two copper coins, an exorbitant gift from someone who couldn’t afford it.
My heart grows large at the thought of someone in our community, who might not have much to their names, giving us their $28.95 … or their equivalent of two copper coins.
Yes, every gift we receive at Churches United is important as we continue to do the hard work of feeding, sheltering and helping to heal hundreds of guests each month.
But what if this $28.95 came from someone who didn’t have it to give? … What if in their own time of need they felt that giving to Churches United was more important?
These are the kinds of things I think about when we receive notable gifts because I truly want to know the personal stories of each of our donors, even those who don’t give the largest sums.
If you are out there, and you were the one who gave this much-appreciated donation, thank you! We are grateful! And I’be grateful if you’d reach out to me.
For others who are inspired by this story: Would you consider giving a donation in honor of this donor who maybe gave all that they could muster?
I think it would be a wonderful way to honor that $28.95 gift. Amen!
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