True Offering…
While a lot of giving is done online these days, we’ve all had the experience of the baskets. Maybe your church had the baskets that got passed through the rows where you could drop your money into. Maybe they had stations set up that you had to walk through to put it in. Some may have even experienced the classic long handled baskets that an attendant could extend through the row to give you the utmost confidence that there would be no funny business from anybody else. However it happened, it was probably accompanied by a short speech on the importance of giving with some soft worship music playing in the background. A way to help support your church. But we knew in our community, from the beginning, that this was not a way for us to get support from within our own community.
While offering was a normal experience for those growing up in church, it is also one that can bring feelings of shame and discomfort to those who really don’t have any extra room in their budget. For some these feelings can be so strong that they are deterred from coming to anything even related to Jesus. So how do we get support from within our own community? We provide places for them to spend money on their essential items while knowing their money is going straight back into helping their own community. If they need to eat out after a long week of work and their choices are some large franchise or an affordable neighborhood restaurant, then the choice becomes easy for them. If they need to do some back to school shopping and have the option of going to Goodwill or Merriment, the choice is easy. If they want some fresh produce and the option is Kroger or Love Grows Farms, then the choice is easy. It is about creating easy choices for life’s necessities that empower our neighbors to give back to their own neighborhood. A way for them to support local hiring and community education. No matter how little they have to spare after the necessities, they have the option to give back through their purchases.
Just as the widow’s two mites mean more than all of those giving out of abundance, every time our neighbors choose to give their offering to us through their purchases it is a beautiful moment in the Kingdom of Heaven. Another way we see our neighbors give back is through donations to the thrift shop. Earlier this week we had one of our regular customers, Ms. Tammy, walk up with a whole cart overflowing with purses. She wanted to donate them for us to sell. As she handed them over to us she started tearing up, “these are more than purses, each one is a memory, a gift from somebody, or something I saved up for”.
“Are you sure you want to donate these”, we asked, “do you want to take some more time to think about it?”
“No, it is time for them to go, I know you all will use them to support the kids”, she confirmed with tears in her eyes.
That is what true offering looks like. It can hurt, but then we remember that none of it is ours anyways. There is no 10% set aside for Jesus, it is whatever Jesus tells us, however God wants His resources used in His Kingdom. For our neighbors, that may look like not very much in comparison to the world, but we know how much it means every time they walk through our doors and choose us to share their resources with. We know how much their true offering means in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Ethan
School Snack List!!!
If you are looking for a way to support Mighty Oak Academy and our mission of quality community based education, please consider helping us provide our students with nutritious snacks from our Amazon Wish List, you can order here.
Merriment!!!
Merriment is closed today. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. If you aren’t able to make it within our hours, you can always shop our high dollar items on our website here.
Fish Fry Open!!!
Come get your fix of fish or churched up tots. Look forward to seeing you for a nice filling meal. We have new and returning menu items for you to try including waffle fries, chicken tenders, and burgers.
If you are interested in volunteering or to find out more information about supplies needed please email: info@lovecityinc.org or call (502) 272-078.