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We take an offering every week and we use that money to staff and fund the ministries of Pathways. On November 12, 2006, we held a reverse offering where, instead of asking the congregation to contribute funds to Pathways, Pathways contributed $5000.00 to attendees that weekend to use as restoration tool in our community.
Some were given as little as $3.00 and some as much as $20.00. But no matter what the amount, attendees were challenged to use the money to further the restoration of someone that God would bring across their pathway in the weeks ahead.
The money was used in a variety of ways – some in simple ways like buying a cup of coffee or a card for someone in need and others in a more elaborate fashion.
The following is an ongoing compilation of some of these stories...
Part 1
Last Saturday my mom and I volunteered at the Christmas Store put on by Mile High Ministries at my church, Pathways. Basically, they purchase hundreds of gifts and give the opportunity for parents in need in Denver to shop for their own children at $5 per gift. The gifts are really nice, like hoodies, CD discmans, dolls, games and such. It was really fun wrapping presents for them and talking to many people in Spanish. Overall, it was a great opportunity to reach out and love people. But little did I know that morning what door God would open for us.
After the store was over I went home and realized I forgot my sweater so I returned to the church to find all the doors locked. While I was wondering around trying to find a way in I ran into a woman who asked me if the Christmas Store was still going on. I told her I was pretty sure it was completely over but I would go and ask the director if there were any toys left over. Finally getting inside only a few people were left cleaning and they told me every singe gift was gone. So I went out side to tell her the news. Walking to the parking lot together I began talking to her, in spanish, asking about her family. She said she had nine children and had been late to the store because she couldn't get the ninety dollars any sooner. I got to thinking that even though the official store was over that we could still help this family. So I asked her to write down the names and ages of her children and her phone number. She wrote down nine names with ages between 7 and 18. I feel like God sent me back to that church just in time to reach out to her and I really want to do something to help. I contacted Mile High Ministries and they informed me that they have already gone over budget and can't afford to support this family.
So I am writing you to see if you would be willing to pitch in a little to help out this family. The dad does not have a job right now and I know they could use some encouragement especially at Christmas time. I spoke with the mother this morning asking her what the children want and she said they really need clothes and she couldn't even think of what else. I think she was so overwhelmed with the thought of us helping her. I was thinking if we all gave a little it would add up to a lot and we could either get them gifts or just gift cards so they could do their own shopping. If we could raise at least $220, which would be a $20 gift card for each child plus one for each parent, that would be awesome and if we raised more than that maybe we could even buy them a Christmas dinner with turkey and everything!
This is exciting that we can be so closely involved with helping people in true dire need. Please call or email as soon as possible and let me know if you are able to be involved in loving this family this Christmas.
- Monica P
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Part 2
I am so thankful to have such wonderful people in my life. You pulled though when the need was there and that indeed is priceless. The goal was $220 and we more than doubled that by raising $550! Thank you all SO much.
Instead of getting gift cards for everyone in the family I decided to buy gifts so I called the mother and asked what they all wanted. She gave me all of their clothe sizes saying that they mostly needed clothes for school. So I went shopping and got each of them a warm top/sweater, socks and gloves in addition to a toy or lotion/soap stuff for the older girls. I also got the mother a comforter, blankets, and towels. After a big shopping spree at Big Lots and Walmart I still had $187 which I put on a King Soopers gift card for their Christmas dinner.
What a privilege it was to be the one coordinating it all because going to drop off all of the gifts was the best part! When I arrived they were waiting for me, all nine kids lined up on the three couches in their living room. Their eyes were big as we brought in bag after bag of wrapped gifts. It was fun meeting them all and finally putting faces to names I had shopped for so specifically. They made us two cards thanking us for our generosity and love shared. We also took some pictures, one of which I plan on framing and giving to the family this week.
Thank you so much for generously being a part of this opportunity to love a family in need.
May God bless you this Christmas season just as you have blessed others.
With love and gratitude,
- Monica
Well, just before the restoration campaign I met with a fellow Bible study member and student. He is from Africa and only by God's grace was he going to school in America. Recently, he had been having a tough time paying for college and was threatened by deportation if he didn't pay his bills so that he could sign up for classes and get his visa renewed. He simply asked for prayer from me. I could not help in anyway that I knew of since I am also a full-time student.
However, after hearing about the restoration campaign I decided that the money in my bank account could help him more than it could ever help me. After prayer I gave half of what he needed for the next semester. His parents, back in Africa, along with money from his account, were able to come up with a matching sum to cover all expenses. The finances worked out perfectly as only God can allow them to do.
God has given us the chance to grow together for another semester and for him to stay in America to finish school. God is great. He did all of this through the $7 that I got in my envelope.
- Joseph
With my $5 dollar envelope I purchased a kid bible for my niece's birthday. Her family hasn't accepted god in their lives yet and I thought it would be a great start. She is only 6 years of age and is such a gem. My brother tells me now that she can't wait to have him read the next story in the bible. Excitement and curiousity has filled their hearts and lives. It's also a great way for my brother to spend quality time with his daughter.
Thanks
- E
I must admit that when I first got my $2 in the offering, I thought, "What the heck am I supposed to do with $2?". But, I hung on to it with the hopes that something would present itself.
When I was in college, I worked in the college book store. One of the professor's wife came in regularly to buy a soft drink or a snack. And every time she checked out, she would buy a small candy, a Hershey's Kiss or small candy bar, and give it to the person who rang her up. It was always something small, but it had such a big impact on me. It always made me smile and encouraged me to have a better attitude toward all the customers afterwards.
Remembering this, I tried to keep it as a yearly tradition to do the same type of thing during the Holidays for various cashiers who I knew had to deal with all kinds of stress...long hours, grouchy people, long lines. As I checked out, I'd always throw in a candy bar for the cashier. Paying for my items during the Holidays was actually something I looked forward to because I loved continuing on this tradition that was started by someone else.
While it doesn't cost much to do this...25 - 50 cents here and there...money has been extremely tight for us this past year. Even though it definitely would not have broken the bank to do my annual tradition, I'm embarrassed to say that I was thinking about how maybe I should skip it this year. I mean, my thinking was, the $2 - $5 I spend on candy could go toward a couple gallons of gas, or items for the kids' stockings, or who knows what else. I know. Stupid thinking.
But then it suddenly dawned on me...I still have my $2! I'll use that! At the risk of sounding cheesy, it was almost like God was saying, Tara, chill out. I'll cover it for you. So that's what I did. I was so excited to have the financial permission to do my little tradition without any guilt!
I can't tell you how fun it is checking out for groceries, Toys R Us, or Target, grabbing one of the little impulse item candies on the counter and saying to the cashier as you're leaving, "and this is for you. Merry Christmas!" and then watching their face turn to utter disbelief at what you just did. My hope is that spreading out my $2 over 6 or so cashiers actually impacted more than just those 6 people. Hopefully it worked on them like it did me in college...made them smile and encouraged them to have a better attitude toward all the customers that followed.
-Tara
Here's how I used the $10 in my envelope...
I teach middle school at a school associated with a mega church that has a coffee shop. I invited two students, 8th grade girls, to the coffee shop during their lunch break. I bought both of them a drink and a pastry and we talked about some issues that have been bothering them this year. It basically boiled down to their definition of 'popular' versus boring. They, of course, were in the boring camp and the popular kids were a small group of students that tend to draw attention to themselves.
I had them define what popular is in their words and then I gave them a different definition of popular. My definition was associated with people wanting to be around someone because they exhibit a caring attitude, are good listeners and have character, not to mention a fun spirit. Through their sharing I was able to show them how many friends they have in their 'group' versus how many the other small group has on a daily basis. They, in fact, are the popular girls, the popular group, because the way they view other people, don't draw attention to themselves, care about others, listen and have a great sense of humor. I encouraged them to tell their friends this new definition and to begin to change their perspective on what makes someone popular in school life and life as a whole.
This is a hard thing for anyone to do because we are all so ingrained with what makes someone popular and this stems from many areas, not to mention our media saturated lives.I don't know if it will stick or if they had a chance to think about it anymore, but I thank Pathways for this unique offering. I probably would not have thought of doing this if not for the opportunity afforded me through the envelope. It is a cool God thing.
- Leslie B.
I received $2 in my envelope when the reverse offering was done. I work downtown and as you may have experienced, there are many homeless downtown. I was at Starbucks getting ready to order my coffee when a small, disabled homeless woman came to the counter (it was extremely cold this day). She asked the counter lady for a sample size of the drip coffee. The counter lady ignored her. Not wanting to talk over the homeless woman, I simply waited for the counter lady to respond to her. She completely ignored her and asked me what I wanted. I told her, "I would like a tall cup of drip coffee for this woman and a grande latte".
The counter lady huffed and puffed and then told me that I would need to pay for it. I told her I would gladly pay for it. The little lady looked up with tears and said a simple, "thank you". I smiled and told her she was more than welcome. It was something small, but you could see she really appreciated it. It made my day to be able to do something like this. Although it was so small, I think the bigger lesson was that I was able to give this woman a little respect and a cup of warm coffee from my beloved church.
Thank you.
Update: We wrote before about using our $2 to ask all those we knew to match or exceed the amount to donate to the 10/10 Project. We are almost finished collecting all the money and have received almost $500, and since my company will match that, it looks like almost $1K will go to the project. Microloans they offer range from $200 - $500 to restore an individual's economic situation by starting a new business. So hopefully 2 - 5 people will have been lifted out of the cycle of poverty with the seed money planted by the church. Thank you!
- Molly and Randy M
I supervise multiple volunteers in my position at work, and there are a few folks that continually challenge my patience and my heart. One young lady in particular comes from a challenging background in the foster care system and joined our group to give back. Unfortunately, her own issues and anger get in the way of her being successful at times, and she has a long way to go in gaining professional skills.
At times, I have wanted to give up on her, because she takes such a large part of my time and energy. With the money given to me at church, I asked her if she wanted to go to Starbucks and talk. I told her that she has so much to give and to share and that I wanted to listen and learn more.
I allowed her to speak 80-90% of the time and with my few words, I was able to give her some honest feedback and needed direction. I realize that others have written her off in the past, and I don't want to be one of these people. But I also need to have honest dialogue with her so that she can grow. Our time together at Starbucks, with no agenda, helped me to do this.
She is still with us and while she continues to struggle, she is recognizing patterns in herself and is growing everyday. I hope that through her year of service with our agency she continues to challenge herself and continues to be open to change and feedback.
The sermons at Pathways have helped me see my role in the lives of others - as a positive and supportive light.
Thanks for challenging me.
- Julia H
I have a friend who just finished seminary, after going through a lot of life changes in her 40's. She is moving to Corvalis, OR and starting a new life. I used the money for a little token of love as a going away -- card and chocolate treat.
- Valerie
What a blessing for Pathways to pass out money for us to feed the homeless and show them the love of Christ.
Last Friday night I went with a friend of mine to inner city Denver to feed and hangout with the homeless. My friend frequently goes out to the same inner city areas with food and clothing to pass out to the homeless taking the time to stop and listen to their stories along the way.
Someone had donated a gift card to King Soopers so we purchased some fried chicken, bottle water and snacks. We went out passing out the food we bought and some clothing, which had been donated, to each homeless person we saw. But instead of moving on immediately to the next person we sat down with them on the ground and listened to their stories. These people are God’s children too and have much more than just physical need. They are longing for someone to listen to them, to tell them that they are important, and to express God’s love to them in a real and personal way.
We spent the evening walking around passing out food and clothing, listening to their stories and showing them God’s love. The last group of guys we came upon, my friend had built a relationship with from previous nights out. We passed out the fried chicken, water, and snacks to them and just began talking with them listen to their stories. Something amazing happened, by just listening to them talk about their lives they opened up to us and we got a chance to share Christ with them. We prayed with them and truly connected with them on both an emotional and spiritual level.
As the time came for us to leave I suddenly remembered I had not spent the money that pathways had given me; so at 10:30 at night with a temperature of 34 degrees I asked the guys if they would like some coffee. They said yes. I walked across the street to a gas station and purchased 4 steaming cups of coffee. When I returned with the coffee they started smiling and got very excited. They thanked me for the coffee several times. They actually got more excited about getting the coffee then they were about getting fried chicken, water, snacks and clothes from us just an hour earlier. Their lives were touched because a church had a vision to see the city of Denver reflect God’s redemption and a stranger whom they had never met before was obedient to God and took the time and energy to show them God’s love and purchase a cup of coffee.
What a blessing to be able to show God’s love to others who are in need.
thanks,
- Greg N
I wanted to write a quick narrative to let you know where my pathways envelope money went that was given out last week. During the entire sermon, even before the envelopes were mentioned, God was laying a specific person on my heart. I just couldn't get her out of my mind, and when Ron told us about the envelopes, I knew exactly what I was going to do. I am a teacher in a low socio-economic area. It is also an area that has many bilingual children and many that speak primarily Spanish. Naturally, I also have students and their parents that are here illegally. One single mom stands out in my mind because she recently told me that she's working 12 hour days and making less than minimum wage. I have just had such a heart for her. She came to the US for her daughter, and everything she does is for her- even risking the consequences of being here illegally. She works hard, and I can just see in her eyes that she is tired, frustrated, worn out, but not ready to give up. I have been praying that she be restored.
So I took my envelope money, added some of my own, bought a gift card for Safeway, wrote her a letter explaining my desire that she find peace and restoration, and sent it out. I sent it anonymously, as I teach her daughter and don't want her feeling strange because I gave her money.
I know the money sent will not bring complete restoration, but I know it will give her hope. I know it will remind her that there are people out there that care, and hopefully she will also realize that there is a God out there that cares, as well.
I love that Pathways decided to do this. It has undoubtedly brought some hope to this single, struggling mother, but it has also brought restoration to me. I find myself immersed in prayer for her and other students more than usual. I find myself listening to burdens that God places on me, and not simply discarding those burdens as I have unfortunately sometimes done in the past. I find a stronger desire to do whatever it takes to intercede for my students and do my job 200% so that I can provide where there may not be provisions at home. These are all indications of restoration.
Thank you, Pathways!
- Sara G.
Do you have a reverse offering story you want to share? Contact Curt | communications@pathwayschurch.org
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