Posted by WayneMD on November 07, 2000 at 06:44:39:
Delightful!
Look what I found in my local paper today - Posted by Jim IL
Posted by Jim IL on November 06, 2000 at 23:24:42:
Hello all,
I just finished reading my local paper online.
In todays edition there was the following article.
This really made me smile.
It is just too bad that no one in the church was a Creative REI.
But, this reverend certainly seemed to be “on the right track”.
In fact, I am thinking of contacting him with a letter to tell him that I appreciate his methodology.
Anyway, here is the article, enjoy;
Posted for entertainment and educational discussion only**
“Charitable gains”
Church brings in profit while bringing parable to life
YORKVILLE ILLINOIS? Investing is not a new concept.
One of the earliest records of creative investing can be found in the Bible’s New Testament. In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus spoke of a wealthy man who was going away for a period of time. Before he left he entrusted three of his servants with part of his estate, explaining that they could do what they chose with the sum, but that they would have to account for the money upon his return.
The first two servants invested their master’s money, each doubling their original amount. The third servant, fearful of his master’s wrath, buried the money. When the master returned, he was exceedingly pleased with the ingenuity of the first two servants, and handsomely rewarded their creativity. The third received nothing, because he had risked nothing.
The Rev. Rick Thiemke, senior pastor at Yorkville’s New Life Assembly of God, believes that each person has been given “talents,” gifts from God that are to be used for the benefit of God’s kingdom. These talents, whether artistic or administrative, can produce amazing results when used properly.
“When you release your talents back to God, you will see Him do miracles with your resources far beyond anything you could have imagined on your own,” Thiemke said.
As a way of putting this principle into practice, Thiemke applied the concept in the Parable of the Talents to his own congregation.
On Oct. 1, he gave each adult attending Sunday services $5. Each child in attendance received $2. According to Thiemke, $500 was distributed among 125 individuals. He explained to them that at the end of one month they would be asked to return whatever they had produced with the amount that they had been given.
The results were impressive.
During Sunday morning’s service more than $3,400 was returned to the church, from the original investment of $500. Even more impressive than the final amount were some of the stories of how the results were achieved.
Eneida Stahl of Yorkville bought $5 worth of apples. She then sold the apples for 50 cents each, which netted her $17. With that amount she bought the ingredients for banana bread, and went home to bake. After selling more than 50 loaves for $5 each, she was able to return more than $280 to the church.
Another man managed to convince a friend to sell him a car for his $5. He then sold the car for $200 ? considerably less than he had hoped ? to a young woman whose own car had died, leaving her without transportation. He was able to provide her with an affordable solution to her dilemma, while reaping a huge profit on his initial investment.
Oswego resident Ron George used his $5 to turn scraps of glass into colorful nativity scenes. Using leftover pieces he already had in his home workshop, he took $5 worth of lead edging and produced $180 worth of stained glass decorations. In an unexpected twist, another member of the congregation purchased George’s creations, and re-sold them for a profit.
“We didn’t do this for the money,” Thiemke said. “Our goal was to show people what would happen if they invest their lives wisely toward an eternal goal.”
Thiemke also made it clear that members of New Life Assembly would not be using the proceeds for their own benefit. Next Sunday, the congregation will present a check for the entire $3,400 raised to Rev. Kurt Hughes, who is starting a new church in Warrenville.
Isn’t this cool!
Have a great day,
Jim IL
Jim, thanks for sharing that inspirational story - Posted by Hope(Fl)
Posted by Hope(Fl) on November 07, 2000 at 14:41:12:
I am going to print in out and read it when I need inspiration. Thanks!
Re: Look what I found in my local paper today - Posted by Eric Fl
Posted by Eric Fl on November 07, 2000 at 07:15:28:
Jim this should be the thought of the day!!! Thanks for the inspiration this morning!