Pick Three

Pick Three

God loves a person who gives cheerfully.

2 Corinthians 9:7

The roof of the country church had been seriously damaged in a recent hailstorm, but the church coffers were almost empty. There was not enough extra money available to pay for the needed repairs, which amounted to several thousand dollars. So the congregation decided to have a Sunday box lunch and afternoon fund-raising event.

Women of the congregation decorated special boxes in which they placed lunches they had prepared. The boxes were auctioned off one at a time to the men of the church. The results of the box lunch auction added about $1,500 to the roof fund.

Later in the afternoon the members of the congregation had invited their friends and neighbors from the community to join them for a gospel singing, which would double as a time to raise some additional funds.

First the minister offered for sale some of the books from the church library. He also sold some Christian CDs and DVDs. The sale yielded about $650.

Next the youth group sold coupons for their services. Each coupon sold for $25, and the coupons could be used to purchase lawn work, car washes, or household chores from the youth. They raised another $825 in all.

Finally, the minister announced that the person who donated the most money when the collection plate was passed would get to choose three hymns during the next part of the service. Some of the deacons passed the plates up and down each pew, and people placed their checks in the plates.

When the deacons examined the checks, they found that Widow Jones had put the largest check in the plate—$1,000!

The minister said, “Come on down, Sister Jones! Now tell us which three hymns you want.”

Making her way to the front, Sister Jones looked around the congregation, then smiled brightly, pointed to three different widowers, and said, “I’ll take him, him, and him!”

Dear God, we have been so wonderfully blessed by you. Help us to use our blessings to bless others with a cheerful heart. Amen.