The little “Card of Thanks” in the newspaper read: “Thank You—We would like to thank Derek Cowell from the Immanuel Lutheran Church youth group for choosing Bill as his service project.”
Bill is a service project? A person? Yes, at Immanuel in Coleridge, Neb.
In Coleridge, Neb., $30 turns into $250 to help a family with medical bills for their 9-month-old son (right—name withheld for privacy). It also gives Taylor Olson, a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, some new friends with whom she plans to stay in contact.
How do you impact somebody’s life with Christ’s love? The youth at Immanuel had an idea—serve them. The Friends in Christ youth group held a fundraiser, with each member receiving $30 from the proceeds. Each youth was challenged to find someone or some cause in the area and meet the need by growing the $30.
For Bill and his family (last name withheld for privacy), the project resulted in a $1,400 gift. Bill had been diagnosed with cancer and had to retire from his job. That left the family with a lot of expenses. Cowell asked for donations from individuals and sent a letter to Bill’s former workplace, where people were very generous.
Some students combined two gifts—a tangible gift and the gift of time. One reached out to a nursing home by purchasing games and playing them with the residents. Another visited a lymphoma patient undergoing chemotherapy and gave her the money she had collected.
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© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
