We did it! Working together, the congregations of the Mitten Synod collected over a million pennies for the offering at Synod Assembly. We are still expecting a few more contributions to come in but right now the offering totals, $10,426. That money will be given in equal amounts to Lutheran Disaster Response/Ukraine and Samaritas New American Services. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the intrepid folks who counted all that change!
At home, we have a “change bucket” that we have thrown change into for many years. In fact, when we started our change bucket, people were still using change quite commonly! We were also much younger and fresh out of school; so, it was not uncommon to dig into the change bucket to pay for a fast-food meal or an overdue library book. Sorting through our bucket felt a bit like time travel, as I discovered several Chuck E. Cheese tokens from when our daughter was young. There were a few German marks from a trip we took in 1999, just before the Euro was introduced. There were some Canadian coins and even a “coin” from a Mardi Gras parade. I’m wondering what others found in their change jars.
We gathered under the theme of “Connected” at Synod Assembly this year. Look what God did with an offering of pennies given from the Connected People of God. The pennies I pulled from our change bucket really did not amount to much, but when they were added to your pennies — that made all the difference! In what other ways can we pool our resources? In what other ways will God take what does not seem much to speak of on our part and multiply it into something powerful enough to bring life to places that are hurting? Please join me in praying for the Spirit’s leading as we live as the Connected People of God.
+BJST