Ministry Dollars: Part 1
This is not an easy post to write, because it could easily offend. I don't wish to offend, but what I have to say is necessary. So let me first paste a disclaimer:If this does not apply directly to you, don't take it personally; take it rather as an encouragement for a job well done. If this does apply to you, don't be offended; use it. Grow.
The student body at PRBI held a pie auction almost a week ago. An assortment of staff and faculty lined up, their faces all beautiful and ready to be mashed with pie. A few popular students joined in the fun. Some allowed their head to be shaved, hoping for more money that way. Three different sizes of pies were on display, the biggest only for $800 or more. And on the side, a silent auction for a dozen cakes was held, the cakes baked by members of the faculty. The cause: trips for our fellow PRBI students.
The need was huge. Only three trips displayed the amounts they still needed, and even that added up to over $30,000. And only a month before departure.
Approximately 150 students from PRBI, along with a few dozen faculty, filled the chairs set up for this auction. For the next 2.5 hours, bids were cast. Pies sold for between $75 and $850 each, all cashed in with a disgusting splatter and smear. The air charged with static as everyone wondered who would bid next. For the grand finale, Ryan Campbell, Associate Dean of Men, whose wife had never seen him without a beard, agreed to sell it all for $1500. Apparently Ryan is 10 years younger than everybody thought.
They announced the final amount raised the next morning in chapel. Having more than doubled the previous record for the annual PRBI pie auction, this year the total rose well above $5000. The cheer enveloped the gymnasium, but afterward I sat, dumbfounded by what had just happened.
Not only was I aghast at how much was raised; I couldn't believe that college students had raised it. Out of cash, full of debts, student loans, college students raised $5000 to send their brothers and sisters to do the work of the Lord.
Who supports the those who serve children through the camping ministry?
My father directs one such camp, and from January to the end of summer, he is laden with the responsibility of seeking out potential staff. Few come. With student loans to pay off, they need jobs for the summer. The bursary's meager two thousand dollars barely pays for half a semester. But Dad is unable to give more, because the money simply is not available.
Of course, we always have enough staff to run camp. God is faithful. He never provides the number of staff we believe we need, but He always provides.
But why the drastic shortage of money? Who supports the vulunteer camp workers?
The need is huge. Every year Camp Sagitawa searches for forty staff to run its base camp. Many return to post-secondary education in September, trusting God to provide the money they believe they need. But camp has so little to give. So I ask again: who supports camp?
If 150 college students can raise $5000, how much should the camping ministry expect to earn from the thousands of wage-earners who support it? How much should summer volunteers be able to count on, to help with school? And is God calling you to help them count in it?
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trust me when I say I understand...
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