Along with a sermon on being stewards of God’s gifts, a Honolulu church last weekend gave its 7,500 members envelopes with $5, $10 and $20 bills.
New Hope Christian Fellowship gave out more than $55,000 from church reserves, each person getting a bill to help others as they choose over the next two weeks. With the money came a note asking that a card be returned describing how the money was used. It’s called "Stewards R Us," a project planned four months ago by pastor Wayne Cordeiro but kept secret until his weekend sermons.
"This isn’t your money, but money another has asked you to invest by helping someone over the next two weeks," Cordeiro said he told members.
Each bill given out was marked with a fluorescent sticker so members can keep track of it. The project is based on two scriptures: (1 Chron.29.11-12), which reads in part, "riches and power come from You alone"; and (Luke 12:15), "not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."
The average donation in the collection plate at New Hope runs about $15, and Cordeiro said other churches have done similar projects.
It has been an inspiration for some members, including Virgie Sabugo, 48, of Honolulu. She used the money to buy a CD of church music for a co-worker at the Pearl Harbor commissary.
Another church member, 79-year-old Marian Rajcevich, missed the sermon but got the lesson.
"Because I didn’t get a bill myself, I have decided to give out of my own pocket," she said.
