Donation Decision

Back in October our church received an anonymous donation of $46,600. The money came in the form of a cashier's check from a local bank, so we could not ascertain who the gift was from. The check simply came with a hand-printed, unsigned note that said "Please use this money in whatever way God directs you in his service."

After receiving input from the congregation and after prayerfully considering the matter for several months, our session recently decided how to use the funds. Almost half of the money ($20,000) will be set aside to help fund a new Community Nurse Ministry. The idea is that we will be looking to hire a registered nurse who would be available to work with us about 12 hours per week. The Community Nurse would serve a wide variety of roles. For instance, the nurse could be available to visit people in their homes after they are discharged from the hospital to make sure that they are doing OK. The nurse could also visit with many of the older adults in the area, counseling with them about their health and well-being, realizing that many older adults do not have family members nearby to make sure that they are getting the care and attention they might need. Also, recognizing that many people of all ages in the area do not have health insurance, the Community Nurse could help connect people with the healthcare resources that are available to them.

But beyond discussing with people their physical needs, the Community Nurse will also address the spiritual needs that people might have. In that regard, the Community Nurse will work with a Health Ministry Team that we will assemble in the coming months. The Health Ministry Team will work with the Community Nurse to sponsor helpful programs, such as possibily offering training for teenage babysitters, or putting on classes for parents of newborns, or sponsoring seminars for people who are caring for loved ones who are experiencing dementia. The possibilities are endless. The Health Ministry Team would also seek to provide hands-on caring for people, perhaps by transporting people to medical appointments or by visiting with those who are sick or who are going through a time of grief.

In addition to the Community Nurse Ministry, another portion of the anonymous donation ($6,600) will be used to provide scholarships for young people to attend church summer camp, mission trips, retreats, and other special events. This will help make sure that young people will not be prevented from taking part in meaningful events if their family cannot afford it.

Another $10,000 of the funds will be used to do improvements to the kitchen and fellowship hall, and another $10,000 will be used to help replace the church's boiler. While that money will help improve and enhance our physical facility, the session believes that using that money in that way also helps us to continue our church's ministry, since so many community groups count on having our church available to them and since so much of our building is utilized by our many outreach activities, such as the Youth Club, the CAMP senior citizen group, and the food pantry.

The church is grateful for this wonderful gift. We look forward to the fruit that will result from the undertakings that are being made possible because of that donation.

Ed Bowen