A friend of mine, Sara, is on staff at an evangelical church. I also have several friends, who I met through a community Bible study, who attend this church. At Bible study this week, I heard them excitedly talk about an amazing thing that happened through their church family this past Sunday. I had lunch with Sara on Wednesday and she gave the behind-the-scenes details. As I listened, I could see God's hands all over what had happened. 

The church is involved in several partnerships with pastors and churches around the world. Through these partnerships they support social minsitries, train church leaders and send several teams each year to those countries. In July 2011, the church felt led by the Lord to begin a new partnership with Pastor Shadrack in Kenya, after a vision team traveled to Kenya and spent some time with him. They worked alongside him as he shared Christ with the thousands who live in Mitumba, the slum near the airport. He has planted a church and also started a school. The future partnership would assist him with evangelism, medical clinics and children's programs, providing meals and training for church leaders.

In November 2011, someone decided that Mitumba was a nuisance, an eye sore, and neede to be demolished. Bulldozers were brought in when the Kenyan government authorized the destruction of the entire Mitumba slum rendering 30,000 people homeless. The school which provided a Christian education for over 400 children, the church, the children's home for over 30 orphans and the medical clinic were all destroyed. What did Pastor Shadrack do? He gathered his church members, prayed and headed out into the rubble to minister to anyone they could find. They now hold church and school in the open air and have found alternative, temporary housing for the orphans.

On Sunday morning, Pastor Mike of the evangelical church shared this story with his congregation. They had committed to be partners in ministry with Pastor Shadrack and the church in Mitumba. Their ministry partners needed help. How would the church respond? Pastor Shadrack has been working with the Kenyan government to purchase land in Mitumba, to rebuild the church, school, orphanage, and medical clinic at a cost of $40,000. Then, Pastor Shadrack and his wife appeared on the platform, their heads bowed in humility. Pastor Shadrack closed the service in prayer. Offering plates were not passed. Ushers stood at the doors with simple cardboard boxes, so people could give to this need.

This is a large church with an average of 5,000 people in attendance each week. If everyone did their part, the $40,000 could be collected. But this was the first time the people had heard of the need. What would happen?

It took the church staff four hours to count the money. They could tell that people had just reached in their pocket and pulled out whatever was there and dropped it into the boxes. As they sorted through McDonald's receipts, pocket lint, loose buttons and other things we randomly have in our pockets, they began to put the bills and checks into piles to count. When they were done, $206,000 lay in front of them. The church had given five times more than was needed. That's a God thing.

But there is more to the story. Because the partnership had been formed in July, airplane tickets had been purchased for Pastor Shadrack and his wife in September for them to come to the states to visit with their new ministry partners. This was two months before the demolition took place. Last year, Pastor Mike began a semon series on the book of Acts. The entire year was planned out and the focal passage for January 29, 2012 would be Acts 4:32-36, "there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need."

Only the Lord could have known that Mitumba would be leveled in November and that Pastor Shadrack would be present for the church service in America where the focus would be on Christians coming together to help their brothers and sisters in need. What an amazing God we serve!

As I thought back over this story, I was challenged. Would I be willing to just put my hand in my pocket and pull out whatever was there and put it in a box to help someone else? I believe that so many times the Lord is prompting us to do something, and we over analyze it and miss the moment. If you do the math, the amount given, after the regular offering, was $41.00 per person. That could be a meal out for two, a pair of shoes, a night at the movies for a family of four, a tank of gas, etc. I should be willing to give any of those things up, no questions asked, for someone else to be able to hear the Gospel. May I remember that all the stuff I call my own, is not really mine. It belongs to God. When He asks me to pass it along to someone else, may I obediently reach in my pocket and freely give whatever is there.

Serena Butler

Illinois WMU Executive Director