When the elders of ChangePoint instructed the ministry staff to write their ministry plans within the guidelines, "reaching out to our neighbors", Brenda Hanson came up with the idea for the $2 dollar offering. Dave Bacher, Pastor of Care Network at ChangePoint was impressed. However, Brenda is not part of Dave's staff, she is part of their finance department. God has put her in the right place to do the job God has equipped her to do.

The idea was simple. Not everyone has learned how to give. Some have not given the concept of giving much thought. Some think giving is for the people who can afford to do it, who have the spiritual gift for it, or who have it in their family budget. How do you get everyone on board with the idea they have something to give too? Start small. ChangePoint took Brenda's idea and ran with it. "We promoted it for three weeks as a way to demonstrate Christ's heart," Dave explained. When offering day came, ChangePoint knew people would forget, so they provided change in the lobby prior to the service. They wanted to lead people to be generous by showing them what can be done if everyone gives a little. They asked people to ONLY give two dollars per person.

What happened? The week before they took the offering, ChangePoint told the congregation that they were going to use Love INC as the avenue through which the money was to be spent. Those of you that know how Love INC works, know that Love INC does not give out money. So how was this going to look? Love INC provided the church with four profiles. Sounds good in theory but it proved a bit tricky. People who call in are in crisis and sometimes cannot wait even one week for an offering. For one of the people, other sources met the need beforehand. Another person needed her rent paid right away because she had been in a car accident and was unable to work. ChangePoint took care of that before the offering. On the other hand, the two remaining families are still waiting for housing. When they get it, their first months rent and security deposit are taken care of.

$5,971.45 came in that day. Obviously not everyone gave exactly $2, but it was close, as that corresponds with their average weekly attendance. But, there was more to be done. The leadership knew that not everyone was as motivated by cash as they might be through other ways of giving. They encouraged the people to give creatively and bless extravagantly. Love INC had also connected ChangePoint with Beyond Shelter, which helps to provide housing and care for families with kids who find themselves living out on the street or in a car.  Several of the children were in need of winter clothing. That meant someone could go shopping with some of that money for coats. One lady with a recent surgery was faced with dietary restrictions. Once ChangePoint got the list of what she could and could not have, they could go shopping to fill her pantry. They threw in a few movie tickets too. Those who value personal contact were encouraged to make the deliveries to the neighbors in need. In short, the congregation was encouraged to work within their passions and giftedness to make life better for those they were helping. "We are trying to get our family standing in front of the door." Dave describes what happens when the activity leaves the chair and goes out onto the street. "We just helped to make this a real connection."

Would they do it again? Yes! In fact, they plan to do it every quarter. Dave described Love INC as the natural place to start this idea and they learned a lot. They will explore other avenues for the next offering. Which means that the next $2 offering that goes to Love INC could come from your church. For those that take up that challenge, both ChangePoint and Love INC have learned some things to pass on.

Things changed a lot from the birthing of the concept until they took the first offering. Dave explained that people get just as excited about the idea or situation, so he recommends churches not pick specific cases ahead of time to help. Take the offering, meet the need and then celebrate the person after they have been helped. "Any church can do this," he encourages. It is a great way to motivate the people who have never been motivated to give. Take something that didn't really cost you and watch God do something with it. 'Trolling for Generosity!'