St. Francis Episcopal Church

Pay It Forward

In the two weeks between Palm Sunday weekend (March 19 & 20) and the Second Sunday of Easter (April 2 & 3) we are inviting 100 individuals or families of the St. Francis Church community to take part in an opportunity to pay it forward. In the narthex this coming weekend you will find a basket of colorful plastic eggs on a table with a sticker that says "St. Francis Episcopal Church Pay It Forward." Inside that egg you will find a short instruction sheet and a ten dollar bill. The $10 is meant to be shared with someone who may be in need or who you feel could use a surprise to bring joy to their day. Our goal is to see how even a small action can have a big impact as we spread the joy of the Risen Christ with others in creative and surprising ways.

Some ways you might use your $10 to have an impact on someone's life:

• Buy coffee for the next few people behind you in line.
• Give a gas card to someone at the gas pump.
• Buy flowers and bring them to the nursing home to be given to a resident without any family.
• Pool your money with others to buy groceries, use them to make a delicious meal, and deliver it to a family in need.
• Buy bracelet making supplies with your money, make bracelets to sell for a profit more than your $10, and use the proceeds to make a donation to a local charity.

These are just a few ideas for what you can do with your $10. We encourage you to be creative, work together, and act in unexpected ways to help others experience God's love through your actions.

Then, after you have used your $10 to bring joy to someone, we ask that you come back on the weekend of the Second Sunday of Easter (April 2 & 3) and share your stories with the community. Let us know what you did with your $10. Did you see the impact of your money on the person you spent it on? What happened? How did your action impact you? How did you see the Risen Lord through what you did? Our First Sunday Program at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 3 will include people sharing their stories about their Pay If Forward experiences. And in all three worship services that weekend there will be time for a few people to share their stories. If you are willing to share your story in worship or at the First Sunday gathering please speak to the clergy, Pat or Karen, as soon as possible.

Also, please send your stories to us via email (stfran@verizon.net) along with pictures, if you have them, so we can share your stories with the whole congregation. Or if you'd like to share your story via social media, post your story and pictures on our Facebook page (St. Francis Episcopal Church, Holden, Mass) or tag us there or via Twitter (@StFrancisH).

We look forward to hearing how you and the people you pay it forward to are impacted by the surprising love of the Risen Christ! May God be with you and bless you and those whose lives you touch as you pay it forward!

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