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Quarters
for World Hunger
"My 43-year old piggy bank…being filled
again!"
by Bishop Bob Berg from Northwest Network
April 2001
It is on the table in our home, and serves as a reminder
every time Roxie and I sit down to eat. It carries special meaning for
me as it came in the form of a gift with a single quarter in it. Having
received it at age ten, I am aware that the glass jar piggy bank, which
originally contained maple syrup is at least 43 years old. Clara Hagen
was an elderly lady with a homebound son. Often I would be asked to pick
up groceries for her at the local store where my father worked. I looked
forward to the opportunities as in addition to cookies and milk, Clara
would give me a quarter for my time and effort. It wasn't a lot, but yes,
a quarter in 1957 could buy a lot more than a quarter today. One day I
received my quarter in the empty syrup-jar-bank.
Having sat on a shelf with other things from childhood days, I decided
to give the piggy bank a place of prominence in our home. Knowing that
again this year our synod assembly would be receiving quarters for world
hunger, it seemed a good and right thing to use the bank for quarters
through the Lenten season and up to assembly time. In doing so, I now
find myself purposely not taking quarters from my pocket when paying for
something, but rather looking forward to putting them on a daily basis
into the special glass bank.
Many quarters working together is a thought that goes through my mind
as I walk by or sit down at the table, although a quarter today is not
worth what a quarter was worth in 1957, a number of quarters together
do have value and can make a difference. I'm guessing the bank will hold
between $40-50 when full, and if Roxie and I remain intentional about
contributing daily, my hope is that we can fill it twice. Many quarters
working together has a ring to it, and serves as a reminder of what happens
when many hands, many servants of Christ work together.
And so my mind wanders, and I dream dreams and see visions. What if every
voting member to this year's assembly began saving quarters for the World
Hunger Assembly Offering? What if every congregation in the Northwest
Synod of Wisconsin received quarters for this purpose? What if every Sunday
School Class was committed to giving even just one roll of quarters to
help the hungry of this world? What if every family in every congregation
started saving quarters, and offered those quarters for the sake of the
Gospel and the needs of people who have so much less than we have?
Through the regular congregation assembly offering, quilt auction, and
collected quarters, the total assembly offering last year for World Hunger
projects, in Brazil, Malawi, and other parts of Africa came to $37,594.07.
Of that amount, there was $11,309.25 in quarters. Think for a moment about
the one quarter in that total which shows up as 25 cents. It is a single
quarter, just like the one I received from Clara. In today's world, it
is pretty insignificant, but along with 45,236 other quarters, that onequarter
did make a difference.
Would you join me in my dreaming and visioning? Would you save quarters
for this year's assembly offering, and would you encourage others in your
congregation to do the same? I can only begin to imagine what the response
would be and the extent to which the quarters would impact the lives of
others for the sake of the Gospel. Then the righteous will answer him,
"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food,
or thirsty and gave you something to drink?"...And the King will
answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the
least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." (Matthew
25) |