THE TRUE STORY OF 57 CENTS
THE TRUE STORY OF 57 CENTS
A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it “was too crowded.” “I can’t go to Sunday school,” she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kind-hearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read: “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school.”
For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.
But the story does not end there! A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a realtor, who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands of dollars. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.
Church members made large subscriptions. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000 – a huge sum for that time (Near the turn of the 20th century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday school building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such a remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her pastor, Dr Russell H Conwell.
Russell H Conwell was the author of Acres of Diamonds.
It is almost unbelievable, but if all the unsaved people in the world were to line up single file at your front door, the line would reach around the world thirty times! (This borrowed example is not current so that line would no doubt be much longer today). And this line would grow by twenty miles each day!
If you were to drive fifty miles an hour for ten hours a day, it would take you four years and forty days to get to the end of this line of lost souls.
And by then it would have grown by 30,000 miles!
Look out your front door! Do you see the lost souls!
It was the Apostle Paul who said: “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
Unless the pastor is missions minded, the Church will not be missions minded.
The Great Commission given to us by our Lord was to reach out into the world – not just to the end of our street or our community – or city limits.
I believe the pastor who does not allow his church to support the work of World Missions is not properly filling his role as spiritual leader of his church. Neither is he allowing his people to experience the blessings that they could know through supporting the Gospel being preached in other countries.
It would be great if every pastor would visit some foreign field at least one time. If he could his feelings for World Missions would greatly be affected.
I had been pastor of the Medora Pentecostal Church just a short time when we loaded up a dozen young people and a few parents, pulling a U-Haul trailer and went to Moroleon, Mexico. A few years later we took several to Venezuela. These trips had a tremendous effect on those who went and on our church as well. Years later they still talk of those trips.
If you think for a moment that if you encourage your church to give offerings each month to World Missions that your church will suffer financially, you are mistaken! I challenge you to try it for one year and see what happens!
Give your people the opportunity to support World Missions in a consistent and faithful manner and I am convinced God will honor your efforts in a great way.
