7/4/1999
Charitable People
What goes around, comes around! Give and it will be given to you! Do unto others as you would have others do
unto you! I most likely know another ten sayings that make the same point. We all know what we should do, until
the little ME ME ME voice kicks in! Then we need someone to shake us and put us back on track living our lives in
the goodness of our hearts and not the greed of our minds.
I was an intern pastor at a small but growing church in Florida the last two years I lived there. Our rented space was
cramped, so for special events we needed to rent a larger hall. We often needed to charge people for the events as
we needed more money to pay for the room than we took in. At a [company]
meeting I went to they held a room raffle to HELP cover the cost of the room. Each unit with 3 or
more people needed to bring a wrapped gift. It was people from many regions going.
It seemed to work well so I talked the church board into giving it a try. We hated charging people to go to our
events as church should be free. The raffle was a way to raise money without a blanket cover charge. This allowed
everyone to come and worked great. Our assistant pastor would not buy tickets as he was not in favor of "gambling" at the church.
Many people that had a lot of money would forget to bring any and didn't buy any as well. When we had a cover charge they always
remembered to bring money, imagine that! We had a few people that knew it was the right thing to do, but were
somewhat selfish. I sold 5 for $5.00 and 15 for $10.00. These people would buy 15 for $10.00 and split it up 3
ways to $3.34 each. Once they asked me if I could break a $50 as it was there smallest bill! They could afford $10
each if they wanted to.
The people that bought the tickets were the charitable people in the church. No matter what we had to raffle, these
people had there tickets. They saw the big picture. It wasn't about what they could win for themselves, it was about
paying there part of the rent so church events were free! If they didn't come, our church space would have been
large enough, but they came and they paid there share and a little more. The few times we had money
left over we got prizes for next time with the money. We were not in it to make money, just break even.
I'm planning a trip back to Florida in August to run the vacation Bible school as I was the youth pastor last year. One
of the charitable families got me a ticket and is letting me stay in there home! ( I booked 5 parties that week with
past hostesses! LOL) The church grew so large it split in two and the assistant pastor is now pastor of the second
church. I called him at home to work out a few things the other day. He told me he wished I would
move back and run HIS CHURCH Raffle as they just couldn't sell any tickets like I did! You all know what I told
him!
If I can tell it like it is to a pastor, I can tell it like it is to you! At many of our meetings we have room raffles. Your
leader WORKS HARD just like us to make HER money. If you are or have been a unit leader or higher, you know
how much work is involved. If we fill up the room causing our leaders to rent expensive rooms, we SHOULD be
thoughtful enough to remember money for the raffles!
What if the leaders start buying a string of tickets like the rest of us themselves, to cover there part? Taking the
money they get each month, subtracting the cost of the prizes, and take what is left to get what they can afford for
your next meeting? Will you be meeting in the same room you now are in? Would you be bringing your people into
safe places?
I know I have offended some of you and I humbly welcome your letters.
The fact is that Leigh Kirk and I made the same in pay from
[company] last year. We each got 25% on our personal sales and 7% if we bonus. We each got 2%
of our team if we are a team leader and 7% of our unit, etc.... Our SRVP and other leaders are on the same pay
chart you are.
One of the best things I like about [company] people is the fact that we are charitable! Our drive to raise $500,000 for
ACS shows that. I know many leaders and all of them are charitable people. If by chance you should give more
than is needed, they will most likely buy more prizes or give it to ACS! No one is holding a room raffle to make
money, they just need our help in paying for the room. I would like to thank all the leaders that have
paid the room rent for me when I couldn't. I also thank all of you that buy the tickets each month, you are doing
what is right. I just love our leaders and feel as if we all could do a little more to help them, even if it is just staying
for clean up!
Each month I go to meetings that have raffles. I am the first person to buy my tickets. If I have money for Diet Coke
and other useless junk, I can save up $10 for my tickets. I never ask what the prize is, buying the ticket is the right
thing to do. After all, one day I will be the leader in need of a large room. I will want people to buy tickets then and
so will you! I know a pastor that would agree with me now!
Wishing all of you the joy in [company] I have found, Hank
P.S. I am trusting in many of you to read this at your meetings or copy it and pass it around, as our humble leaders
will not. This is from my heart and not by request. We owe it to our leaders. Lets show our love for them :)
This page last
updated July 06, 2005
