A single penny may not be much of a thing to us. If you live on the streets and are hungry more often than sufficiently fed, a penny may well make a huge difference.
The children of Syria have suffered untold and unspeakable horrors. The civil war that has literally torn that nation to shreds has taken its toll on everyone there, yet most especially the children. No child, whether in Syria, the Sudan or South Carolina should endure deprivation and poverty of such unimaginable proportion and depth.
Our Lenten exercise of “A Penny for your Thought” was our effort, albeit a figurative drop in a seemingly bottom-less bucket at trying to make a change in the lives of children living in a foreign land most of us will never visit or come to know too well. Nonetheless, it was OUR effort. It was OUR intention, prayerfully guided and divinely inspired to make a difference, to bring the basic staples to kids that need any and all help possible. The good, loving and generous people of this church, this Community of St. Nicholas once again, came to the fore and showed what we are made of.
The final total provided us by our Jennifer Brundige…drum roll, please, comes out to $175.00 raised. Now, St. Nicholas will match that total. The funds we shall use will not come from any department that will put us in a tough spot. Rather, we shall use funds that were given to me, for my personal use when I was installed as vicar. I tell you, I can’t think of any better way to share something gifted to me than with kids who desperately need our help.
The Community of St. Nicholas will cut a check in the amount of $350.00 and send it off to the Episcopal Relief Fund. They, in turn, will see to it that every single penny will go toward aid and assistance for the children of Syria who need it most.
From my heart to yours…thank you, everyone, for caring and sharing so generously and so lovingly. We profess that at St. Nicholas, all are welcome…period. How blessed to extend this invitation to children in a far-away country who have probably never heard of Elk Grove Village or who St. Nicholas is. But, with this small but powerful token of our love and care, kids will get a little dose of who St. Nicholas really is, become part of our family and hopefully, change their lives for the better.
Amen.
