There are numerous passages in the Bible about doubt. James 1:6 is my favorite: “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
My fellow ministers were talking to me today regarding Harvest Sunday. A couple of them told me that it was apparent that there was some worry in my mind concerning Harvest Sunday. Like most, I had not really recognized this for what it was. Concern can also lead to doubt which becomes a “faith issue”.
We have had quite a year ending. Finances have been tight. I have had to quit helping non-members with emergency family assistance like rent, utilities, bus tickets, etc. The tightness even affected my ability to purchase groceries. I had an order for some 60 cases of food that could not be charged to our church credit card account. I had to cancel the order. Our financial office has had to juggle monies and pay the necessary items first – utilities, etc. This is something most of us have had to do. I’ve been through this and have had to make minimum payments to keep from having late fees.
So with this in the back of my mind for the past month, I begin to think about “What kind of Harvest Sunday will we have this year?” I prayed a lot about it because this was the first time in my benevolence ministry here at Singing Oaks that I’d worried specifically about our ability to purchase food.
Wednesday prior to Harvest Sunday, the Lord was trying to get my mind in the right place. I asked one of our members for help buying some corn and green beans. She has told me numerous times to call if I needed help. Well, I called her. So right before Wednesday night meal-time our sister came to me and said she could use some help unloading her car. She had gone out and purchased a car load of food. There were numerous items she had bought in case amounts. Needless to say, she is on my hero list. When I got to church Sunday and saw all the food lined up around the stage and wall, I was certainly relieved.
After the great results Sunday, all of you are my heroes. This had to be the best Harvest Sunday ever. Members of various families – adults and kids – came back at 2:00 pm Sunday and helped put up groceries. This became quite a challenge. The pantry is as full as it’s ever been. Hopefully we won’t have to buy groceries until well into December. There are about 30 “Food for Five” sacks stored in our clothing room closet. We didn’t have adequate room for these in the pantry area. We started using these Tuesday.
Not only did you outdo yourselves with food donations, but the Harvest Sunday money donations came in at $12,500.
My lack of faith has been replaced with gratitude. These results are typical Singing Oaks results. I learned a big lesson – “if you need something, just ask!”
Facing the unknown, my faith was tested. I should have never worried or doubted. Thank goodness Jude 1:22 sort of bails me out: “Be merciful to those who doubt.”
Thank you for your generous hearts.