The 57 Cent
Church
By de Andréa
September 25, 2013
A little girl
stood near the entrance of a small church from which she had been turned away
because it was 'too crowded.'
“There is no room for me in 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 happy that they found room for her, 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 poorest tenement buildings in
the city. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended
their daughter to handle the final arrangements.
As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled little red 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.”
As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled little red 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 must do.
Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of this little girl’s unselfish love and devotion.
He challenged
his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for a larger building. But the
story doesn’t end there....
A newspaper
learned of the story and published it. It was read by a wealthy realtor who
offered them a parcel of land for many thousands of dollars.
When told
that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little
church for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Checks came from far
and wide.
Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the last 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 be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are
educated each year.
Have a look,
too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday school building which
houses hundreds of beautiful little children, built so that no child in the
area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time all built with
the little girls 57 cents.
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 remarkable history.
Alongside it,
is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book,
'Acres of Diamonds'.
If this story touched your
heart, please share it with your friends, family and co-workers. The next time you go to church put an extra
57 cents in the offering plate, no telling what God can do with it…
Thanks for listening – de Andréa
Copyright © 2013
by Bottom Line Publishing - Permission to reprint in whole or in part is
gladly granted, provided full credit is given.
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