24 Aug Kids Sell Their Possesions for the Poor

Pastor Tim Hallman prepares to unleash the kids, ready to part with their toys.

On August 17, 2009, Pastor Tim Hallman of Anchor Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) preached from Luke 12:33, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” The message was directed at children, who gathered around the front of the church.

He gave them an assignment: go through their toys and bring some to church the next Sunday. We would then sell the toys and give the money to the poor–specifically, to a micro-business opportunity in Peru which would benefit a poor family. The money would be channeled through UB endorsed missionary Anna Geivett, who serves with Food for the Hungry in Peru.

These were the options provided by Food for the Hungry:

• $25 buys a fruit-bearing tree which can produce hundreds of pounds of food each year, helping feed that family and produce additional income.
• $20 buys 4 rabbits, which can become 80 rabbits in one year’s time.
• $40 buys a sow, which can produce 20 piglets each year, yielding income for the family. In just six months, each piglet can grow to 200 pounds.
• $150 buys a dairy goat, able to produce up to a gallon of milk each day.

On August 23, the children showed up with all kinds of toys, books, stuffed animals, and other items. After a short message, Tim told the children to walk through the sanctuary with their toys. Adults then bought the items from the children–a quarter, a dollar, a couple dollars. The kids then brought their money to the front of the church, where it was counted. Over a period of about ten minutes, the children sold all of the possession they had brought.

When it was all counted, the total raised came to $241–enough to finance each of the four projects!

It was a great lesson not only for the children, but for adults, who have much bigger toys which could be sold to benefit someone in need.

Emily brought a whole bag of stuffed animals, which she placed on this cart and wheeled around the sanctuary until they were all sold.

Two adults count the money as kids bring it to the front of the church.