The Kingdom Assignment

            On Sunday, October 14, I did something that I had never done before...and way outside my comfort zone. At the end of the worship service, in which I had preached on how there is a direct connection between our love for God and our giving, I stepped out from behind the pulpit to the center of the sanctuary. I told the parable that Jesus told which we know as "The Parable of the Talents." It tells about a man who was going away on a journey and before leaving entrusted his business affairs to his servants. To one servant he gave five talents, to another two talents and to a third one talent. (You can read the parable in Matthew 25:14-30.)

            I then said to the congregation, "I would like to make this parable come alive for us, and to do that I want to ask for some volunteers to undertake a Kingdom Assignment." At the early service I asked for 10 volunteers; at the late service I asked for 20 volunteers.

            I had no idea if anyone would respond-we Presbyterians have a reputation for being slow to step forward in situations like that. I was prepared, if necessary, to call people by name and ask them to volunteer.

            To my surprise and joy, people willingly, quickly, eagerly came forward: eleven at the early service and twenty at the late service, giving us a total of 31 people who were undertaking this kingdom assignment.

            I then handed to each person a $100 bill. And said, "This is not my money; it's not the church's money; it's not even your money. It's God's money, and God is entrusting it to you and asking that you use it in some way that will be a blessing to God's kingdom." I had no intention of trying to limit or direct how people might use the money. I never had any expectation that it was some sort of fund-raiser to bring back money into the church's coffers. How each person chose to use the money was between themselves and God.

            The effect of this Kingdom Assignment project has been phenomenal. It has generated a great deal of conversation and support from people well beyond the original 31 volunteers. My prayer is that this commitment to do something for the good of God's kingdom will not end here.

 Chuck Williamson