“When you reap the harvest of your land,
do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen.
Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.
I am the Lord your God.”
(Leviticus 19:9-10)
Obeying the Word of God in the book of Leviticus 19:9-10, we use the entirety of our Thanksgiving week offerings for missionaries, or for helping others in need. Last year, the amount we collected was $7,110. We sent $2,110 to Southern New Hampshire Rescue Mission, an organization that helps the homeless in Nashua downtown. The remaining $5,000 we silently distributed to brothers and sisters in our community who are in need.
In addition to this special offering, our church allocates money for charitable giving when we plan our annual budget. When giving it out, we practice the Bible verse “when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” However, the ones on the receiving end may feel as if they are being a burden to others. So I usually ask them for this favor: “right now, other’s love is flowing down to you. However, when your situation improves, there will be a day when you will be able to share that same love to others. It is my hope that such ‘sharings’ of love join together one day to become a river. So please don’t feel uncomfortable and take this gift with a heart of thanks to God”.
I say this to them to ease any discomfort that they may have, but at the same time, I have my prayer and hope in the message as well. Small bits of love given anonymously behind the name of the church have come together as one greater love flowing down to others. If such love continues to flow and join other streams of love, wouldn’t it run like a river oneday? I have such prayer and hope in me.
I, with all my heart, thank all the brothers and sisters of Hanmaum church for participating in this sharing, and obeying the Word of God. The world may not know it, but I believe that our Lord will see it all, be pleased, and remember. Let’s pray together that the ‘small streams of love will make big rivers..”.
Following the shepherd..
Pastor, Jiwon Choi.