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"Kingdom Assignment" Makes Difference for One Church
TUCKER, GA (January 24, 2004) - Oakdale Covenant Church in Chicago launched its
version of The Kingdom Assignment after pastor Darrell Griffin read
the book after receiving it during the Midwinter Conference of the
Evangelical Covenant Church.
Catherine Gilliard grew up in Chicago and attended Oakdale Covenant. She
heard about her home church's experience with The Kingdom Assignment
and decided to try it with a multiethnic congregation she was planting,
Commissioned Disciples Covenant Church.
Last summer, Gilliard preached about "having spiritual ears and eyes of
hurt and pain" with the hope that her congregation of 25 would be a
blessing to Tucker, an ethnically diverse city located northeast of
Atlanta. After preaching about the parable of the talents, she extenderd an
invitation to those willing to "let God use you to make a difference."
Gilliard had about $2,000 to give - she gave each participant a copy of the
book with money taped to the inside back page ($100 for adults, $50 for
children).
Those who accepted the invitation were told they needed to read the book,
watch a movie referred to in the book (Pay It Forward), pray about
what they were to do and use the money any way in which they felt directed.
The only stipulation was that they could not bring back the money. They had
90 days to complete the assignment.
Here are a few of the stories that Gilliard shared:
- A college student found a website with a "wish list" of items cancer
patients have requested. He used his money to purchase items for six of
those patients and hopes to raise more money to purchase gifts for others.
- One adult raised money for personal items to help people living at a
battered women's shelter and is currently raising added funds to further
the ministry.
- One couple tried to help their neighbors by alerting friends of the
needs of the family. The family in need has been blessed by food
deliveries, acts of kindness and the funds that have helped them regain
their lives following a series of tragic events
Catherine Gilliard took the assignment and used her $100 to survey college
students about how the church could minister to them. Gilliard discovered
that students wanted the church newsletter, weekly sermon tapes, postal
mail and devotional materials.
As a result of her survey, Gilliard launched what she calls "The Campus
Commission." It is a ministry to college kids who are away form their home
churches. She is sending out quarterly care packages that will give seven
students "physical and spiritual food, including cakes, cookies, stamps,
spiritual materials, CDs and other items. Her idea is already catching on
as two other churches within the Southeast Conference have heard about the
idea and are implementing it in their own ministries.
The rest of the Gilliard family has also received enjoyment from using
their $100 assignments for God's glory. Deric Gilliard, Catherine's
husband, has used his money to invite homeless people to lunch and to get
to know them better. The Gilliards' 11-year-old daughter, Veronica, decided
that kids in her neighborhood would benefit from a mobile library that
carried Christian books and videos suited for her age group, among other
things. She prayed before asking her mother's friends for help to make her
vision came true.
Thus far, Veronica has collected $1,200 for the project, along with
Christian videos, CDs and books. She is also planning on adding an element
to the assignment - visits to battered women's shelters and hospitals to
read to children. The authors of The Kingdom Assignment have heard
about Veronica's efforts and her story is slated to be part of a second
book documenting efforts made by other churches and individuals who have
taken the assignment. But even if a second book doesn't come out, Veronica
has learned some valuable lessons, her mother said.
"She (Veronica) had to pray about something she was going to do and, after
she decided what she wanted to do, she mailed letters (to family friends)
and then had to wait," said her mother. "It was a good exercise for her.
She asked me during the next two weeks if I thought anybody had gotten her
letters. When she got her first letter back (for $100) she thought she was
finished. But every day, things kept coming and kept coming and she got
excited about going to the mailbox.
That's what has happened to many others," Gilliard continued. "People have
launched projects and then waited and waited for God to respond. And it's
been awesome to watch people's faith in knowing that God has a plan for
them to be involved and, if they were obedient, that God will make it grow
farther than they had imagined. Because as it keeps going, it becomes
something that's far beyond you and you know God had something better in
his plans."
After completing their own "Kingdom Assignment," the congregation
celebrated the efforts with a "Giving Thanks" banquet on November 21. The
banquet was videotaped and parishioners were given copies. One parishioner
had used her $100 to start a computer lab fund to buy a computer for the
residents of a local senior citizens home. When the parishioner showed the
video to her extended family, one of her relatives said she would donate
$1,800 for computers.
"This one lady thought that giving $100 was a start," Gilliard said. "And
when this other woman heard about it she said, 'Well, we make this happen
now, how much would it cost to get three computers?' She wrote us a check
and the computers were delivered on Christmas Eve."
"People were personally living out their testimonies," Gilliard continued.
"And I know the projects won't stop because people's antennas have been
raised."
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