Pennies on the Altar

If I were ever to write a book about The Welcome Church, I would have to call it "Pennies on the Altar." I get this name from the very first "Tuesday Church" service I did over a year ago now.

On that day, I shared how I always seem to find pennies in the most unusual places. In the past, I would ignore those pennies because they were worth,well, only a penny. This changed, however, when someone pointed out to me the words written on the penny, "In God We Trust." Finding pennies then became a reminder for me to trust God.

The odd thing was that I would find the pennies just when I needed to hear that message. Like on the seat of a plane, before taking off (I hate to fly), or on the way to a meeting where I would learn whether or not I was going to have funding for my ministry. On one particularly shaky day, I found six pennies lined up on the street as if God were trying to make sure I really got the message!

So on the day of my first service with Tuesday Church, I invited each person to look for pennies in the upcoming week and let it be a reminder to them of God's presence in all places.

The following week, I asked if anyone wanted to share their "penny stories."

As each person told of the places they found pennies (and the presence of God) they came up and placed their pennies on our altar. This went on for several weeks, until finally, I had to place a jar on the altar to hold all our pennies. One person even shared how she started leaving pennies on the street for others who needed to find them!

The ministry of The Welcome Church is a tricky one because unlike most other developing congregations, our parishioners will not be able to financially sustain the ministry. We depend on donations, grants, and miracles to keep us going. But one thing is not tricky, and that's the message of God's love and grace that is being proclaimed to one another. The message of the gospel found on a penny. Good news popping up, even on the street and in places that most of us would not even touch.

And each week that heavy jar of pennies make my own heart grow light.