LABS Videos: Jennie

LABS Videos: Steve

LABS Videos: Lee

LABS Videos: Esther

LABS Videos: Joel and Emma

Living a Better Story: Jimmy & Elaine's Story

We received $15 and feel at the present time Hollywood Cemetery needs help in cleaning up.  We increased the $15 to $100 to help with this effort.

Living a Better Story: Doris's Story

I received $5.  I knew immediately what I wanted to do.  I wanted to add $45 to make $50 to be given to a lady with children who come into the Soup Kitchen.  I talked to the Soup Kitchen Manager, Dan.  I told him what I wanted done with my anonymous gift.  He said frequently women with children come in to get the only meal they would get for the day.  He assured me he would pray for guidance and give the money to a very deserving person.  I feel very good for an opportunity to give in such a deserving way and I do believe God will bless the receiver as much as he has blessed me.

Living a Better Story: Edna's Story

The $20 in my envelop went to the Sunday school class that is helping three siblings, who are in college.  One is a senior this year and now has the promise of a job.  Perhaps they will be better qualified to join the job market with this help from the fund.

Living a Better Story: David's Story

The $10 in my envelop was combined with $50 to purchase a blood pressure cuff for a heart patient.

Living a Better Story: Religion for Life Sunday School Class

This story is a group (Religion for Life SS Class) story and an old story that continues to have new meaning and abundant blessings as it unfolds and become an even “Better Story”.

A few years ago, the Religion for Life Sunday school Class became involved in the lives of a family that our church had helped to build a Habitat house.  The family moved into their new home as a one-parent family with high hopes and a brighter future.  Because of difficulties encountered by the mother who became mentally dysfunctional and experienced other problems, the family soon lost their home and was left with no parent to guide and hold the children together.   The oldest child, Temeka, at the age of 19, assumed the role of parent for her two younger brothers, Quentin and Quenterius and vowed to keep the family together.

Class Member, Ann was captivated by Temeka’s determination and fighting spirit to maintain the family and began to ask the Class for help at various times to support this family.  For more than six years now, the class has supported this family in many ways and the W’s have become, more or less, unofficial grandparents to these children.  Helped by Larry and Nancy, the Woodall’s urged the Class to adopt this family as it primary mission project.  The support of this appeal had been almost universal with class members and the class has set up a Family Fund to support the family financially.  Each year members of the class pledge varying amounts to this fund and with the money, all kinds of support has been given to assist with the family needs.

Temeka works everyday to provide the primary family support while going to school to continue her education in hopes of finding a better paying and more responsible job.  She has completed an Associate Degree from Jackson State Community College and will soon complete a degree in business from Bethel University. She now has two children to support, in addition to helping her brothers.  Quentin is completing his degree in accounting at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this school year.  With the help of the Brooke’s, Quentin was able to obtain an internship with Lockheed-Martin and has worked the past two summers in their accounting departments at Marietta, GA and in Ft. Worth, TX.  Class members are all hopeful that he will be offered a permanent position with Lockheed upon graduation.  Quentarius is attending Bethel University on a football scholarship and has been in the starting lineup in recent games.  He is in his sophomore year.

Recent events have necessitated the unexpected expenditure of more dollars than had been budgeted from the family fund. Some in the class proposed that the members use the money received from the church, match it at least 2 dollars for each 1 dollar received, and contribute it to the Fund to assist in paying the additional expenses. Members were encouraged to multiply their money by greater amounts as they felt the need.  The response has been very gratifying with a total of more than $1000 contributed so far from class members.  Assuming that the class members that have responded (21) received an average of $10 each, this would mean that the Class has multiplied their money by almost five fold. 

But that is not the end of the story.  In addition, many class members have relayed the story and their project goals to others in the church.  One result of this is that the Dick Nunn Class has decided to join the effort and has contributed $435 thus far.  Another friend of class members took the loose change accumulated at home, redeemed it and contributed $128 to the effort. To date, a total of more than $1400 dollars has been contributed to this effort.  As news spreads, it seems certain that even more money will be forthcoming so that this family can enjoy and experience a “better life”.  In the meantime, members of the Religion for Life class will continue to grow this into “An Even Better Story” through the help and generosity of the members and others that have heard this story and want to be part of it. Anyone who reads or hears about this story and has a desire to join in this effort, please contact Ann or Ray  and they will be glad to help you become involved.

 This story is not yet at an end and with God’s help and the generosity of church members and others, it will become a continuing saga to show love and provide assistance to a very special family in Jackson, TN.  Only God knows what might have happened to this family without the intervention of this SS class into their lives.  Each of these children’s lives now holds so much hope and promise.  God continues to bless us all as we learn that helping others is one of the most rewarding endeavors in our lives.

Living a Better Story: Allan's Story

I attended your service on September 26^th with my Mom, Elizabeth, and really enjoyed the service.  The $10 God gave me has multiplied many times and is being used to support scholarships for low income kids in the inner city of Indianapolis where we live.

Living a Better Story: Betsy and Alan's Story

At a stewardship meeting this fall Phyllis talked about a project Brentwood United Methodist Church had done where the church gave out money and people were to take God's money, multiply it and make it work for God's kingdom - Living a Better Story. At first hearing this sounded like a wacky idea - the church giving out money? Then, in thinking and talking about being good stewards of what God has given us, it made more sense. She thought our church would benefit from this project, but we lacked the funds. Before I thought about it, I said not to worry about how we would get the money - we should go ahead with it. Then came the check writing in Phyllis' office!  Well, I thought I had done my part and that I would just sit back and watch how Living a Better Story would play out at FUMC. Alan and I received $30 at church a couple of Sundays later. My thought was just to donate this money to a good cause and then we'd be done. I asked my sister's family to join us to combine our funds. We now had $45. But people started asking me about my plans for multiplying God's money - I didn't want to tell that I had already donated. Hearing about others' money-making schemes and donations to good causes made me want to get more involved in the program.  As I prayed and thought about it, I became aware of many needs in our community. I realized we had had a huge money multiplier in our closet - the loose change bottle! Alan and I agreed we'd use those funds for our project and we made $265 on change. Now we had $305 - $120 went to Adopt-a Classroom (kindergarten learning stations); $140 went to Area Relief Ministry for 2 new cots (Room in the Inn) and $45+ was used to buy nutritious snacks/drinks to put in 24 snack bags for the homeless coming to ARM Open Arms. My sister and her daughter helped me make up the bags and write Bible verses to put in them - we had fun filling and decorating them. It was a joy to deliver that check and those snack bags on Monday morning. I am now more likely to pay attention to people's needs and respond to God's "little nudges." God has blessed me and my family in so many ways - it feels good to be giving back what belongs to Him. Experiencing Living a Better Story with my church family has been an amazing experience and you all cannot imagine the return Iwe've gotten on God's money!  

Living a Better Story: Virginia's Story

I got $10. I bought a cross from Pam at the flea market. I took some of stuffed animals and other stuff to the flea market and sold $48 worth. I donated the rest to the nursery and the spring rummage sale. I donated the money to WRAP. I collected art supplies for WRAP for my Girl Scout Gold Award project. 

Living a Better Story: Elizabeth, Kyle and family's Story

I know I am late on this, but I did want to share what our family did with our "Living a Better Story" money.  I struggled with this for a long time as to figure out a way to make the money grow.  Neither Kyle nor I are very creative in this type of project, which is I guess why it took so long.  However, I was at church one recent Wednesday night, and I just opened up to a couple of friends asking them how they were doing on it.  One of them immediately said that she was baking cakes and selling them.  The other one said something then about how she had heard about the pound cakes I make and I should take orders and sell those to make the money grow - then she ordered 4 loaves right on the spot!

So, I went home, made a flyer, and brought it to my workplace.  I received orders for 21 loaves of pound cakes!  I quickly took the order form home, because I had to get started immediately. 

I took my family's $20 that we collectively received, bought ingredients, and began baking.  I charged $5 per loaf, and I will end up making $105, taking out just a little bit for more ingredients. 

The Dream Center has always touched me at Christmas like none other.  My friend Fran began this tradition 3 years ago with our picking kids/women from the Christmas tree in the children's department, and we just absolutely LOVE putting a face with the name on our card.  It makes it so much more meaningful for our children to meet the people we are buying for.  So, another member and I are pooling our money together to purchase needed items at the Dream Center.

Elizabeth, Kyle and family

Living a Better Story: All People Smile in the Same Language

Where to begin...? I sat in the church pew one Sunday morning and received my envelope with cash and an instruction card. I had $5.00 dollars. What on earth do you do with $5.00? ...I phoned a friend. Angela and our families pooled the money we received and decided to have a basketball shootout fundraiser benefiting Operation Smile. We used our money for advertising and small plastic basketballs. 

Operation Smile provides free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities for children around the globe. For as little as 240.00 dollars you can provide a surgery that will change a child's life and take as few as 45 minutes.

Angela and I enlisted the help of Dan and Adam. They were our entertainment. We started our project one Wednesday evening at supper in Clayton Hall. The dining room was decorated with balloons and jars for people to put in their spare change...our slogan "Be the Change you want to see in the World". I was thrilled to see our friends empty their pockets and give generously. We showed a video of a successful surgery, and then went to the gym for the basketball shootout. If you missed it....you really missed a show! Lane provided the hilarious outfits for Dan and Adam. Dan "The Preach" didn't miss a free throw and Adam "String Bean" was shooting 3 pointers. 

The kids participated in a free throw contest and put in their dollar bills for the cause. In the end, it didn't really matter how much money we made, although it was enough to send a smile --$350.00. It was the generosity pouring out of pockets from young and old to help a child across the world they would never get to see.

Eleanor said, "What we are is God's gift to us.  What we become is our gift to God."  That day I know the Lord above was surely smiling!

Susan, Angela and families