So, its high time I told you about 'The Sharing Project'. I have been thinking about it for a while, but just sort of didn't get around to it, you know how it is. Tonight, I feel compelled to share, because I kinda think every church should have one. Its so easy, such fun, and well, just so biblical. For longer than I dare to remember I have been pondering how as a church we can 'share' our stuff. The early church 'had everything in common' (Acts 2v44) but in our individualised busy lives how do we do that today? Ponder, ponder. So, I raise the topic with my dear Women's Group, and we ponder together. After some toing and froing we decide that a Facebook page might be our answer. That night 'The Sharing Project@St Mary's Loughton' was born.
Basically, the Facebook page can be used to give things away, make request for things, offer to lend things and ask to borrow things. Over the last few months, hundreds of transactions have been made. Finished with your travel cot? Make a post, and if it is useful to someone they can say 'yes please', or words to that effect. If more than one person would like an item their names go into a hat, real or otherwise, and a 'winner' is decided. We have given away everything from seafood sticks, to shampoo, to clothes, to furniture, to plants, to crepe paper. Toys feature strongly. Even a Cath Kidston bag. No money is involved, we're simply passing on stuff that we no longer need, to those to whom it would be useful. So many times, stuff has been posted that others really needed, and were about to buy, that I think God is enjoying this as much as we are. Yesterday, A posted that she had some unopened orange crepe paper to give away, amazingly this is the day before B is about to hunt around town for orange crepe paper for a craft project at toddler church! This sort of thing has happened so many times, bikes, TV units, hairdryers, its just fun, and a real money saving blessing! Sometimes people make requests and so often receive what they were after.
As well as giving things away, we are up for sharing our stuff too! We have a document on the page which details what we have to share. My steam cleaner has so far had three outings, and my bouncy castle went to a party. Inspirational Christian books and videos are inspiring lots of people rather than sitting on a shelf. We are also free to make requests to borrow things. Somethings you just need for a short period and probably wouldn't use again. I have recently borrowed blow up neck cushions, travel adaptors and have responded to a request for a booster car seat. Make a request and within an hour or so, someone has probably got one you can borrow.
The obvious benefit of The Sharing Project is that is saves us some money. For some, this is really significant. If you don't have much money, and you can receive what you need as a gift, it can mean a lot. For others it might mean that more money is available, and perhaps that money could be used for Kingdom purposes. Our personal giving to our church is changed significantly because there is so much we are given. We are so blessed to receive, for instance, clothes for our children, and we are thrilled to be able to pass on the money that we would have spent on them for eternal purposes instead. However, there is no expectation of this. God loves to give us gifts just to bless us. And blessed we have been!
Another benefit of the Project is the building up of community. What starts in a virtual reality has to become real because the stuff we are sharing is, of course, real. So, the reality is, we all turn up at church with bags of stuff to give to people. Many people we will know. However, some we won't, and so introductions are made, bags given and friendships formed. People cross from one side of the church to the other to do this, its amazing! And so easy!
The fun gets even more exciting when we are able to bless folks we know outside of our church community, as a witness to the love of God we have received. Sometimes we hear of people who have a particular need, we make a request and are able to bless them. Recently we did a local mission, and went about practically loving people in Loughton. One team went to clean a ladies house. While there they discovered that her bed was broken. A request was made, a bed frame found, the man with the van offered to pick it up, bed linen and duvet sorted out, one person researched a good quality mattress and four people chipped in to buy it. The process probably took a couple of hours, and within a week the lady had a new bed. She has also started coming to church.
What has really compelled me to write today is a post made this evening. One of our church members, who has been coming for the last few months and who has very recently become a Christian, has finally escaped a situation of domestic violence and abuse, and has been rehoused with her three children. However, she has NOTHING to put in her house, other than her children's clothes. She needs everything. A friend of hers put the request out, she needs everything a house needs... I kind of chocked up when I read the post an hour after it had appeared. There were 26 comments. A few hours after that there are 69. Everyone offering things that would be useful, chairs, sofas, beds, bed linen, toys for the children, a table, a new washing machine, fridge, plates, cups, cutlery, mattresses, cushion covers to be made in the ladies favourite colour, curtains, an iron, the list goes on and on. I know our church is full of amazing and generous people, and tonight I was so blessed to see it. This simple channel of a Facebook page means we can quickly and easily bless someone in real need. How else could we have done this? I'm sure there are ways, and I know the church would have been happy to provide some money to help, but this just seems so easy. Tonight the family rallied when one of its members needs became known.
All this makes me think that every church should have a Sharing Project, for all the reasons above. It is really easy to set up, and really easy to manage (we just delete our posts when the items are gone, or requests fulfilled, we also have a few documents for stuff that can be borrowed). For those that don't have a Facebook account we make posts for them. We have kept it just to church members, otherwise it would quickly become an all over town thing and the sense of community would disappear, however, we love to bless people outside of church who we know.
Please think about if you could start one, it really is great fun and a real channel of God's blessing in so many ways.
Please do share this with your friends, I would love the word to spread!
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