January 'Goat Drive'

Happy New Year! Two weeks ago at HighPoint, we wrapped up the Pirate Toy Fund toy drive, December's Giving Project. The toys that were collected,and those that we purchased with the kids' offerings, will be delivered to the Pirate Toy Fund so that they can be given out to kids in our community who need them. Great job, and thanks for being a part of the December Giving Project!

This past week, we began a new giving project. We are calling it the January 'Goat Drive'. Together with the kids from HotSpot, the kids will be be trying to raise enough money to purchase at least one goat through Samaritan's Purse to give to a needy family overseas. This is from the Samaritan's Purse website:



"Around the world, more people drink milk from goats than from cows. One goat can produce enough nourishing milk for a family, and a small herd can supply a steady source of income. As our teams provide families with goats, we also furnish training and veterinary care, building relationships that offer opportunities to present the Good News of Jesus Christ. “I am grateful to God and Samaritan’s Purse for uplifting our family and community,” said Mugisha, a Ugandan farmer whose herd has grown so much that he donates goats to help other families. A gift of $70 can supply a goat or other dairy animal to a family in need."

One thing that I learned watching this video was that Samaritan's Purse asks the recipients of these goats to donate back to the program one female offspring of the goat, so that it can be given to another needy family. In this way, a particular gift has the potential to impact the lives and health of several families in a community.

Our goal for the month is to collect enough money to purchase at least one goat, which costs $70. This amount is near the upper boundary of what the HighPoint and HotSpot monthly offerings typically run, so to achieve it the kids will really have to be faithful and conscientious in their giving. This is where you can help within your home. A fair amount of money usually runs through kids' hands in a given month, be it from gifts, allowances or money earned from doing chores. In most cases, we as parents are involved either in giving the kids the money, or in passing along gifts from relatives. It is at that point of contact that we have an opportunity to shape the way that our kids handle the money that God has put in their hands. If we are diligent in making use of these opportunities, we can begin to train our children to share a more 'adult' view of their resources and how those can best be used to glorify God. Here are some things worth thinking about:

• First, giving is an act of worship, like singing or praising God. Many of our kids like to sing and dance at HighPoint. Most understand that this is done in praise to God. We try to explain at HighPoint that our giving is done as a similar act of worship. But that is a difficult thing to grasp quickly, so talking and walking through that again and again in the home is the best way for this to really sink in.


• Most kids have piggy banks of some sort. Do they have a Giving Bank into which they collect all their money that is going to be given away? This can help kids view that money as 'set aside', and not part of the pool of money destined for candy or American Girl dolls.


• Many families base their regular giving on a fraction of their income (1/10 being the most common). Deciding with your kids what general fraction of their money should be given as an offering to God leads to great conversations, more faithful giving, and often conviction of your own adult view of generosity (my son thinks that 3/4 is a reasonable amount of one's income to give away...).


• When allowances are given out, is money set aside at that time for giving? I imagine that most families give in time with their paychecks. Should that be different for kids?


• Last, and maybe most importantly, do the kids pray over their offerings? Being intentional about doing this in the home before bringing them in can really highlight how this money is given in worship, how it is set apart and special, and how it will ultimately be used as an instrument of grace in God's hand. We typically don't pray over our purchases from Target or our Sam's Club membership dues. Praying over our offerings with our kids will show them that we are not purchasing God's favor, or somehow paying dues so that they can be in the club at Northridge. It is something totally different.

I'm looking forward to this Giving Project. Word on the street is that if the kids can be successful in their goal, we will be conducting an interview with a real live goat at HighPoint on the the last Sunday of the month. We plan to get his take on the whole 'Goat Drive' thing. See everyone on Sunday!

Jeff