Merle’s Challenge 2009
Three years ago, an unlikely hero stepped up and became a Crossing legend by handing me $100 and challenging me to see what our church could do to grow the $100, with the hope that we could help some needy people in the area. This man, Merle Mercer, has little money and has even less desire for recognition, but his generosity and dare to our church inspired the name “Merle’s Challenge” for this grassroots endeavor. That year, we had 20 volunteers take $5 dollars each and they “grew” their share of money by making and selling jewelry, washing windows, trading pennies for dollars, roasting and selling coffee, etc. We ended up raising $2,100 to help three families with medical bills and Christmas presents. Word of the challenge spread to other churches and groups and many more dollars were raised for needy people all over the Ashland area. Merle’s Challenge became an expression of the love of Jesus as His people reached out to those in need.
This year, Merle did it again! This time, I was sitting with Him at the Ashland Breakfast Center one Saturday, and he told me that he really feels badly for the kids in the area who suffer because their families are struggling financially. He gave me $350 and dared us again to grow the money to help kids with basic items that would contribute to their health and quality of life. On Sunday, April 19, at the Crossing, ten people came forward and each selected one of ten envelopes containing various amounts of money from $0 to $100, totaling $350. Each of them accepted the challenge to take the money and creatively, legally, quickly grow it to help out kids of the area. One of them is an artist and will create and auction a painting, one is having a car wash, one is selling garden plants, one is selling photographic portraits for Mother’s Day…and so on. On Sunday, May 3rd, they will return the money they started with, along with the money they “grew.” The money will be used to purchase items that will be assembled to provide basic health kits to children of needy families. The kits will include things like toothbrushes, dental floss, oral thermometers, ibuprophen, antibiotic cream, etc. – all things that can prevent or ease preventable health issues in kids.
I am inviting the ten people who are growing the money to post a comment on this blog to allow them to raise awareness of their own project. Stay tuned and check out the posts. Maybe you can help the cause by supporting one or more of these projects.
I have a feeling that we will be overwhelmed with the outcome of this challenge as God moves us to compassion.
Now, let’s go!
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Thanks for asking Doug. What I am doing is an oil painting that I plan to auction online. I am in the process of creating the painting now and I hope to have it online by this weekend. I felt like I wanted to paint something new because i wanted it to be from God. So I prayed and He gave me the vision. So now, hopefully we can put together a good email list of people who might be interested in the painting and helping us out with the challenge. I will put the end of the auction as either May 2nd or maybe even May 3rd right at 11:00 and we can all find out the result together. Wow, I don’t know about that. That just came to me but I don’t know if I want that to happen in case no one bids. We’ll let you all know.
I am organizing a car wash for this Saturday (April 25) from 12-4 in the teacher’s parking lot at Ashland High School. It’s not exactly the most creative thing but I’ve managed to rally up an excited group of car washers and I think if nothing else we will have a fun time! Please stop by with dirty cars and tell your neighbors to do the same. Thanks!
We are starting with $0 so we are simply inviting people to our Perennial Plants SALE & SWAP – May 2 at the church gravel lot from 8-11am. We are inviting people who have extra plants from splits or unwanted plants (not weeds) to donate their plants to the sale, or they can bring their plants and swap with others who want to trade. We’ll charge $5/each for the sale plants and $1/each to swap plants. We hope to grow something special and pray the God intervenes so that many children can be helped!
Doug, I am in the preliminary stages of getting together this challenge. Next week, I hope to have 3 lunch rooms in Ashland local businesses/corporations plus the receptionist counter at the Pump House to help me with this challenge (I am waiting to hear back from those who make this decision). With the amount I received I am going to bake homemade chocolate chip cookies, package them up, and display them in baskets with donation cans on the side. I will have information about the challenge in the basket so that everyone will know that their donation will make a difference locally for the children of Ashland. It is my hope and prayer that the hearts of the community will be prompted to give and that this produces an abundance for this worthy cause.
Looking for a creative Mother’s Day gift? A professional photographer will be at Park Street on Wednesday April 29th from 5-9. There will be a nude colored background set up that you will be photographed in front of. Children and adults of all ages are welcome. For $5 you will receive a 4×6 photo with special graphics inside of a white or black folded frame. Please call Tiffany Seiter at 419-289-1112 to set up an appointment any time from 5-8 in 5 minute increments. From 8-9 come as you please, no appointments necessary. The proceeds will go towards Faith in Action – Merle’s Challenge.
CAR WASH UPDATE: the car wash has been moved from the high school parking lot to the Christ United Methodist Church parking lot (Claremont gets much better Saturday traffic than Katherine)
I just wanted to let everyone know that the cookies are baked (mmmm good), packed and ready to go. Baskets will be located at The Carpenter’s Shop on Claremont in Ashland and at The Pump House Ministries on the counter in the reception area. You can stop by and get a dozen or just a couple to munch on for a financial donation of any size. Please come to these two locations and help support the children of Ashland through your faithful giving and Merle’s Challenge. Thank you!
We are investing money into gift certificates at Jakes Restaurant to be raffled off. Raffle Tickets are 1 for 1 and six for five. Stop in and try to win one of several gift cards.
This didn’t pan out, but there will be coffee and doughnuts at the plant swap