Church Surprises Families with Gift of $100 to Inspire ‘Radical Generosity’
In a show of “radical generosity,” Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, handed out $100 to each of the families that attended church over the weekend.
According to lead minister Travis Eades, the money was given to congregants as a gift to be used to cover their own needs or to offer aid “somebody else that only you could possibly know about.”
“Every week, we remind ourselves, we don’t give to the Church; we give through the Church,” Eades said during the Sunday service. “And friend, I want you to know, you are the Church. You are the Church, and you know needs that we will never know. And you can reach people that we would never be able to reach,” he continued.
The church, where well-known Christian author Max Lucado is also a teaching pastor, reportedly handed out 762 envelopes on Monday across two services before running out. Since more people than predicted showed up to the church, the church is expected to distribute 60 additional envelopes to families who attended services, The Christian Post reports.
While the church plans to continue investing globally, Eades noted that it was also important to invest in the church congregants and their community.
“We’re going to continue to invest globally. We’re going to continue to take our resources and give aid to places like Afghanistan and Haiti. We’re going to continue to help when disaster strikes here domestically. We’re going to continue to invest in our city. But today, what we’re doing [is], we’re investing where we live, work, learn and play. The best way for us to invest in that is to invest in you because you know those needs,” Eades said on Sunday.
“If you are in need, then this is for you. But if that’s not you, then this is for you to pay it forward and to bless somebody else that only you could possibly know about,” he added.
Eades then called the act a show of “radical generosity” and encouraged church congregants to practice that concept in their lives as well.
“We’re really reflecting the radical generosity that has been shown to us,” Eades said.
“God, through the giving of His one and only son, could He have given any more? He gave us the blood of Jesus — the most valuable commodity in all of the universe,” he continued. “So, we talk about radical generosity in those terms, that when we give, really all we’re doing is stewarding what God has already placed in our hands. We want to be a people known for that, for radical generosity. We want to be a people known for putting God first in every area of our life … including our finances,” Eades concluded.
All total, the church will have given out nearly $82,200.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Efetova
Kayla Koslosky has been the Editor of ChristianHeadlines.com since 2018. She has B.A. degrees in English and History and previously wrote for and was the managing editor of the Yellow Jacket newspaper. She has written on her blog since 2012 and has also contributed to IBelieve.com and Crosswalk.com.
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