Church donates $10,000 to hurricane victims
For the second time this year, Jacob’s Lutheran Church in German Township is reaching out to others with a $10,000 donation. This past Sunday, the congregation voted after its 9 a.m. worship service to give $10,000 from its rainy day fund to victims of the Gulf Coast Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“God has blessed us with so much,’ said the Rev. Todd Kornahrens, pastor. “We can’t hold God’s blessings and watch others in trouble. It is raining. It’s rained hard and we can’t wait for it to rain on us. We need to reach out to them to let them know that God is still active in this world.’
The small congregation, which has between 45 and 48 people attending its 9 a.m. Sunday services, made its first $10,000 donation in January to aid victims of the powerful tsunami that struck Southeast Asia last December.
That donation prompted the second donation to help victims in the Gulf region.
“People are displaced. People are in need. As Christians, we wanted to do something to shine a light on this dark situation,’ said Kornahrens.
Both donations came from the church’s savings, a rainy day fund the congregation has used in the last 40 years to place money given to the church for giving rights of way and selling lumber on its approximately 120 acres of property.
Since the congregation gave the first $10,000 donation in January, this savings account added $23,000 through timbering and granting more rights of way.
“We ended up with more than double our donation,’ said Kornahrens. “God has blessed us.’
Because they feel blessed, the congregation believes they must look out for others and decided to make another $10,000 donation, this time to Gulf Coast relief.
“I’m ecstatic with the congregation. It seems so often as churches, we sit on accounts and save them for a rainy day and forget that it’s raining somewhere else. This congregation feels we have plenty,’ said Kornahrens. “…As Christians, we need to reach out to others.’
In addition, the congregation made gifts of its own both times. In January, individual members of the congregation donated more than $2,000 to tsunami relief.
Current donations by the congregation for relief for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are about $1,000.