Immeasurably More: Joshua Multiplies Mission Offerings

JOSHUA, TEX. – Sabbath School Investment is a term not usually heard in church these days. When I was a child, investment meant partnering with God to raise money for missions.

One Sabbath at the Joshua Seventh-day Adventist Church I noticed a large can ad a full box stuffed with Loma Linda labels. It was obvious that it had been quite a while since they had been counted. 

Previously, we had a member who used to remind us to turn them in, but the program was forgotten when she transferred to another church. Last I knew, the company would reimburse churches five cents for each label submitted, which the church would use for missions.

Mavis Armstrong,(pictured left) the Joshua church treasurer, and I (pictured right) decided to count the labels and turn them in. We were delighted to learn the labels were now worth 25 cents each.

We chose a project, Maranatha’s Wellspring program, and presented the idea to our Sabbath School class in March 2023. The money helps drill new wells and maintain existing wells where there is a need for clean water.

In addition to collecting labels, I presented a little baggie with two dollar coins and challenged those willing to try  to multiply those coins for a mission offering we would collect in October and report on in November. We prayed and waited.

On Nov. 11, 2023, ten participants shared their projects. One took donations for baked goods that she brought to prayer meetings. Another was surprised by how much people would pay for his garden tomatoes. Another brought some dying violets to life and sold them to her prayer partners. Another sold a headboard without even advertising. When the total was announced, there was joyful applause. Without even including the label money (which hadn’t arrived yet, but should equal $300), the investment offering totaled $1,538.37, providing tremendous help for Maranatha Wellspring for Africa. 

Two Bible verses come to mind as we rejoice over this Sabbath School Investment project:

“So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:7.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20.

Continuing the tradition, this year’s Sabbath School Investment project will help orphans in the Ukraine.

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By Irene Dennison Herr