57 Cents
A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from
which she had been turned away
because it 'was too
crowded'. "I can't go to
Sunday School," she sobbed to
the pastor as he walked by.
Seeing her shabby, unkempt
appearance, the pastor guessed
the reason and , taking
her by the hand, took her
inside and found a place for
her in the Sunday School class.
The child was so touched
that she went to bed that night
thinking of the children
who have no place to worship
Jesus.
Some two years later, this
child lay dead in one of the
poor tenement buildings and the
parents called for the
kind-hearted pastor, who had
befriended their daughter,
to handle the final
arrangements. As her poor little body
was being moved, a worn and
crumpled purse was found
which seemed to have been
rummaged from some trash
dump. Inside was found 57 cents
and a note scribble in
childish handwriting which
read, "This is to help build
the little church bigger so
more children can go to
Sunday school."
For two years she had saved for
this offering of
love. When the pastor tearfully
read that note, he knew
instantly what he would do.
Carrying this note and the
cracked, red pocketbook to the
pulpit, he told the story of
her unselfish love and
devotion. He challenged his
deacons to get busy and raise
enough money for the larger
building. But the story does
not end there!
A newspaper learned of the
story and published it. It was
read by a realtor who offered
them a parcel of land worth
many thousands. When told that
the church could not pay
so much, he offered it for a 57
cent payment.
Church members made large
subscriptions. Checks came from
far and wide. Within five years
the little girl's gift
had increased to $250,000.00 -
a huge sum for that time
(near the turn of the century).
Her unselfish love had
paid large dividends.
When you are in the city of
Philadelphia, look up Temple
Baptist Church, with a seating
capacity of 3,300, and
Temple University, where
hundreds of students are
trained. Have a look, too, at
the Good Samaritan Hospital
and at a Sunday School building
which houses hundreds of
Sunday scholars, so that no
child in the area will ever
need to be left outside at
Sunday school time.
In one of the rooms of this
building may be seen the
picture of the sweet face of
the little girl whose 57
cents, so sacrificially saved,
made such remarkable
history. Alongside of it is a
portrait of her kind
pastor, Dr. Russel H. Conwell,
author of the book, "Acres
of Diamonds." - a
true story.
|
