When churches go from PayPal to “PlanterPal”
When churches go from PayPal to “PlanterPal”
CHRISTIAN NEWSWIRE / ST. JOSEPH, MI — What does a church on Sunday morning have to do with eBay? Hopefully plenty, says Kevin Hester, an SBC church planter at The Shore Church in St. Joseph, MI.
His vision is not to see church attenders shopping online auctions during the sermon, but for the church to collect items from around their homes and bring them in on March 9 to be given to a church planter. The planter will use online auctions such as eBay, Amazon and Craigslist to sell the items and use the money as support for themselves and their family, or for their church plant.
For 16 years, Hester has used eBay off and on to help supplement his own income. He says he knows the financial battles that church planters face, especially in Michigan. “Michigan is hurting economically, and these economic difficulties are affecting planters here,” he says. “While some church plants may receive support, many are still struggling to make ends meet. They seek support from established churches, but those churches are often unable to help or are already giving elsewhere.”
Hester says he believes eBay Sunday offers the perfect opportunity for churches to get involved in church planting, without affecting their budget or the other giving to which they have already committed. “The best part is how easy it is,” Hester emphasizes. “A church will simply choose a planter, collect items, and then make arrangements to get their items to the planter.”
eBay Sunday kicks off on March 9 (also Spring Forward Sunday). “As we near spring, we are thinking about planting — but any church can host an eBay Sunday anytime, as often as they wish to help support and encourage a planter,” Hester points out. His sponsoring church, Monroe Missionary Baptist Church (Monroe, MI) loved the idea of eBay Sunday and will be collecting items, loading them up in a U-Haul, and driving them across the state.
Hester’s desire for his plant, The Shore Church, is to become a church planting center. And, with other planters already moving his way, The Shore can use all the support and items they can get.
He has also started a website that explains eBay Sunday and gives ideas for hosting eBay Sunday at your church. He says his prayer is that churches across America don’t just “watch” this opportunity, but decide to “Buy It Now!”
For more information, contact Kevin Hester by email. Or, follow him on Twitter — @Kevin_Hester and @theshore_church.
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