On Tuesday, Nov. 28, North Webster Church of God gave Rose Home four major appliances, several pieces of living room furniture and a check generous enough to make Rose Home board members cry.

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am,” said Beth Morgan, executive director of Rose Home. “I still can’t believe we received everything. It is definitely a Christmas blessing.”

Members of Rose Home and North Webster Church of God pose with a donation of appliances. Pictured, from left, are Brittney Dudeck, Rose Home board member; Tammy Cotton, board president; Beth Morgan, executive director; Tim Jones, executive pastor of North Webster Church of God; Jeff Boyer, senior pastor; Bill Shrock, elder; and church member Sarah Chavarria. (Photo by Ray Balogh)

Rose Home is a 501(c)(3) providing “a structured Christian atmosphere in which a drug/alcohol addicted woman can be guided through a holistic approach to recovery.”

Donations included a washer, dryer, upright freezer, chest freezer, two recliners, two couches and a love seat.

“We thank the community for coming together to support the Rose Home so we can continue serving women,” said Morgan.

“We were servicing 13 residents with one washer and dryer. We are grateful we can now get the laundry done in a timely manner.

“The money will help with operational costs to buy food and program materials like workbooks and help finance the indoor and outdoor children’s recreational center. A portion will go toward a capital campaign to build a recovery transitional home for women and their children,” she said.

The material and financial donations were compiled by North Webster COG congregation members during a three-week campaign called Be Rich, which the church launched Nov. 5.

The program is based on 1 Timothy 6:18: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

The deliberate process to determine recipients of the church’s benevolence began three months ago.

“In August, our Be Rich team began interviewing nonprofits in our community that were making a difference,” said Tim Jones, the church’s executive pastor.

“We interviewed 12 organizations and at the conclusion of those interviews, we selected three organizations to partner with during this campaign.”

Jones described the three phases of the Be Rich effort, comporting with the verse’s precepts of giving, serving and loving.

“The first week of the campaign we challenged our people to be financially generous,” he said. Parishioners were challenged to give at least $39.95.

“We told them 100 percent of the funds raised would be distributed to Rose Home, Fellowship Missions in Warsaw and the Boomerang Backpack program in the Wawasee school district,” said Jones.

During the campaign’s second week, “we challenged our people to serve as Jesus did, which was sacrificially,” he said. Church members volunteered 160 hours to the three organizations.

Congregants were encouraged to “do an act of love for somebody in their world” during the final week. “This could be a neighbor, friend, coworker, etc.,” said Jones. “This call to action was more subjective than corporate.”

The campaign wrapped up with a food drive for the pantries in North Webster and Syracuse and the Milford Food Pantry. All told, the congregation donated 5,300 pounds of food and more than $30,000.

“I have been absolutely thrilled and blown away at the response of our congregation and pleased of how these funds and volunteers can further support the work of these nonprofits,” said Jones.

Be Rich is the brainchild of North Point Community Church, the nation’s third largest church. North Point maintains several campuses in suburban Atlanta.

North Webster COG was one of 64 churches in the United States participating in the ministry, which has donated nearly $6 million so far in 2017.

For more information, call Jones at (574) 834-4281 or visit www.berich.org.