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 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.
To read the entire sermon, Click Here
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