Lenten challenge: ‘Do good things’ R
By Hildy Grevstad McGown
ather than cancel confirma- tion during Lent—when the Wednesday evening class time
is pre-empted by Lenten worship ser- vices—leadership at Madison [Wis.] Christian Community (MCC) came up with an alternative. At the beginning of Lent in 2012,
each confirmation student was given $25 along with the assignment: “Go do something good!” Te students—all seventh- and
eighth-graders at the time—and their adult mentors read a chapter of Way to Live: Christian Practices for Teens (Upper Room, 2002) by ELCA author Dorothy Bass. Tey then did some brainstorming on faith and cre- ativity. Aſter reporting to the MCC (an ecumenical partnership between Advent Lutheran Church and Com- munity of Hope United Church of Christ) at the end of Lent, they were turned loose. Rosa Ohlrogge, an animal lover,
was already volunteering with Friends of Ferals, a nonprofit that rescues, spays and encourages adop- tion of cats. Although uncomfort- able around cats, Jackie Muehl, her mentor, agreed that Ohlrogge should invest her time and money in this cause for which she was already “doing good.” Te congregation donated old
towels, which she and Muehl brought to a monthly Friends of Ferals ses- sion where veterinarians donate their time to spay feral cats. Te pair also assisted in the recovery room follow- ing surgery and presented the $25 giſt to the organization. Muehl said the professional
staff treated Ohlrogge like a peer as she comforted and cared for the nervous cats. Aſter the experience Ohlrogge said, “It just makes me
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www.thelutheran.org
JEFFREY GREENE
Jack Adams (left) and Brian Kuhn show off the Little Free Library they built for Adams’ confir- mation project at Advent Lutheran Church, Madison, Wis. Advent and Community of Hope United Church of Christ in Madison run their confirmation program together, which in recent years pairs confirmands with mentors for a “do something good” project.
want to do more.” Amanda Huff’s reaction to the
confirmation challenge was: “Let’s not just give this money away; let’s multiply it.” She and her mentor, Emily Wixson, decided to make and sell a dry bean soup mix for $5 each. Reflecting their mutual interest in music and drama, Huff and Wixson chose to give their funds to an orga- nization that benefits an arts pro- gram for children with special needs in upstate New York. Together they found a good
recipe; used their $25 to purchase dry beans, herbs and spices; and then printed labels listing ingredi- ents, instructions and the recipient of the proceeds. (Luckily, Wixson
had plenty of canning jars and lids on hand.) Te Sunday “Amanda’s Friendship
Soup” was for sale following wor- ship, they sold out in 10 minutes. With the help of the bank where Huff’s father works (which matches employees’ charitable contributions), the $175 in soup sales became $350 for music scholarships. Alex DeMeuse and his mentor,
Ken Streit, found another way to multiply their $25. Tey searched the Internet for a way to invest in micro- loans in developing countries and came upon Kiva. Aſter some digging, they were satisfied that the nonprofit Kiva was a legitimate way to help a stranger who needed a small amount
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