Services at the Grace Church of Humble ended a little differently this week. Instead of asking for money, the church decided to give some away -- a total of $20,000 worth, all broken into rare two dollar bills and dispersed to a crowd of more than 2,000 members.
"Actually, I'm kind of surprised," said church member Allen Perales. "I've never seen this before."
Some walked away with six dollars, others received substantially more, up to $500, but the goal is the same for everyone -- to go out and make a difference in their world. It's a unique experiment to try to stimulate not the economy so much as generosity itself. All the church is asking is that members commit random acts of kindness with the cash and then share their stories on the web.
Church member Jeremiah Romo said, "It's got to be a crashing story."
Romo is thinking hard about how to spread the wealth, while others are counting on a little inspiration.
Church member Lori Willett said, "I believe God's going to show us the right person to give it to."
With some luck or help from above, the church is hoping one good deed inspires another, creating a ripple effect throughout the community.
"If it continues, we could make a difference in Harris County," said Pastor Scott Jones.
In this economy, it may be tempting to hang onto the money but church members see things differently.
Perales said, "I think it's the best time to give."
"Whatever we do with this, we know it's going to leave a blessing," said church member Violet Stephens. "It'll be exciting to see what it is."
If you want to follow the money and see what comes of this experiment, visit Need2SeedNow.com/ where people will be posting their stories of generosity.
