But, do you know what’s even better than a garage sale? It’s a garage sale for a great cause…and there’s no greater cause then helping someone in dire need. Here’s a backgrounder for you.
Tate Idocus is a public school teacher and a single mother of three teenage girls. My family knows her because she goes to the same church we do, where she is quite active in the children’s ministry, the single moms’ ministry, and the ushering ministry. Her teen girls are also very active in the youth and they serve the Lord as passionately as their mother does, especially when it comes to music.
Last month, we got news that Tate’s kidneys have failed, and she needs to have a kidney transplant and, while waiting, requires a dialysis twice a week. The amount needed is pretty insurmountable, into the 7 digits. Where can a single mother of three get that kind of money?
Well, the guys at church got wind of her plight and jumped at the chance to help her out. For the past month, CCF (short for Christ’s Commission Fellowship, the name of the church) has been challenging the congregation through Rick Warren’s 40-Days of Love small group study series and the Sunday messages that were based on it (see my previous blog).
Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Life) and the CCF speakers really hammered it into us that love is a verb, and therefore we should go out of our way to show love to others.
Then enter Tate’s situation, right in the middle of the 40 Days of Love campaign. It’s as if God was giving us a “Love Project” to have us apply what we learned.
The outpouring of love has been AMAZING.
On the Sunday where her situation was told to the congregation, someone offered to donate his kidney for her (it’s not that simple though, there has to be a match). There’s been an outpouring of money. The next Sunday, a farmer in the congregation displayed his organic produce in the church lobby, all proceeds going to Tate. There was also a vending machine, selling bottled iced tea and other drinks, all proceeds going to Tate as well.
And now we have this Garage Sale and Night Cafe for a Cause, and I surely hope you can support us, and support Tate, by dropping by. It would be on Saturday, April 9, 2011, 10:30 AM to 9 PM. The venue is CCF, which is right across the street from Robinson’s car park entrance.
Who knows, you might find some rare, hard to find item that will do wonders for you. As of last count, nearly 80% of our church is doing small groups, and therefore doing the 40 Days of Love Campaign. You can be pretty sure that representatives from most, if not all, of said groups will be present…and therefore you will have LOTS and LOTS to choose from.
My young couples small group already has a spot there, and we will sell all kinds of stuff. We have made it clear to CCF leadership that the proceeds from our sales will specifically go to supporting the needs of her three teens while she is getting her transplant in Manila. What can I say, the youth has a special place in our hearts.
Going even further, a couple in the group, who owns i-Digital Office (formerly Inke) on Velez St. has pledged that proceeds from ink refill and PC repairs done there will also go to Tate. So if you have any needs in this area, please have it done there as well.
So please support all of this outpouring of love for our dear sister in Christ. Even my children, on their own initiative, have rummaged through their old toy boxes and closets for items they like to give (turning my bedroom, where the old toy boxes were located into ground zero of a tornado storm). In fact, as I was finishing this piece, I got two text messages from the church, a text brigade asking everyone to come and support this cause. And so here I am, doing that through this blog.
Happy shopping, and may God bless you for your contribution to this cause.
