Can $1.95 save the world?
$1.95. That is what it costs me to buy a “Grande Coffee of the day” at any area Starbucks location. When you think about the financial alternatives to my purchase consider the following comparisons (we’ll use a rounded number of $2.00 for ease): 16 miles of driving in my minivan (gas at 2.39 a gallon at 19 miles per gallon); 2 hotdogs or two 32oz. soft drinks at Quiktrip; a new pair of jeans for one of my children (yes, my wife as an uncanny way of shopping a 50% sale at an already discounted 75% seasonal sale); or a complete Meyers family movie night (1 children’s movie from Ingles and microwave popcorn).
Can you imagine the buying power of a Venti Carmel Macchiato (frozen or hot!).
Check out the following video of what a young man decided to do with his high school’s homecoming tradition. Every year the young men of his school would purchase mums for their dates. If you add up the cost of the mums, it is a lot less money than a “coffee of the day” every day.
Is there inherently anything wrong with spending $50-$60 on your high school sweetheart? No. Is there anything intrinsically wrong with spending $2-$5 for a cup of coffee? No.
However, what if $1.95 could save the world?
About a year ago I teamed up with an unlikely ministry partner, Starbucks Coffee. At any of the surrounding (Conyers, Ga.) Starbucks locations anyone can purchase a pound of coffee from their store to be sent to our troops overseas as a means of encouraging and supporting them. Once a month the coffee is collected and I have the privilege of “shipping” them overseas along with Bibles, Gospel tracts, reading materials and CDs and DVDs of our weekly services at FBCC.
To give you perspective, our first month we sent about 5-6 pounds. Last month we shipped 330 pounds of Starbucks coffee to support our men and women who keep us safe everyday. That’s a lot of coffee. That’s a bunch of Bibles. It costs a lot of money! The question is, is it worth it? Just read this.
I am Lieutenant Colonel William Hayes. I have served in Irag three times and after six months I will return again. But this time will be different. Two months ago we received a box from you. The coffee was so wonderful. We had fellowship with the chaplain who provided the coffee with all the trimmings. We received a hot call out and had to leave quickly. The Chaplain gave me a handful of CDs and handed me a special one called the “Pony.” Two days later I was in a sandstorm with a visibility of 10 feet. We sat still for two hours; on the third hour we listened to the Pony CD for the third time. I felt I needed to pray, so I bowed my head and asked God to save me. As I dug through the debris in my life I found my pony and His name is Jesus. I sat there for awhile, then came the closing of the message. I realized it was not a feeling but a fact. I was saved! While I was praying. Lieutenant Brown, the driver, also bowed his head to pray, for me I thought. I said something about how I felt and why. He said, ‘me too. I need to email my mother so she can let Granny know her grandson got saved in a sandstorm in Irag while looking for a Pony.’ That CD has been used so much, we feel like Dr. Meyers is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Irag! So if I get to Atlanta, I will give you a heads up.
P.S. Now I need a good study Bible
Beginning November 8th at FBCC, Starbucks Coffee, you, and myself are going to “save” the world one soldier at a time. When you arrive at our campus on Nov. 8th you will discover 3 “coffee bars” on our campus: the connecting hallway, the front foyer, and the modular. At every one of these locations will discover the sweet aroma of Starbucks coffee brewing through the halls and in the cups of the people of FBCC.
Here’s the catch
The coffee is FREE.
Yes, you heard right, Starbucks coffee freshly brewed on our campus for your consumption, and it’s FREE. I have funny feeling we will go through more than the current 4.38 lbs. per week (what can I say, Sylvia in the kitchen keeps accurate statistics).
Here’s the opportunity.
When you pour that fresh FREE Starbucks coffee on Sunday morning beginning November 8th you have a chance to see the story above duplicated. At every one of the “coffee bars” there will be an opportunity to “donate” for your coffee.
Let me repeat, the coffee is FREE.
But, you have the opportunity to invest in the souls of our soldiers. Any and all funds collected at our “coffee bars” will be utilized to ship, distribute, and provide coffee and Biblically centered materials for our armed forces overseas. According to Silvia’s calculations, we currently consume approximately 400 cups of coffee on our campus every Sunday (let’s see 400 X’s 1.95 – that’s a lot of materials and coffee for the troops.)
Am I suggesting you pay the same for a cup of coffee at FBCC that you do at Starbucks – absolutely not, why BECAUSE THE COFFEE IS FREE. However, that dime, quarter, dollar, or more that you drop in the “bucket” might lead to the story that you read earlier being repeated.
One teenager at one school changed the lives of 10,000 people just by “redirecting” funds; however, the girls didn’t get to wear the mums at homecoming. Beginning November 8th you have the chance to “have your cake (I mean coffee) and eat (I mean drink) it too.” You can be a part of changing the lives of thousands of soldiers for eternity and still get to drink the coffee.
Now that’s a good investment.
I’m excited to see how giving nickels and dimes will spread the Gospel and bring some of the comforts of home to our soilders who are giving us their all. God Bless those men and women who serve.
I was impressed by the compassion shown by that young man – to look beyond his immediate and comfortable surroundings to reach out to those in need. Our family does something similar at christmas (all of us children are grown up and don’t really need presents from mum and dad any more) where we “give” various gifts purchased from a development organisation such as a goat for a village, a midwifery kit. A small way to turn attention away from ourselves.
A quality that I particularly admire about Americans is your support for your men and women in uniform. Coffee from home given with a gospel message is a fantastic gift when in a distant and unfriendly country. I’m glad that it is bearing fruit. All the best for November 8 and beyond.
Andy