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Dearly Beloved,


According to AI the self-storage industry has experienced rapid growth in the last several years. Across the country more units are being built. I don’t remember storage lockers from when I was younger, but now I see them all over the place.

Canadians have stuff. Lots of stuff. We need to put it somewhere. The number of storage lockers is growing because people are putting more and more stuff in storage. Instead of paying to store stuff, or cramming more things into closets or a garage, an alternative is to sell some belongings.

For the next few weeks we have a campaign called, “Sell a Thing.” We are doing this as a fundraiser for the James Project in Monjas, Guatemala. The James Project is based on James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” There are many “widows and orphans” in Guatemala. Some of them are at the James Project. They have little while many of us have much.  

In about a month we are sending a mission team to the James Project to build relationships, share the love of Jesus, and offer practical help. The trip expenses have been paid for. Thank you so much for contributing to the team through various fundraisers. Along with going we would like to take a financial gift to assist with their ongoing needs. The money raised through Sell a Thing will go towards this gift.

I invite you to ask God what He would have you sell. It may be something in storage you no longer use, or it may be something you use regularly that God wants you to do without. It may be something big like a car or small like a ball. Here are a few criteria for what to sell:

  1. It should be yours. Don’t sell something that belongs to your sister.
  2. Sell according to how God wants to care for widows and orphans. Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
  3. Sell and give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 2 Corinthians 8:13-14, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.” 
  4. Simply sell and give as God leads you. 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
  5. Sell and give trusting that as you are generous, God will care for you. 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 

So how do you sell a thing? I typically use Facebook Marketplace, but I am sure there are other ways to get your product out there.

And how do you give the money from what you sold? On the website, cpclife.com, or the church center app click on “Give” and then choose “O&E Sell a Thing” from the drop-down menu and make your donation. You may also give by etransfer or marking “Sell a Thing” on your offering envelope.

Thank you so much for caring about Others and Elsewhere and participating in Sell a Thing. Let’s trust God to bless these sales and do something amazing through this project. The people we serve in Guatemala may not be able to return a monetary favour, but they may do something greater. In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 Paul urged the Corinthian church to give to those experiencing hardship. Then in 9:14 he said, “And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.”

As we generously love others, they may pray for us and God will do amazing things. They will be helped, we will be blessed, and Jesus will be glorified. 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

Thank you for participating in Sell a Thing!

Pastor Lorne