"Bring a Friend" Charity Challenge at Hope
by Rev. Dr. Nancy Graham Ogne, Pastor, Hope Presbyterian, Lake Nona
To emphasize the twin values of church attendance and personal invitation – and to underscore our church’s commitment to the wider community – Hope at Lake Nona extended a 6-week “Bring a Friend” Challenge in the Fall to designate money for charity.
The winning charity -- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando & Osceola County – earned $1,000, and the second-place charity, Zebra Youth, received $500. Ten Hopesters presented a check on New Year’s Eve to Habitat’s Mary Alice Fish, who gave them a tour of a recently completed home.
For the challenge, Hope’s session identified four “starter” charities and encouraged attendees to vote each week for one of them or one added by the congregation. We invited worshipers – whether they attended in person or on Zoom – to cast one vote per household each week, and we allowed every individual guest to cast a vote.
Each Sunday, we displayed a dry-erase board near the front of worship, and participants placed a magnetized nameplate under the charity they supported. Other charities included Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge and Central Florida Community Arts, with participants adding Hospice of the Comforter, Meals on Wheels, and the VA Hospital.
Hope, a “small but mighty” congregation with 85 members, saw 10 households bring at least one guest to worship during the challenge. Six other households attended worship more frequently.
Hope directs at least 20 percent of offerings outside its doors, with five percent channeled into a service “Distribution Fund.” The charity challenge drew $1,500 from that fund. Before 2024, Hope had given away more than $820,000 in its 12-year history.
The winning charity -- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando & Osceola County – earned $1,000, and the second-place charity, Zebra Youth, received $500. Ten Hopesters presented a check on New Year’s Eve to Habitat’s Mary Alice Fish, who gave them a tour of a recently completed home.
For the challenge, Hope’s session identified four “starter” charities and encouraged attendees to vote each week for one of them or one added by the congregation. We invited worshipers – whether they attended in person or on Zoom – to cast one vote per household each week, and we allowed every individual guest to cast a vote.
Each Sunday, we displayed a dry-erase board near the front of worship, and participants placed a magnetized nameplate under the charity they supported. Other charities included Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge and Central Florida Community Arts, with participants adding Hospice of the Comforter, Meals on Wheels, and the VA Hospital.
Hope, a “small but mighty” congregation with 85 members, saw 10 households bring at least one guest to worship during the challenge. Six other households attended worship more frequently.
Hope directs at least 20 percent of offerings outside its doors, with five percent channeled into a service “Distribution Fund.” The charity challenge drew $1,500 from that fund. Before 2024, Hope had given away more than $820,000 in its 12-year history.