June 28, 2009 was the first Sunday the Scrip table was at church. The first customer? The Men’s Club! The concept was not new to other organizations, however, the OUMC congregation has taken it to an unbelievable level of commitment. We are nearing the 10 Year Anniversary of the program. It all started when Dave and Betty T. and Mary K. discussed the idea at a graduation party. Who knew that conversation would result in the successful program we have now?
There are so many ways Scrip enriches church. Over the years, Scrip profits have purchased chicken for the church picnic, sponsored the annual bowling extravaganza, assisted youth mission trips, fed the youth on Wednesday evenings for SOAR, funded staff Christmas gifts, assisted with the rich music programming, donated food for the food pantry, supplies for the Warming Center, and purchased a variety of supplies/appliances for the kitchen. The list could continue… The most impressive is the $25,000+ donated/pledged toward the building fund.
This has all been possible for two big reasons. First, all the volunteers who have helped. For example, those who guided the development of the program in the beginning, had enough faith to “loan” Scrip money to fund the initial gift card purchases, volunteered time on Sundays to sell the gift cards, or served on the Scrip committee. Second, and most important, people faithfully buying cards for the past ten years. The “regular” customers, the “I need a gift, quick” customers, the “time to Christmas shop” customers, it all adds up. Scrip has made over $120,000 in profit that has directly impacted Onalaska United Methodist Church, our community, and beyond.
Sunday, June 23 we will celebrate between services with Strawberry Shortcakes!
