In the strife associated with the incorporation of Gentiles into the newly formed church, a church council was held and reported in Acts 15. The result was to open wide the doors of ministry to the gentiles. When Paul excitedly 
reported this truth to the believers in Galatia he said that his ministry to the gentiles was endorsed by Peter, James and other apostles in Jerusalem but it was accompanied by a solemn request. Galatians 2:10 gives us that request: “Only, they asked us to remember the poor…” It was an interesting request because Paul finishes this verse by saying that serving those is need was “…the very thing I was eager to do.” As a church we too are “eager to do” that. We maintain a benevolent fund to help with needs. We participate in the Food Pantry in Blair as well as other organizations in Omaha. We’ve recently, with the leadership of some key individuals, have purchased a home in Omaha to house missionary couple who will impact a neighborhood for Christ. We send teams on foreign trips as well to serve others. Indeed, we are eager to help meet other’s needs also. Anyone can do this!
A reporter, Ron Wilson, wrote this story for the San Antonio Express-News (August 5, 2006): Jackson Rogers, ten, raised enough money to put up a house for the homeless. The young entrepreneur said he took on the fund-raising project for Habitat for Humanity in February when he accepted $100 and a challenge from his pastor at First Presbyterian Church. “My pastor gave me a hundred dollars and told me to do something good to help someone,” said Jackson, one of several congregants who accepted their pastor’s challenge. They were told to use the money for good and then report on what they did. At first Jackson’s father was hesitant about letting his son take up such a daunting task, but Jackson was determined. “I was discouraging him from volunteering because I didn’t know what the pastor intended. But he pulled away from me and ran down there,” the father said. Jackson knew he wanted to help a homeless family. But he wasn’t sure how to do that, so he asked his dad. What they came up with was a letter-writing campaign asking for donations to raise $50,000 to build a house through Habitat for Humanity.
Jackson then wrote a letter in his own handwriting on notebook paper. “I used the hundred dollars to buy stamps and paper,” he said. He then sent out letters to friends and family. One woman was so touched by his letter that she passed it on to several of her friends and colleagues. Soon, people from Tennessee, Virginia, and Idaho were sending in checks. The 170 people who responded contributed a total of $43,000. When the congregation at First Presbyterian learned the little miracle-worker was $7,000 short of his goal, people chipped in the rest. “A little person can do something really good. You don’t have to wait to be an adult,” said Jackson’s mother.