Children donate a tithe of their Halloween candy to charity

Candy tithe at Church of the Redeemer
Photo by Robert Chapman

Mary Nilsen, Children and Family Ministry Coordinator, and Emily Scott leading the church school children to present their tithe of Halloween candy to Fr. Jed Fox during the offertory on All Saints’ Sunday at Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore.

Children from Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore donated a tithe from their Halloween candy on All Saints’ Sunday, November 4, 2018. They chose to donate it to Chaplains on the Harbor in Grays Harbor County, Wash.

On October 28, 2018, the church school children were told a story about stewardship and sharing a tithe using LEGO DUPLO bricks. Families were invited to help their children donate a tithe of their Halloween candy on Nov. 4. A teen helper in the church school program trick-or-treated for charity, adding a large amount of candy. On All Saints’ Sunday, Nov. 4, all children proudly brought their candy tithe forward at the offertory.

The children voted using DUPLO blocks for the charitable organization to receive their collective candy tithe, all 16 pounds of it. They voted for Chaplains on the Harbor.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry visited Chaplains on the Harbor earlier this year. When there in June 2018, Curry said this about Chaplains on the Harbor, “A movement starts small and keeps on growing.” Citing the biblical parable of the tiny mustard seed that eventually grows into a tree, he proclaimed, “This is a mustard seed movement!”

Upon hearing about this donation, Chaplains on the Harbor said, “This is a wonderful gift!” They had brought leftover candy given to children at St. Mark in Montesano, Wash., to their Sunday dinner. Folks were very happy to get some sweet treats. They said that their folks “…will love this and we will make sure they know it came from kids in Kenmore.”

Mary Nilsen observed, “An unexpected outcome of the candy tithe was how hard it was for some of the children to pour their candy into the big baskets set in front of the altar, demonstrative of the struggles many adults have when asked to share their treasure!”

Chaplains on the Harbor is a group of chaplains who seek to build a freedom church of the poor by pastoring, organizing, and empowering the leadership of poor people in Grays Harbor County, Washington. They stand alongside the poor of Grays Harbor who have lost resources, land, and spirit, by doing the following:

Church of the Redeemer is at 6210 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And, we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.

Community life at Redeemer centers on worship in the Episcopal tradition. Art and music vitally deepen this worship. Our faith expresses itself with service to people, locally to internationally.

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.