The 5cent jar was born on 24th February 2002. It has now reached it's third birthday. When we started the 5 cent jar I thought it would take at least a year to reach $100. I was wrong. It took 7 weeks! So we decided to give the 5 cent jar a birthday when it reached $1000.
The 5 cent jar's 1st birthday was reached in December 2004.
The second $1000 was in April 2007.
And now the third $1000 has been reached in April 2009. So it takes on average, two years to raise $1000 by collecting 5 cent pieces!
Now some of the newer faces might not know about the 5 cent jar and what it is for.
This is it. You will find it up the back of the church, along with the current chart that shows at a glance, how much money is in the jar that week, and how close we are to the next $100. We, as a church, collect 5 cent pieces and when we reach $100, I cash them in and send the money to the Bible Society for their various projects. Only once has the $100 been sent elsewhere, and that was to the Bible League for their "Bibles for the Persecuted Church" in North Korea.
Thank you all for your faithful giving to this little ministry. It helps us as a church to "go into all the world spreading the good news".
So far the record for the fastest $100 is 5 weeks and we have done that twice now!
I remember the first big donation I was given was from Kel and Gloria the week after we started the jar, and they have been wonderful supporters ever since. The ladies from the Angus Bristow Retirement Village have been faithful supporters too, not only with their own donations, but they collect 5 cent pieces from the other residents in the village.
Jeff offered to pay for all the 5 cent pieces in the tea and coffee fund at work. It cost him around $40!
Wally cleaned out all the coins in his top drawer and helped set the first 5 week record.
Graham and Stella cleaned out their cash trays when they sold their business and helped reach the second 5 week record.
Jane suggested that someone go to the bank and get $100 in 5 cent pieces and put them in the jar in one go and set a new 1 week record! Go Jane!
Many more of you put in your 5 cent pieces regularly and so a big thank you to you all!
So what exactly is 5 cent piece? It is a metal disc made up of 75% copper and 25% nickel, with an engraving of the Queen on one side and an engraving of an echidna on the other. It weighs 2.83 grams and has a diameter of 19.41mm.
$3000 adds up to 60,000 5 cent pieces. Together they would weigh 169kg and placed side by side would stretch for just under 1.2kms. That is a lot of 5 cent pieces.
So you see, it may be a coin but together many of them can make a HUGE difference to others!