A master was leaving home to travel, and he gave his three servants different amounts of money for while he was gone. When he returned, he discovered that two of them had put their sum to work and increased it, while the third had saved it, merely returning the original amount he had been given.

The master praised the first two servants and rewarded them for their efforts, but criticized the third for being lazy and wicked, punishing him.

Back in May, The Rev. Mark Turner, associate pastor of Outreach at Gilroy's South Valley Community Church, preached a message to the congregation based on this famous incident. Then he issued a Challenge of the Talents, offering each of the church's 25 small groups one hundred dollars to invest in the community as they saw fit. He hoped that this money would be increased and spent to help people in need, but there were no rules or regulations.

Summer tends to be a slow time, with people on vacation and groups not meeting regularly; but there have already been some reports on how the money has been used.

Oleda Nicholson is a member of a group consisting of 10 couples. These people decided to hold a yard and bake sale in the church's parking lot. The seed money was used for newspaper advertising and supplies to make posters for the event, as well as bottled water to sell.

They were wildly successful. The first day they sold $1,800 worth of merchandise, and leftover articles brought $700 the following weekend. When customers found out that the proceeds were dedicated to helping needy families, they often said, "Keep the change."

Dick Peterson's group has 14 members, and they decided to choose a single mother to support. A Gavilan student with five children was chosen, and soon her family was supplied with a refrigerator, television and other needed items donated by church members.

Since much of the original $100 is still unspent, the group hopes to host a networking event for simple mothers, supplying refreshments for a party at the holidays.

SVCC has had a long relationship with the Lily Gardens Apartments. Members of another small group decided to host the Gilroy Jones Reading Program for children and youth who live there. Once a month during the summer they brought a large assortment of books to the community room, inviting the young residents to take as many books to read as they wished. Students could exchange the books they had read for new ones, or keep them.

In August, the group hosted a barbecue at the site, providing food and drinks for approximately 25 participants. They also passed out prizes like movie passes and an NFL jersey.

Here are a few more examples of how other small groups have responded to the challenge:

- Purchasing a computer monitor for a student entering high school.

- Soliciting businesses for donations to fill gift baskets for residents of La Isla Pacifica, South County's battered women's shelter.

- Preparing and delivering care packages to firefighters who were fighting the Whitehurst and Hummingbird blazes.

- Providing backpacks full of back-to-school supplies for 30 residents of the Rebekah Children's Home.

- Holding a garage sale to help an ambitious young adult from a poor family attend trade school. He received a $500 scholarship to begin his post secondary education.

No doubt there will be other inspiring stories of how the members of SVCC were able to use their creativity to live out the Challenge of the Talents. For more information call (408) 848-2363.

Chuck Flagg Chuck Flagg is a retired teacher with a passion for religion. Write him c/o The Dispatch, P.O. Box 22365 Gilroy, CA 95021.