It
was an unfortunate act of selfishness at a time when most people yearned
for community: someone stole a $7,500 offering taken for the victims
of the September 11th attacks from the First Congregational Church of
Sharon.
The church collected the offering during a special service on September
16th. After the service, the congregants went out to the common to join
a community vigil, and although the offering was locked in a cabinet,
the church was left unlocked.
The offering stolen contained about $450 in cash and $7,000 in checks.
The checks were later found, but the church had already warned people
to stop payment, and Condon said the checks would be returned to their
donors.
Newspapers and radio stations quickly publicized the act, calling it
“heartless” and “cruel.”
The response, however, has been anything but.
“We have had a tremendous outpouring of concern and response,” said
John Condon, pastor of the church. “Once word got out, people in the
church, in the community, even from some distance away, began calling,
and coming by and donating money.”
Within a week of the theft, the church received $6,600 in donations
– including $5,000 from Leo Lemieux of Beverly, who saw a report of
the theft on the television news.
Lemieux, a retired chef who loves volunteering, said he is not rich
but likes to share what he has.
“Ever since this disaster happened, I’ve been thinking of what I can
do to help,” he said. “Then I saw this on the news, and I figured it
gave me a chance to help both the church and the victims in New York.”
The church plans to contribute all the donations it receives to the
United Church of Christ “Hope from the Rubble” fund.
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