New Milford Church and "PIF"

New Milford church uses $50 bills to 'Pay it Forward' By Nanci G. Hutson staff writer Updated: 11/06/2009 10:54:23 PM EST NEW MILFORD -- Until the Sunday before Thanksgiving, First Congregational Church on the Green is having a random drawing for two $50 bills during each Sunday service -- one to an adult and one to a youth. The only string attached is that it must be given away within a week to a person, charity or cause the winners think deserves it. The next week the winners tell the congregation how the recipients intended to use the money. Called "Pay it Forward,'' this giving program launched by the church Stewardship Committee is to inspire "giving from the heart,'' said the Rev. Robert McGrath, the church's associate pastor. He said the idea was borrowed from a Kansas United Church of Christ congregation. The name was taken from the 2001 movie "Pay It Forward.'' The project has been wholeheartedly embraced by the congregation. The first $50 went to long-time church member Cary Westfall, who donated it to the American Liver Foundation. The second $50 went to the children of Becky Passero the day the family joined the congregation. They gave it to a struggling single father who planned to use it to buy Christmas gifts for his children, a story that inspired a spontaneous matching donation from another congregant, McGrath said. Mary Westfall said the $50 bill allowed the family to do something they couldn't have done on their own this year. Her husband's sister, Leslie Schlemmer, of New Milford, underwent a liver transplant a few years ago. In thanks, the Westfalls have made an annual donation to the American Liver Foundation. But a job layoff two years ago forced their family of four to tighten its belt, Westfall said, and she did not think they could afford to make the donation again. So even before her husband won, she knew how they would use the money. "We have our own needs, but that was the first thing that came to my mind,'' Mary Westfall said of the donation. "I hope this is an inspiration, and I can see it is an inspiration."The campaign's premise is that all people have "some abundance,'' and when they give from that place "the whole community is the better for it,'' said the Rev. Michael Moran, senior pastor. "This is giving for the sake of giving, which is at the heart of the Christian doctrine,'' McGrath said. Often, Moran said, congregants think only about the ministries of the church, rather than all the various ways they can give. He thinks this project will "open people's eyes every Sunday to how our people are involved in the community.'' "At this time of year, we're asking people to give to the church, but we're also asking folks to think about how their gifts will be used to benefit the community we serve,'' said Dave Eherts, chairman of the church's Stewardship Committee. The hope is people begin to see how one small gift can lead to others, and together how they make a real difference in people's lives, McGrath said. "Generosity is contagious,'' Moran added.