A box full of stamps sits in the lobby of Harrison (S.D.) Christian Reformed Church. What makes these stamps unique is that they've already been through the mail.
Volunteers collect and sort the stamps and send them on to the Alliance Women's Stamp Ministry in Fort Myers, Fla., where they are eventually sold to collectors and the money raised supports missions.
The Alliance Women's Stamp Ministry [PDF] has been collecting and selling stamps since 1971. Most recently it has focused heavily on supporting the ministry of Publicaciones Alianza, a publishing house in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which produces Spanish-language Sunday school materials currently sold in 13 Latin American countries and the United States.
Marilyn Lefers, a volunteer from Harrison CRC, said the stamp ministry “has raised over $700,000 as of the end of 2009.” Every Tuesday and Friday, a group from the church meets and sorts the stamps to send to Florida.
“It is such a small thing to do,” Lefers said, “with such positive results.”
About the Author
Kate Padilla is a staff writer at the Spencer Daily Reporter in Spencer, Iowa, where she is a member of Hope Church.