Last night, a few of my co-workers and some of our current group home residents went to a Supper and Games Night put on by The Salvation Army. The evening was a fundraiser for my boss and other officers to travel to Bangladesh next year on a missions trip. Admission was charged, but there was also an auction, a silent auction, and raffle prizes.

The event was held at the Salvation Army Community Centre, and the ticket sales and raffle drawing was held in the room where services are held, so essentially, they were gambling AND doing it inside the church. Some people might not have a problem with that, especially when it all goes to benefit third world missions, but many people did express their dismay. One of my co-workers, who was helping to sell the tickets (I guess you'd call her "the money changer" in this story!) said a lot of people came up to her and said, "This is wrong, you know!". However, they typically said it as they handed over their money for some tickets!!!

It put me in mind of a story my mother told me about my Great Aunt Irene. Years ago, she bought a church raffle ticket on a microwave, and won. Apparently, she had not considered this possiblity, and was quite distressed about what to do with the ill-gotten proceeds of her gambling. She finally decided to donate the microwave back to the church. My mother pointed out that, despite what her aunt did with the raffle prize, the sin, if you consider it that, was not winning the raffle; it was buying the ticket.

The Bethany Home was lucky enough to win several prizes, including an Operation game, some LEGO, and a Playdough set ... possibly due to the fact that very few people purchased tickets. I joked that it put me in mind of the 1973 Oscars, when Marlon Brando sent Shasheen Little Feather up on stage to decline his Oscar for The Godfather due to "the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry":

I refuse to accept this LEGO playset as long as there is still gambling in the House of the Lord! Stand up, stand up for Jesus!!!

We left before the poker game began, or I'm sure that Charlene could have continued our winning streak!