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Lottery winner donates $3M jackpot to church
New York Lottery: Lottery winner donates $3M jackpot to church
A Long Island, N.Y., congregation was praying for pennies from heaven to help expand their church, but instead they were showered with millions.
A parishioner who wants to remain anonymous donated his $3 million winning "Ba Da Bling" scratch-off lottery ticket to The True North Community Church in Port Jefferson.
The donation came as a complete surprise to Pastor Bert Crabbe, though he told the congregation the church was facing financial problems because it was growing so fast.
"Our congregation has outgrown its facility," Crabbe told "Good Morning America" today. "We're having four services a week and adding a fifth. We needed another place to meet and I told the congregation, 'Unless God drops a couple of million on us...' I was joking, I wasn't asking for it or praying for it. 'Unless this happens we'll end up renting a facility somewhere.' And then this happened."
Crabbe said he received a call from a parishioner who told the pastor "we need to talk."
"Usually when a pastor gets that call, something bad happened," Crabbe said.
But when the lottery winner revealed his decision to donate the money, Crabbe said, "at first I sat there stunned, very much in disbelief."
True North Community Church will receive approximately $100,000 a year for the next 20 years. Before using the money for the church, they will donate the first payment to a charity called Love 146 that works to abolish human trafficking in Southeast Asia, Crabbe said.
The decision to accept the money didn't come without some moral struggle.
Crabbe said he told the congregation, "Hey, look, we don't endorse gambling. Gambling is a bad way to finance a church... I said we haven't done any gambling, we received a donation. When I said that, everyone laughed."
When asked if he would have donated all of that money to the church, he answered unequivocally. "Let me answer that question clearly. No," he said with a laugh.
"Oh, yeah, the church would have got some money, but ... my wife would have never let me do that."
The pastor said he and his congregation learned an important lesson about generosity.
"A good example has been set for us and we'll try to set a good example with the money," Crabbe said.
ABC News
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18 comments. Last comment 12 months ago by .
United States Member #4194 March 23, 2004 720 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 29, 2008, 11:37 pm - IP Logged |
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Does this mean he gets a free ticket to heaven?
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Atlanta United States Member #29025 December 20, 2005 5583 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 29, 2008, 11:43 pm - IP Logged |
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 ...WOW!
Smart bets...... Equal Phat Pocket$!
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Atlanta United States Member #29025 December 20, 2005 5583 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 29, 2008, 11:44 pm - IP Logged |
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Does this mean he gets a free ticket to heaven? Lol...1ST Class all the way! Smart bets...... Equal Phat Pocket$!
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United States
Member #17858
June 22, 2005
5583 Posts
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| Posted: August 30, 2008, 12:08 am - IP Logged |
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What an idiot. If he donated a portion I could understand, but the whole thing?
You can't buy your way into some BS heaven nonsense, even if it were true.
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United States Member #3331 January 7, 2004 147 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 30, 2008, 12:08 am - IP Logged |
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Definitely not like the church recently in the news that would not accept any donations from lotto winnings. ΩΩΩ
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United States Member #53640 June 27, 2007 19 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 30, 2008, 12:59 am - IP Logged |
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If properly invested the guy donating would have been rich for his entire life AND could have donated at least TWICE that amount every year for however long he wanted to. What a shame he donated it all.
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MD United States Member #1735 June 18, 2003 5794 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 30, 2008, 1:02 am - IP Logged |
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If properly invested the guy donating would have been rich for his entire life AND could have donated at least TWICE that amount every year for however long he wanted to. What a shame he donated it all. How do you know the guy isn't already rich. Big John says. You don't hit the number. The number hits you!!!!
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Idaho United States Member #56982 November 21, 2007 3223 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 30, 2008, 1:18 am - IP Logged |
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How do you know the guy isn't already rich.  For all we know he is very well off money-wise or maybe, money just isn't important to him.
"No one remembers the person who almost climbed the mountain, only the person who eventually gets to the top."
ThatScaryChick
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CA United States Member #57701 December 23, 2007 331 Posts Online |
| Posted: August 30, 2008, 10:42 am - IP Logged |
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I've been thinking on this one. The reason we play lottery is to win the big one right? Maybe to make our lives better? I think that the donation of the total amount to the church would suggest that the person was either rich to begin with and needed a serious tax break, is a complete nut job or actually thinks this donation will get them into heaven which is not the case. It reminds me of Jack Whittacker, who donated multi millions to churches and even built a church through his foundation but still chose to live a life of sin. What does that say about his place in heaven?
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NY United States Member #54982 August 21, 2007 2842 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 30, 2008, 5:42 pm - IP Logged |
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"Before using the money for the church, they will donate the first payment to a charity called Love 146 that works to abolish human trafficking in Southeast Asia, Crabbe said."
Someone Play 146 in Pick 3. Maybe you'll get lucky
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Washington State United States Member #34373 February 26, 2006 274 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 31, 2008, 12:50 pm - IP Logged |
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How do you know the guy isn't already rich. ... or that the guy hasn't just discovered that he has a terminal illness and isn't likely to live long enough to get much use of it anyway?
... or that the guy knew about the financial problems the church was having and decided to play the lottery specifically to help the church if he won. Some people really do have values outside of their own needs, you know.
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Bethesda, Maryland United States Member #17193 June 6, 2005 432 Posts Offline |
| Posted: August 31, 2008, 11:21 pm - IP Logged |
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What an idiot. If he donated a portion I could understand, but the whole thing?
You can't buy your way into some BS heaven nonsense, even if it were true.
He's not an idiot.....In todays parable, Jesus the Son of God Talks to his Apostles and explains that in the next few days he is to be Betrayed, torcherd, crucified and then put to death. Peter approaches him and says no, in God's name, not you lord, and Jesus turns to Peter and says:
Get thee Behind me Satan...That's how Humans Think and React, thats Not Doing God's Will.......
Point being.......The winnner was not an Idiot, because he was doing God's Will...wether you believe in God or not....He's Still on the Throne.
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United States Member #62270 June 4, 2008 33 Posts Offline |
| Posted: September 1, 2008, 6:39 pm - IP Logged |
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I don't believe in putting all your eggs in one basket.I would have donated to many different charities and I would defiantly never give money to a church.
But..his money.His wishes.
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United States
Member #17858
June 22, 2005
5583 Posts
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| Posted: September 2, 2008, 2:49 pm - IP Logged |
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He's not an idiot.....In todays parable, Jesus the Son of God Talks to his Apostles and explains that in the next few days he is to be Betrayed, torcherd, crucified and then put to death. Peter approaches him and says no, in God's name, not you lord, and Jesus turns to Peter and says:
Get thee Behind me Satan...That's how Humans Think and React, thats Not Doing God's Will.......
Point being.......The winnner was not an Idiot, because he was doing God's Will...wether you believe in God or not....He's Still on the Throne.
OH, and you have a monopoly on what the truth is? Just because you believe that fairy tale place exists doesen't make it true.
Stop being a sheeple and think for yourself.
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