BOSTON, MA (December 6, 2013) — By making changes in their own lives, six members of Cornerstone Church of Boston who participated in a Bible study on “economic discipleship” raised $19,000 for Covenant Kids Congo powered by World Vision.

The group began studying the course Lazarus at the Gate, written by the Boston Faith and Justice Network, last summer and raised the money by their congregation’s Hope Sunday on November 17.

As part of the study, participants each examined lifestyle changes they could make. The decisions varied, ranging from donating the money saved by drinking coffee at home rather than purchasing Starbucks every day to choosing not to move into a nicer apartment.

The group sponsored the Hope Sunday worship service with a lunch afterward as a way of inviting the church to share in supporting Covenant Kids Congo. Danny Yoon, one of the church’s pastors and the leader of the Bible study, told the congregation, “At the beginning of our class, if you had asked us to raise $19,000 we all would’ve thought that would be impossible. Yet by the end of it, we all realized how God enables us to do so much more than we would expect.”

He added, “By seeking the Lord, growing in a heart for the needy, and putting to practice God-honoring financial stewardship principles, we were able to do far more than we could imagine.”