Members of an Illinois church reportedly are getting a few extra dollars to go with their Sunday prayers.
The Lighthouse Church of All Nations is giving out cash prizes at each service to three "blessed and highly favored" churchgoers who happen to be sitting in the seat number picked from a bag by the pastor, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Two worshippers get $250 while the third wins $500, all of which comes from the non-denominational church's offering, the Tribune reported.
"We've had soooo many of our people displaced from jobs, facing foreclosure," Pastor Rev. Dan Willis told the paper. "When people's faith was high, their debt was down. When their faith was down, their debt was high. I realized the two are connected."
Willis said he also preaches about budgeting and encourages winners to use the money to reduce their debt. He even put a shredder near the pulpit to encourage members to shred their credit cards and pledge to stop spending, the Tribune reported.
"Even an ant knows how to save. We, with intellect, don't know how to do it," Willis told the paper. "When people see that in Scripture, it takes on a whole different level."
Click here to read more on this story from the Chicago Tribune.
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