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Verse 11
Abstract: The perils of scriptural citations on donor letters to the near-sighted.
A long-time LLGM contributor reports that a recent fund-raising letter from Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries (LLGM) arrived with the handwritten citation "Mark 6:11" on the outside of the envelope. His curisousity piqued, the donor set aside the unopened envelope, picked up the nearest Bible, thumbed to the Gospel of Mark, and read:
"Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain."
Not your run-of-the-mill appeal, the donor thought to himself, and resolved to encourage this creativity by sending more money.
That night over dinner this new fund-raising strategy was a topic of amused conversation. After dinner the donor's wife finally opened the letter and read (in a loud, clear voice):
"Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them."
A quick check revealed that the dusty feet are indeed in Mark 6:11 and the swine are in verse 11 of Mark 5. Perhaps the donor should invest in a Bible with larger print.
Fearing that she had indeed put the "wrong" citation on donor letters, LLGM Development Director Amalia Vagts (pictured) reports a "near heart attack" when she received an early version of this story.
