I had the great honor of drawing the ticket of the winner of the Historical Society’s raffle at the Heritage Festival.
The raffle was for a new vacuum cleaner and Shop-Vac. I believe this is the perfect “His and Her” gift. I had bought a ticket at the Farmer’s Market, but jinxed myself when I said the vacuum was a good gift for my health.
Drawing the ticket brought back memories. When I was the pastor at the Johns Creek Methodist Church in Jackson County, we had built a new fellowship hall with bathrooms. We raised money and with help from the community, built the building and paid it off in no time.
Close to paying off the cost, the church decided to raffle off a handmade quilt. They knew I was not in favor of the church raffling items. So, they gave me the honor of drawing the winning ticket. I found this out at the end of the homecoming service when it was announced that the preacher would draw the ticket. I happily obliged.
I remember a scene from the movie “Casablanca,” where Captain Renault closes Ricks’s Cafe as he explains, “I’m shocked to find out gambling is going on here.”
Right then, the croupier says, “Your winnings, sir.”
The Captain says, “Thank you,” as he pockets the money.
Most religious denominations see raffling as gambling and oppose it because it is seen as greed and as 1 Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.”
People are victimized from gambling and there are innocent victims who suffer. Gambling can be addictive and North Carolina has a Council on Problem Gambling (Website: nccouncilpg.org; helpline: (800) 522-4700).
I buy raffle tickets as a donation. When I buy tickets from the Shriners, I know every cent is going to help children and youth of Graham County. When I buy one from the Cancer Support group, I know it is helping my neighbors who need help and healing. I am very grateful for the local businesses that support these raffles with items and support them as a way to thank them.
In North Carolina, the state does not consider raffles as a form of gambling. The laws state the raffle must be by a non-profit, who hold not more than four raffles a year and the cash or items are limited to a market value of $125,000. Ninety percent of the proceeds of the raffle must be used by the nonprofit for “charitable, religious, educational, civic or other nonprofit purposes.”
By the way, I am a member of the Lions Club, the largest service organization. We support those who are visually impaired and work to prevent avoidable blindness. Each year we raise funds for our Camp Dogwood and other services helping others. Do you know what our yearly fundraiser is?
You guessed it: we sell raffle tickets for cash awards, with the grand prize being a new truck or car.
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.