Fifty-Seven Cents

{A remarkable story about the faith of a child and her 57 cents}

A first-hand account of this story is recorded in a sermon delivered December 1, 1912 by Russell H. Conwell, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia. Rev. Conwell said the little girl’s name was Hattie May Wiatt. She lived near a church where the Sunday School was very crowded. In trying to make conversation with the little girl, he told her about an imaginary vision in that one day they would have buildings big enough to allow every one to attend who wanted to. Later, Hattie May Wiatt became sick and died. After the funeral, Rev. Conwell was approached by the girl’s mother and was told that Hattie May had been saving money to help build a bigger church and gave him the little purse in which she had saved 57 cents. Rev. Conwell had the 57 cents turned into 57 pennies, told the congregation the story of little Hattie May and sold the pennies for a return of about $250. In addition, 54 of the original 57 pennies were returned to Rev. Conwell and he later put them up on display. This was in 1886 when 57 cents was no small savings account for a little girl from a poor family. Some of the members of the church formed what they called the Wiatt Mite Society which was dedicated to making Hattie May’s 57 cents grow as much as possible and to buy the property for the Primary Department of the Sunday school. A house nearby was purchased with the $250 that Hattie May’s 57 cents had produced and the rest is history. The first classes of Temple College, later Temple University, were held in that house. It was later sold to allow Temple College to move and the growth of Temple, along with the founding of the Good Samaritan Hospital (Now the Temple University Hospital) have been powerful testimonies to Hattie May Wiatt’s dream.

Read the full account:HERE.
Source: Temple University Library

I’m inspired by this story for many reasons but mostly because it illustrates that God meets our needs. When we are faithful to trust like her, amazing things are possible. Just like when Jesus fed the multitudes with 5 loaves and 2 fish, here, in this story, he took the meager offering of a child and used ordinary people to make that money grow and accomplish amazing things. May we learn to trust and have faith in the same way that little Hattie May Wiatt did.

-Jacob Morales

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