If someone gave you a pile of money, how would you spend it? It's a fun question to think about, and one that, thanks to the Case family of Swansea, the Episcopal parishes in Bristol County are in the fortunate position of having to answer.

The Case trust makes $100,000 available annually to the parishes, which may submit grant requests of up to $25,000 for projects which support the diocesan mission. Bristol County includes parishes in the communities of Attleborough, Fairhaven, Fall River, Mansfield, New Bedford, North Attleborough, North Easton, Somerset, South Dartmouth, Swansea and Taunton.

One of the popular ways the parishes used the windfall in 2007 was outreach for children. St. Andrew's Church in New Bedford offered a school vacation program, a summer drama camp and a six-week enrichment program for neighborhood elementary school students or children; St. John's Church in Taunton set up an angel fund for its neighborhood elementary school and donated? backpacks with school supplies to other local schools; and Church of the Ascension, St. Mark's and St. Luke's in Fall River provided scholarship money for children to go to camp.

Stewardship was also popular: St. John's in Taunton purchased energy-efficient light bulbs for the church and parish hall, with an eye toward stewardship of the planet. Christ Church in Swansea spent slightly more than half their grant, plus a hefty amount of sweat equity from church members, on renovating their basement. The rest was allotted to outreach projects, such as support of the local Department of Social Services food pantry and winter blankets for Hope House, a shelter in Fall River for persons disabled by HIV/AIDS.

The most unusual program put responsibility directly on the shoulders of parishioners of St. Mark's Church in North Easton; participants were given $200 and a card which they were free to give to whomever they wished. The card explained that the recipient had received an "unexpected act of kindness," with the only expectation being that he or she pass on an act of kindness to someone else.

The grant review committee for the program, consisting of Bristol County clergy and lay members, has reviewed the applications for 2008 and is in the process of distributing funds. “We had some wonderful applications this year, more than ever before,” said the Rev. Patricia Gober, interim priest at Church of the Ascension in Fall River. “Some are follow-ups [to existing projects], but more are new projects, many of them headed by lay people. It’s very exciting to see.”