Dear Sisters and Brothers,
God desires our participation in the lives of others, an expectation
made even more pointedly by Jesus when he tells his followers, “Truly I
tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are
members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40) Of course, the
‘least of these’ don’t just live in our community. God’s call to share
what we have encompasses people everywhere. The people fleeing violence
in Sudan, suffering from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, reeling from
devastation in Indonesia, starving in poverty in India, and recovering
from any number of disasters around the United States—we are called to
make a difference in their lives. We can do this through our special
offering, One Great Hour of Sharing®.
Nine Christian church bodies work alongside Church World Service,
transforming lives in this country and around the world. Our gifts to
One Great Hour of Sharing®: Create sustainable sources of income for
rural villages; provide micro-credit to women to start poverty-escaping
businesses; teach trades and job skills to people maimed by landmines;
offer children a chance to survive past the age of 5 and to go to
school; help rebuild communities ravaged by natural disasters; resettle
refugees into new lives; and so much more!
Sunday, March 9th we will dedicate each person’s One Great Hour of
Sharing® offering. Doing good and sharing what we have gladdens the
heart of God, who promises that those who respond “shall be like a
watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.”
(Isaiah 58:11)
In Christ’s Love, Mark
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