If there was ever a group of people that ought to be using their money to help the poor it is Christians. Why? Because we are the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities and in our world. That’s why I am so excited about how Grace Church is making a difference in the lives of hundreds of orphans in the Central African Republic. These orphans have little food and no education which equals no hope. But because of our giving, hundreds of these orphans are getting a hot meal every day and a Christ-centered education. Because of us, now they have hope. These kids who are orphans today will likely grow up tomorrow to become the leaders of the African church and government.
But are we doing enough? In my opinion we are not doing enough as individuals or as a church until we are sacrificing more than our excess to help those who have nothing. And we have our school, Lititz Christian School, as a great example of that. The leadership of our school felt the urge to fund a school for orphans in Africa as well, but they are doing it out of their need, not their excess. Our school lives penny to penny to make ends meet. In fact, to make budget they have to raise $250,000 each year (a quarter million dollars each year) in donations and fund-raising. To do this they count on many things including special offerings at events like their Christmas Program. But when they found out about the needs of orphans in Africa they wanted to make a difference out of their own need. So, for the last two years the $4,000 that comes in that Christmas program offering has been used to support a sister school in the Central African Republic. Folks, listen, our school could use that money but they have chosen to give it away to meet the physical and spiritual needs of orphans halfway around the world who are far less fortunate than we are. That is what I call giving through sacrifice and I honor and applaud the leadership of our school for that step of faith.
This recession that we are facing as a country has also caused some serious financial adversity right here at home. People in our families are hurting financially. People in our church are hurting financially. People in our neighborhoods are hurting financially. We now have an opportunity to help them and be a blessing to them as well. We have a group of people in our church who have a real heart for this and who have, under the leadership of Pastor Steve and Pastor Whitie, put together a food ministry that we are calling “Taste of Grace.” Isn’t that a great name for a food ministry?
This is a ministry in which anyone can purchase good and nutritional food at lower prices in order to help take the edge off of their financial struggles. This isn’t just for people without a job. This is available to anyone who eats. You can take advantage of this. You can let others in your family and neighborhoods know about this. You can use this as a way to provide some food for a family you know is going through a real tough time right now financially. We at Grace Church want to be a practical help and this is a wonderful way we can do so. One advantage of money is that we can use to help others in need. If you would like more information on this ministry simply e-mail us at tasteofgrace@lgbc.org.
But are we doing enough? In my opinion we are not doing enough as individuals or as a church until we are sacrificing more than our excess to help those who have nothing. And we have our school, Lititz Christian School, as a great example of that. The leadership of our school felt the urge to fund a school for orphans in Africa as well, but they are doing it out of their need, not their excess. Our school lives penny to penny to make ends meet. In fact, to make budget they have to raise $250,000 each year (a quarter million dollars each year) in donations and fund-raising. To do this they count on many things including special offerings at events like their Christmas Program. But when they found out about the needs of orphans in Africa they wanted to make a difference out of their own need. So, for the last two years the $4,000 that comes in that Christmas program offering has been used to support a sister school in the Central African Republic. Folks, listen, our school could use that money but they have chosen to give it away to meet the physical and spiritual needs of orphans halfway around the world who are far less fortunate than we are. That is what I call giving through sacrifice and I honor and applaud the leadership of our school for that step of faith.
This recession that we are facing as a country has also caused some serious financial adversity right here at home. People in our families are hurting financially. People in our church are hurting financially. People in our neighborhoods are hurting financially. We now have an opportunity to help them and be a blessing to them as well. We have a group of people in our church who have a real heart for this and who have, under the leadership of Pastor Steve and Pastor Whitie, put together a food ministry that we are calling “Taste of Grace.” Isn’t that a great name for a food ministry?
This is a ministry in which anyone can purchase good and nutritional food at lower prices in order to help take the edge off of their financial struggles. This isn’t just for people without a job. This is available to anyone who eats. You can take advantage of this. You can let others in your family and neighborhoods know about this. You can use this as a way to provide some food for a family you know is going through a real tough time right now financially. We at Grace Church want to be a practical help and this is a wonderful way we can do so. One advantage of money is that we can use to help others in need. If you would like more information on this ministry simply e-mail us at tasteofgrace@lgbc.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment