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Contents:
Message
from Sarah | Poverty: An Insight | Resource Reminder | Project
Update: Mwandi OVC Project
Message
from Sarah
So it is
Christmas. What have we done? Another year over, a new one soon
begun…
So what
have we done this year?
Through
Lent Event we have combined our hearts and resources and given
$430, 000 to fund essential clean water, education, employment,
health care and child care.
We sought
justice, loved mercy and walked humbly with our God? (Micah
6:8)?
Yes, we are
a step closer to justice. But what might justice, mercy and
humility look like beyond Lent?
Those of
you who know the story of how Lent Event began, will recall that
the trigger for me was watching a documentary on the famine in
Ethiopia as I fed my newborn son Spencer. Well my little baby
recently turned six years old! One highlight of my year happened at
the combined birthday party Spencer shared with his school-mate,
David. David's mum suggested we discourage present giving, but
rather donate the cost of a present to the class’ missionary
family. To my amazement, my 6 year old was happy for this to
happen, and it was enthusiastically embraced by the partygoers,
raising $455. I have since realised that if all the children
adopted this our small school of 280 students could give $50000 in
one year! Just imagine what it would mean if we celebrated all
special occasions by giving to others…
This
Christmas, perhaps justice, mercy and humility could come another
step nearer by sharing more presence with people around us and
redistributing our resources to those in need. Check out
Advent Conspiracy (www.adventconspiracy.org), an amazing
movement of churches seeking to achieve these goals and reclaiming
Christmas for Christ. Rather than giving unwanted or unnecessary
gifts, people are encouraged to give the gift of clean water to
those who lack it. UnitingWorld have some great clean water
projects to support.
May you
experience and share the deep generosity of Christ this Christmas
season.
Love Sarah,
Erica, Jenny and Nikki
Poverty:
An insight
It is
almost 10 years since the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) were
established, aiming to fight global disease epidemics, lower child
mortality rates and reduce the poverty suffered
internationally.
As ‘the
lucky country,’ the majority of us have no concept of starvation,
malnutrition or disease on an epidemic scale. Therefore let us
consider the statistics in a more startling way…
Imagine
sitting in front of the television when a news bulletin flashes
across the screen “125 primary schools in Australia wiped out. No
survivors. Devastation to continue.”
Consider
that if this devastation was to continue, in just two months we
would loose every child of primary school age in
Australia!
Take a
moment to consider that 25, 000 children – the equivalent number of
students attending approximately 125 primary schools – die every
day around the world because they don’t receive the bare
necessities to live.
Faced with
this tragedy, there are many opportunities we can take to
fundamentally change these circumstances.
You can
support organisations working to end world poverty such as the Micah
Challenge. You can help ensure that Australia fulfils its MDG
promises by writing letters to your local Member of Parliament and
taking opportunities to advocate for change. And of course, commit
yourself to partaking fully in Lent Event 2010 and encourage others
to do so that they may also gain the deep satisfaction that comes
from the knowledge that our contribution helps save
lives.
Resource
Reminder:
With Advent
in full swing, ministry teams can breathe a sigh of relief in the
knowledge that worship resources for the Lenten season are prepared
and ready for use. A friendly reminder to Lent Event Coordinators
to ensure that the relevant members of your Ministry team now have
access to these resources, to help them prepare for Lent
2010.
We have
found that churches who plan early and utilise the range of Lent
Event resources find the journey to be deeply meaningful on
numerous fronts. A recent email from our Coordinator at Bathurst UC
revealed just what can occur when churches embrace Lent
Event:
“For us,
the huge benefit has been the inclusion of people into small groups
who would not have considered this as being a priority in their
lives prior to Lent Event being a highlight of our Church's
year. We may not raise much money, but we are discovering
that God is truly with us in our day-to-day lives and that we need
to step out of our own perceived issues and give prayerful focus to
the millions of people desperately in need of our generous spirits
and prayers.”
You may
have noted some improvements to the 2010 resource pack. The Youth
Bible Study is in a digital format – a copy of which can be
found on Data Disk. Make sure you check out the PowerPoint
presentation included on the Data Disk which provides weekly
liturgies as well as excellent visual aids to help you relate to
the projects.
We are
pleased to report that the 2010
Prayer and Bible Study, prepared by Rev. Dr Chris Budden, is
already proving popular. This excellent study will challenge your
community to contemplate how our overseas partners’ sense of God’s
presence should help shape our own. You can order a hardcopy of the
Bible Study as well as download free versions of all the Lent Event
resources from the updated website (www.lentevent.com).
In order to
help us all support one another during the Lenten season, the Lent
Event team has set up an online web blog where you can
write messages offering support for other participants, prayers and
reflections and read the latest prayers points and stories posted
by the team at Lent Event. Sign up to the Lent Event web blog here.
Project
Update: Mwandi OVC Project
As part of
its commitment to end extreme poverty, Lent Event is delighted to
support Fiona Dixon-Thompson and her missionary team, in Mwandi,
Zambia, who are responsible for Orphans and Vulnerable Children
(OVC) Project.
At the last
count, the project supports over 250 children, providing nutritious
meals six days a week as well as health checks and supporting their
educational needs.
However, as
Fiona has advised, the number of children in the community needing
the Project’s support is continuously rising – with over 100
village orphans still suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
In happier
news, Fiona’s is expecting and will soon return to Australia to
give birth before returning to the project.
In the lead
up to Christmas, please pray with us for Fiona and her
team:
Prayer
points for Zambia:
- For Fiona,
that her pregnancy continues unhindered and that her child arrives
safely.
- For
support for the Administration Staff while Fiona is away for the
birth.
- To thank
God for the Australian volunteer who has offered to stay in Mwandi
until Fiona returns.
- For
blessings upon all the village children, that funding can continue
to pour in so that Fiona and her team can continue to support them
and all their needs.
To offer
your support or to receive the latest newsletter from Fiona and her
team, contact the Mwandi Support Team on (08) 8684 2065 or visit
their website at www.mwandiovc.com. You can also
make donations through UnitingWorld.
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