Last week we mentioned a widow who needed help with some repairs
"A 76 year young widow, lives near the Brownsville post office, called for some help. She has a non-working air conditioner in her wall that she would like removed and the hole patched up. Water got in during Hurricane Dolly last year and there is a little bit of sheetrock damage on the wall. She also got a little bit of water damage in her utility room. She has very limited resources and will need help with materials as well as labor."
Many thanks to all who came forward to help meet this need: Preston Vidos & the Love INC"angels"; Christ Church of the Valley & Mrs. M. Garza (Church of the Good Shepherd).
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
Isaiah 58:10 NIV
The hungry in America represents a surprising cross section of our land.Over 35 million Americans live in food insecure households.Of those, 12.4 million are children.The elderly, another of our country’s most vulnerable populations, make up 6.5 percent of households experiencing hunger.
But over the past decade, the greatest increase in hungry Americans has been among the working poor, as they find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.According to the most recent survey on hunger conducted by the US Conference of Mayors, 40 percent of adults requesting food assistance are employed.
These are our neighbors who we are to love as we love ourselves.
“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food,
supply the seed you have and increase
the fruits of your righteousness.” 2 Corinthians 9:10 NKJV
The Sound Off for Poverty educates young people about poverty in America, and empowers them to do something about it by raising awareness and funds to help people in need through Love INC. By conducting a "Media Fast" (abstaining from electronic entertainment for at least three days) - young people tune out life's distractions and tune in to God's heart for the poor.
The Sound Off for Poverty engages the hearts and minds of youth for people in need through:
Education - choose from a variety of tools and activities to teach students about the realities of people in need in your community and across the United States. Activities include a corresponding Bible Study series.
Service – help students act on their faith by participating in community service projects or drives for items such as school supplies, blankets, food, personal care products, hats and mittens, or other products to restock the shelves of outreach ministries that serve the poor.
Public Awareness – empower young people to bring greater awareness to your church and community of the issues of poverty in America.
Fundraising – challenge students to sacrifice electronic entertainment for at least three days, in order to raise funds to help people in need through Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC).
What youth leaders are saying:
"The Sound Off for Poverty was such a moving experience. We began our Media Fast by placing our cell phones on the church's altar and saying 'I consecrate my life to Christ.' We hadn't planned on doing that ahead of time. We were sitting in the altar area, and we wanted to make this a sacred thing. God just led, and that is what happened!"Sandra Morfitt, El Calvario Iglesia Luterana, Brownsville, Texas
“Our youth were motivated by the fact that nobody thought they could do it,” said Yvonne, youth leader at Bethel Christian Reformed Church in Manhattan, Montana.To make a difference in the lives of people in need, the students rose to the challenge and pledged to fast from using their cell phones, iPods, TVs, computers, and video games.
"The Sound Off was a great experiment for our kids to shut off their electronic entertainment and tune in to what God was teaching them about the poor."Ellie Greenhalgh, Church of the Saviour in Wayne, Pennsylvania
Thirty-five percent of the funds raised help people in need through the local Love INC affiliate and the remaining funds helped support the national Love INC movement.
To register or to find out more call 956-233-1844, 800-777-5277, or please visit www.soundoffforpoverty.org
A 76 year young widow, lives near the Brownsville post office, called for help. She has a non-working air conditioner in her wall that she would like removed and the hole patched up. Water got in during Hurricane Dolly last year and there is a bit of sheet rock damage on the wall. She also got some water damage in her utility room. She has very limited resources and will need help with materials as well as labor. Please call the Love INC office if you can help or would like more information.
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans15:5,6 NIV
Love INC was founded in 1977 as a way to encourage churches to become more engaged with the poor and to inspire a greater number of Christians to put their faith in action.
Love INC's founder, Dr. Virgil Gulker, was a social worker and outreach director in Holland, Michigan, in the late 1970s. Deeply committed to helping people trapped in poverty, he was certain God had called others to the same mission. As he talked to church members and pastors, Dr. Gulker came to understand that Christians did indeed want to help the needy, but they had few ideas about how to do so. Many times people did not even recognize that they were gifted in ways that could have a positive impact on someone else's life.
It was clear to Dr. Gulker that if churches were to better serve their communities, they needed leadership, organization, training, encouragement, and prayer. He developed the Love INC model to fill these critical roles. Love INC taught churches to assess their capabilities, and it unified local congregations so that, working together, they could more effectively help their neighbors.
One man's idea for an integrated church ministry in Holland, Michigan, began to inspire Christians in many different regions. Others duplicated the Love INC model--with its successes--as they sought to meet the needs of hurting individuals and families in their own communities. By the late 1980s, there were 50 Love INC affiliates operating in 14 states.
There are more than 135 Love INC affiliates across the country, representing a network of nearly 9,000 churches, 6,000 community agencies, and more than 300,000 volunteers.Every affiliate is a local network of Christian churches, representing different denominations, working cooperatively with community-based organizations to met needs in the community.
Every affiliate is individually incorporated and is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization with its own board of directors, executive director, staff and volunteers.Together these affiliates represent a national movement of churches and community organizations working cooperatively on behalf of people in need.
Love INC mobilizes the Church – THE BODY OF CHRIST – to work together, across denominational lines, to bring about
transformation in the lives of people in need,
ONE LIFE AT A TIME.
The needs can seem overwhelming.Unemployment, home foreclosures, personal bankruptcies – all of these sky-rocketed to record levels last year as our nation plunged into economic crisis.Millions of families slid into poverty, struggling to pay bills and keep food on the table.Senior citizens made hard choices between needed medications and keeping the electricity on.Parents lost their homes to foreclosure and found themselves sleeping in the car with their kids.Young children went to school hungry.Single moms lost jobs they hadheld for years, and cancelled necessary medical procedures because they no longer had health insurance.
How can we make a difference in the face of such enormous challenges?How can we impact an issue as large and complex as poverty in our nation?To find the answer, we need to ask ourselves another question. “What can I do?”Each of us has God-given gifts, talents, and resources that can impact the life of someone in need.And when we come together as the Body of Christ, each of us doing our part, God can use us to change lives and communities in His name.
Love In the Name of Christ provides Christians with specific, manageable opportunities to use their gifts, talents, and resources to help their neighbors in need.Love INC mobilizes the Church – The Body of Christ – to work together, across denominational lines, to bring about transformation in the lives of people in need, one life at a time.
As we seek to trust God and follow His will in all things and in all circumstances, we will learn His heart and our calling to be generous in all things. His wish for us is to help each other by giving our time, sharing the knowledge we possess, and giving of our financial resources. Why? It’s what Jesus did!
When you have opportunities shown to you, do you volunteer your time to help a neighbor? Perhaps you help out around your church on clean-up and repair day. Maybe you even volunteer your time, car and gas to take someone who can’t get to the doctor or grocery shop on their own. What a way to be the hands and feet of Jesus!
How many times have you helped by teaching others using the knowledge you gained from years of plying a trade or working in a special field? Or perhaps you’re coaching a team using your athletic skills. It is truly awesome to give away what God has given to us. It’s a joyful experience to share with others!
Have you put money in the fireman’s boot to help those with MS? Do you take a meal to the homeless mom you pass every day on the way to take the kids to school or drive to work? Is it an important part of your weekly or monthly schedule to make a gift to your church and other Christian ministries in your area? All of these examples represent ways YOU are generous as God leads.
The Love INC board and staff thank each and every one of you for listening to God’s voice and acting on His request of you. Just one simple act of kindness, one instance of shared time, just one gift to an organization seeking to change lives for Christ, will impact many. May you continue to heed God’s voice and be blessed in all you do as you carry out the Great Commission.
Mrs. G with her "angels"
