This month my church community completes the funding of our 8th freshwater well in Africa (our third in
Capital –
Population – 85 million
No Water – 49 million
No Sanitation – 75.9 million
Infant Mortality – 8%
Below Poverty – 38.7%
Today at church we kicked off a special week of thinking, praying, reflecting and donating for this cause. On Sunday, March 28, our entire service will be a celebration of what God has done through us to bring life-saving and life-giving fresh water to our neighbors in
In preparation for that celebration, this week we invited each member of our congregation to participate in a special week of thought and celebration! Below is a brief calendar of each day’s events.
Sunday, March 21 – Communion and Church-wide Prayer Day for
Monday, March 22 – A Day of Music. We are devoting ourselves to listening to and being moved/challenged by on the following songs: (legally purchased and downloaded songs were used to make a five-song CD for everyone in our congregation)
-Where the Streets Have No Name, by U2
-Another Day in
-This Is My Father’s World, by Fernando Ortega
-My Desire, by Jeremy Camp
-How He Loves, by David Crowder
Tuesday, March 23 – A Day for Scripture Reflection. We are devoting ourselves to reading and reflecting on these passages of scripture:
-1 John 3:1; 16-18
-Micah 6:6
-Luke 6:27-36
-Deuteronomy 24:17-22
Wednesday, March 24 – A Day for Thinking. We are devoting ourselves to reading and reflecting on short, but highly challenging, paragraphs from the following books:
-The Hole in Our Gospel: What does God Expect of Us?, by Richard Stearns
-The End of Poverty, by Jeffrey Sachs.
-Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis
Thursday, March 25 – A Day of Online Exploration. We are checking out these websites:
http://www.globalissues.org/
http://www.one.org/international/
http://water.org/
Friday, March 26 – A Water Party. We gather for a church-wide, evening meal to celebrate the week and to talk about our experiences and learning.
Saturday, March 27 – A Water Fast. We are using only one gallon of water (provided at the March 21 weekend service) for the entire day. That includes hand washing, teeth brushing and food preparation. It will also mean no showers! Why?
Not because there is any extra credit points in heaven or at the church for doing this.
Not because there is any inherent value in the act of abstinence itself.
Not so we can brag or feel boastful about how much self-control we have.
WHY?
Because it gives us a wonderful opportunity to take a day to be poignantly reminded of our own blessings and of the plight of so many around the world without access to plentiful and clean water. As we submit this day to God, through the power of His Spirit, we can be physically, mentality and spiritually moved to deeper levels of love towards God and others.
Sunday, March 28 – A Water Celebration. A celebration of God’s amazing love for our world with testimonies, stories, worship, teaching and a special church-wide lunch immediately following the service.
In addition, each day a church-wide email is going out, written by different members in response to each day’s activities.
Gonna be a great week!
