| Volume IX Issue 1 |
theNEWs |
January-February 2012
|
The season of Lent leads up to the most holy day of Christian Days, Easter
Sunday. The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday, and end at dusk on
the Saturday before Easter. These forty days do not include the Sundays in
between which are usually weekly celebrations of the resurrection.Lent 101, a guide to the season, is available on the PCUSA website pcusa.org.
A Lenten Study titled "Open to Me the Gates" by Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is now available. Exploring how gates are conceptually used throughout the Bible in both Old and New Testament stories, this Lenten devotional examines the metaphors of gates for modern Christian beliefs and practices, such as justice and equality. To order your copy call the Presbyterian Distribution Service at (800)524-2612 to request a copy.
As the temperature goes up and down from the upper 60s to the low teens, Waynesboro homeless now have a place where they can stay warm and get a hot meal. W.A.R.M - Waynesboro Area Refuge Ministry - opened its doors the first week of January when the
temperatures were very cold. Several Waynesboro churches and community leaders
worked together to make the shelter a reality. They are able to host up to
20 guests with a warm bed and shelter during the winter months. It began
in the Basic United Methodist church and will be rotating around to other
area locations as the program gets moving. Children of the community did
fund raisers that meant they needed to sit out on the cold for hours at locations
where the people were. That experience helped them to understand better the
situation for the homeless.On Sunday, January 29th, members of the Olivet Presbyterian Church in Staunton gathered in their Fellowship Hall for an update on their mission programs of the past year and to "enjoy" a meal together.
Members of the Missions Committee each took turns telling about the church's acts of caring and compassion over the past year. The presentations closed with a brief overview of the hunger situation in and around Staunton and around the world and were invited to lunch.
After receiving a small colored piece of paper that helped divide them into groups, they were directed to one of three sets of tables near the back of the hall. Each was set up quite differently. As the food was brought out for each group, they were told they were representative of the three main categories of hungry and poor in the world and that their meal would reflect that reality. One group had a soup of rice and cold water, another several chicken nuggets and some macaroni and cheese, and the third table of course had the spaghetti, tossed salad, bread and dessert. As the groups watched each other, there was an amazing sharing among each group. No one went hungry and a lesson was shared by all.
Of the 925 million hungry people in the world, almost 16,000 children die each day from hunger-related causes. There are 1.4 million who are in extreme poverty - not knowing where their next meal is coming from. The world economic crisis has pushed 100-150 million people into poverty in 2009 and 2010.
Please continue to support your congregation's hunger programs and learn more about how you can make a difference at www.bread.org.