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Our Ministries :
Mission & Outreach Team :
Special Worship Experiences in October
Sunday, October 5
World Communion Sunday
World Communion Sunday offers congregations a distinctive opportunity
to experience Holy Communion in the context of the global community of
faith. The first Sunday of October has become a time when Christians in
every culture break bread and pour the cup to remember and affirm Christ
as the Head of the Church. On this day, we remember that we are part of
the whole body of believers. Whether shared in a grand cathedral, a mud
hut, outside on a hilltop, in a meetinghouse, or in a storefront,
Christians celebrate the communion liturgy in as many ways as there are
congregations. World Communion Sunday can be both a profound worship
experience and a time for learning more about our wider community of
faith.
Heifer Project
Heifer animals (and training in their care) offer hungry families
around the world a way to feed themselves and become self-reliant.
Children receive nutritious milk or eggs; families earn income for
school, health care and better housing; communities go beyond meeting
immediate needs to fulfilling dreams. Farmers learn sustainable,
environmentally sound agricultural techniques.
Earlier this year the Mission and Outreach Team did a presentation on
the Heifer Project for our church Consistory. They were favorably
impressed with this mission project and gave the Mission and Outreach
Team their blessing in presenting the project to our congregation.
In the 1930’s a civil war raged in Spain. Dan West, a Midwestern
farmer and Church of the Brethren youth worker, ladled out cups of milk
to hungry children on both sides of the conflict. It struck him that
what these families needed was “not a cup, but a cow.” He asked his
friends back home to donate heifers, a young cow that has not borne a
calf, so hungry families could feed themselves. In return they could
help another family become self-reliant by passing on to them one of
their gift animal’s female calves.
The idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term
relief caught on and has continued for more than 50 years. As a result,
families in 115 countries have enjoyed better health, more income and
the joy of helping other.
Families benefit through Heifer’s approach because they gain a means
of producing a steady source of food and income. Project families gain
new skills and self esteem from the training and support they receive in
caring for their animals. Children have the chance to grow strong and
healthy from better nutrition. Many families use income from their
animals to educate the children, offering hope for a better future for
all.
We are pleased to announce that during the worship service and at the
brunch in Fellowship Hall following the service on
October 5th 2003, we will have
Mary Alice and Richard Rubach from Burlington,
Wisconsin talk about the Heifer Project. Mary Alice and
Richard have been actively involved in Heifer for over 10 years and
during the last 3 years they have been the lead volunteers for
Wisconsin. They have traveled around our state giving talks, putting on
displays at various functions and coordinating efforts of other
volunteers.
The Mission and Outreach Team hopes to challenge our congregation
over the coming months to purchase a heifer. We look forward to having
the Rubach’s share with us the story of Heifer and how it has changed
lives throughout the world.
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