40 Days
It hurts…a lot. We are all feeling it. Now in addition to already high inflation for most goods the price of oil has skyrocketed launching gasoline prices through the roof. Up nearly .60 cents in the span of a week. Imagine the decisions forced upon low-income families having to decide whether they fill their car with fuel enough to get to work or purchase other necessities like food, clothing, while reserving enough to cover the rent. Our local mission partner North Fulton Community Charities will be feeling the strain as ever more families rely on them for assistance as prices continue to outpace pay.
What for most of us is an unpleasant inconvenience causes untold stress on those living at the margins. But, at the same time it also can cause us to pause before making contributions as we don’t want to get caught out short either. Perhaps we can make adjustments in other ways, sacrificing certain luxuries in order to have resources enough to share with our partners and others in need.
In many ways it may be appropriate that we are in the season of Lent while facing these financial challenges. Lent is a period when followers of Jesus spend 40 days reflecting upon the 40 days of fasting Jesus undertook prior to the start of his ministry and the life of sacrifice he embraced on our behalf. Any sacrifice we might make pales in comparison to what Jesus endured to redeem the world.
At the same time there are also other ways we can make a difference. If gas prices seem high here imagine how this impacts our partners in the developing world. We have mission partners in Kenya, Guatemala, and Mexico whose challenges are exacerbated in situations like this. So, how can we help?
In light of the season of Lent and in recognition of the challenges faced by our international mission partners, RPC has committed to a day of service in order to pack and ship 50,000 meals to Guatemala. All we need is people from RPC to commit to joining us for a two hour time period on April 16 to pack food parcels to be shipped to our friends there. Not only will this provide much needed sustenance to our friends and neighbors in Guatemala but it will be a chance to gather together in a multigenerational service project as a church family after two years of separation.
If you would like to help, either by volunteering on the day or contributing toward shipping costs, you can find details on our website www.roswelpres.org/serve or you can contact Donna Brodsky to request details at donna@roswellpres.org
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Dan Kreiss, RPC’s Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, brings with him a heart for service and a diverse array of experiences in the mission field. Be sure to subscribe to the Mission Outreach Blog to read and follow along as he documents his personal journey and shares his vision for RPC’s mission outreach commitment. Along with providing meaningful resources, this blog will help jumpstart the important conversations our church community must be having about missional living.
Dan Kreiss
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss is the Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach at RPC. Dan is particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in its surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education and economic status.