Use these items to promote WOC on your congregational Web site, in newsletters, and even on your church sign.
Did You Know . . .
The share of U.S. national household income going to the top 5% of the population reached its highest level on record in 2001, while the share going to the bottom, the nexttobottom and the middle fifths of the population fell to alltime lows. (www.census.gov)
Nearly 2.5 billion of the world’s 6.3 billion people lack access to basic sanitation. One billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Contaminated water kills 2.2 million people per year. (www.undp.org)
In the last 50 years, almost 400 million people worldwide have died from hunger and poor sanitation – that’s three times the number of people killed in all wars fought in the 20th century. (www.worldhunger.org)
Letters of Thanks
Dear Week of Compassion,
Thank you, thank you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for the generous check I received from the Week of Compassion offerings. My home was badly damaged during the recent flooding in Kokomo. This check was like a rainbow after the storm. I am a single mother with 3 boys at home. I have been a Disciples of Christ member my entire life. I have raised my sons in the church, hopefully instilling in them the love of the Lord and the unity of the church family. Your generous gift has strengthened not only my belief, but theirs also. God has given me strength and guidance throughout my life and I know he is watching over me now. My prayers are with each of you as you serve the Lord through your ministries of caring.
Sincerely,
Lesley Connolly and sons
First Christian Church, Kokomo, IN
Dear Week of Compassion,
Thank you for your support of the people of Bosnia. Your donations have provided valuable assistance to us, as we work to rebuild our lifestyles, buildings, institutions and our trust in one another. As one small example, farmers returning to their overgrown land after ten years as refugees are able to get back on their feet through gifts and loans funded by your donations. They participate in the program by giving back money and produce that is then used — across ethnic lines — to help others. Therefore, each dollar goes two or three times as far as you might think! Your gifts are the first link in a long chain of giving that unites people on both sides of the globe and on all sides of the ethnic conflict in this region. You may think that a gift of money is not a very personal, meaningful thing. However, your donations have made possible personal contact between Bosnians and Americans and have brought hope and meaning to many lives. Thank you once again for your generosity, and may each one of you be blessed by the presence of God.
Dzevad Avdagic
Church World Service Balkans Office, Sarajevo, BiH
Dear Week of Compassion:
For years I have heard about the Week of Compassion at church. But like so many things in life, I could not know the importance of this program until I experienced it firsthand. When I read in the Springfield newspaper that the tornado May 4th left my family with nothing, that was not entirely true. It left me with a deeper understanding of the Lord’s blessings in my life and with the knowledge of the incredible generosity of my friends, co-workers, and my church. So many in my church took off from their own jobs to work for us that first week. Because of them I was able to not only salvage many of my things, but, best of all, to salvage my hope for the future. They held us up and created in deed rather than just word the true meaning of Christian compassion. The gift from Week of Compassion both surprised and humbled me. While I made good use of the money, perhaps an even greater gift was to realize that my church at the higher levels really does care about its members and others of the community. I am prouder than ever to be a member of the Disciples.
Blessings to you all,
Nancy and Ward Sneed, Billings (MO) Christian Church
Dear Week of Compassion:
I was really touched by the love expressed by North American Disciples through Week of Compassion. I always wonder what concept people have in your part of the world. In southern Africa it means going without anything to eat for a day or more if you are unfortunate. For the fortunate ones it might mean adjusting your meal times like having breakfast at eleven and lunch at half past three. In other words two meals a day. The breakfast may just be a cup of tea with dry bread, no butter or even jam. This is what is happening in southern Africa. Statistics show that the urban family is hardest hit by food shortage this last year. The situation promises to be getting worse this year with the closure of many companies. So when we hear of Christians doing what your people are doing, there is a sense in which we feel you share the grief our people are experiencing. May the Good Lord bless all those that are participating in Week of Compassion.
All the best as you walk.
BJ Mpofu, Associated Churches of Christ in Zimbabwe
You Can Help!
(1) Observe “Blanket Sunday” ( it’s a great way
to honor moms on Mother’s Day)
(www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/resources/toolsofhope.html)
(2) Prepare CWS “Gifts of the Heart” Kits. There is always an urgent need especially for health and school kits.
(www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/resources/giftsoftheheartkits.html)
(3) Put together a Disciples/WOC/IMA Medicine Box. One box will serve 1000 people for 23 months.
(www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/resources/ima.html)
(4) Resettle a refugee family. You can’t resettle all uprooted and displaced families in the world, but you can resettle one. (www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/partners/rimdhm.html)
(5) Plan a mission trip — in North America or abroad. (Don’t forget to apply for a WOC partner grant)
(www.homelandministries.org/VIM/index.htm)
(www.globalministries.org/involvement/wt.htm)
(6) Encourage your youth to host a Souper Bowl of Caring and use a portion of their receipts to help WOC feed hungry people in the world. (www.souperbowl.org)
(7) Sponsor a Foods Resource Bank Growing Project — a great way to help people feed themselves.
(www.weekofcompassion.org/pages/resources/frborg.html)
Dollars Do:
$ 5 A blanket.
$17 Immunization to protect a child for life from the six leading childhood diseases: measles, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, and tuberculosis.
$20 Carpentry tool set for home construction and repairs.
$25 Four hundred oral rehydration salts kits to save the lives of children suffering from diarrhea.
$30 A wheelbarrow for agricultural or construction work.
$30 A mine field probe to detect land mines.
$50 Five hundred small fish for fish farming.
$84 Kit containing basic equipment for a village midwife.
$90 Church World Service Family Shelter Kit (tent, ground sheet, plastic tarpaulin, four blankets)
$95 A bicycle for basic transportation.
$1,000 Antibiotics to treat three thousand children suffering from pneumonia.
$2,000 Water purification tablets to treat ten thousand gallons of drinking water.
$2,500 Five hundred insecticidetreated mosquito nets to protect families against malaria.
$3,770 Readytoinstall community well system.