Newsletter 1

I usually try to be more devotional in my byline, but for this one I want to emphasize the same thing I put in the newspaper last Saturday. A church that does not focus outside its doors is missing something. But we also need to take care of those close to us. CROP walk can do this.

You see the pictures on television or in print media. They are of children bloated and hungry. You see the people on the streets running to the trash can as someone throws away an uneaten part of a sandwich. You possibly think, “Gee, shouldn’t someone do something about this?” Maybe you even think that you could do something to help relieve hunger. But what do you do? And who do you trust?

Church World Service has been sponsoring CROP Walks to raise funds and support local hunger causes and programs in the United States and across the world. People of all ages, faiths, and traditions come together, seek sponsors, and spend a morning or afternoon walking together for six miles which is the distance that the average person in the third world walks daily to secure enough food and water for survival.

For such events, 25% of all monies raised stay in the community and can be designated for local food and hunger programs. Members of the St. George Interfaith Council have gotten together and plan to have the first annual Saint George Area CROP Walk on November 13, 2010. We plan on starting at 10:00 am and concluding around noon on that day. Even with a leisurely walk at 3 miles per hour, it can be fairly easy to complete.

So what does the name CROP stand for? It means Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. By taking a walk with some of your friends and neighbors, you can raise funds that will support Dixie Care and Share, the St. George Soup Kitchen, and help relieve hunger worldwide. If you have a favorite charity that handles hunger issues, you can even designate it on the form you turn in at the end of the walk.

There will be water and information stations and an air of all working together for the common good. If we all walk together, we can make a positive difference. CROP Walk is open to all ages, faiths, and traditions. Let’s help stop hunger. Mark your calendars for November 13, start getting sponsors or find someone to sponsor. Let’s make our first CROP Walk a success.

If you are interested in leading in this effort or in helping with one of the walking stations, please call the church office. On November 13, go on a walk, shop at our Candy Cane Bazaar, and feel good about yourself.

Grace and Peace,

Buddy

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