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February brings us to “Hearts for Jesus” time. This year’s mission project is “Care of Widows, Cows for Kids: India.” Wheat Ridge Ministries is providing us with materials.
The Lutheran Church in India has members whose families are in great need. When the father dies in a family, the culture there dictates that the woman does not marry again. Most of these women have, at the most, an elementary education and no ability for a job. Yet, they are left with four to six children to feed, clothe, and pay for an education.
The “Care of Widows, Cows for Kids” program provides these Lutheran families in India with a cow. Each cow costs $300. The children in our congregation will be using their offerings for this purpose and ask for your help. We will not be selling anything to raise money. We are praying that God will send His Spirit to His people here to donate, so that the children can buy a cow or two for these brothers and sisters in Christ.
Be sure to check out the Children’s Ministry bulletin board for the “Got Milk?” display. There are little offering boxes available to collect the giving. You are also welcome to give at anytime in the church office. On Sunday, February 14, Valentine’s Day, we will collect the boxes and all the giving to present before the Lord as a pleasing offering from our hearts to Him.
The following are words from Lana Gibbons and The Rev. Dr. Herbert Hoefer from Wheat Ridge Ministries:
God expects His children “to love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) In this year’s Hearts for Jesus project the emphasis for the love we are to share with others is to the poor widows and orphans in India. God calls the Church to care and share with others. “There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 4:34–35)
When we do this, when we act on and “walk the talk” of our faith, when our faith is alive and accompanied by action we are a powerful witness to the Gospel! “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17)
It is in the act of loving and caring for others that we are living God-pleasing lives and not merely “practicing religion” by going to church. We need to DO church! “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: ‘to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’” (James 1:27)
By helping congregations in India to buy a cow for a widow, you can make a powerful witness of God’s love all over India. Hindus, Muslims and others will “see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” ( Matthew 5:16) They will think, “These people don’t just talk about the love of God. They actually live it, show it and share it.” They begin to think, “You know, I would like to be a part of such a family and experience God’s love and care like that.”
The cow that you help give a widow and her children in India may be a big reason new people come to join the congregation and come to know Jesus’ love in their hearts. What that happens, they will come into God’s eternal family of love because you cared. Thanks be to God!
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