Grace Newsletter - December

G.R.A.C.E. News:

“Intentional Community”

From Nancy Stevens

 In my last Octagon article, titled “Intentional Community,” I wrote about how Jesus charges us to treat each other, carrying one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), and what we are called to do as the “Body of Christ.” The youth have come up with a response and it is to “Be the Change.”

   Gandhi's famous quote says “Be the change you want to see in the world,” and the youth have adopted this quote for their fight against hunger. If we are to live as Christ lived, (hence the name Christian), then we must heed the quote in James 2:26: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” Our G.R.A.C.E. mission statement is to:

   Glorify God,

   Reach all,

   Accept all,

   Care for others, and

   Equip youth for discipleship.  

   Our mission statement requires action, so we are acting. In our quest to live out our mission, we are participating in many different mission opportunities, locally as well as across the globe. The youth have taken a leadership role in our food drive here at Fairfax Presbyterian Church, participate every week in the study buddy program at Christ Lutheran Church, adopt local families for Christmas, go on mission trips in the summer, and they have now added world hunger to the list of how they can change the world.

   Hunger kills 29,000 children each day. Yes, each day. The youth have launched a fund-raising campaign so they can change the world, one life at a time. Over the next few months in worship you will read about and hear about the Thirty Hour Famine campaign they will participate in the weekend of April 11-13, 2008.

   We will have a late dinner together Friday, April 11, and afterwards we will begin to fast for the next 30 hours. On Saturday, April 12, we will meet at the church and make sandwiches for the homeless, travel to DC and deliver them to the men and women living in the parks there. Then we will return to the church for devotions, music and a lock-in. The next morning, Sunday, April 13, is our Youth Sunday (aka Famine Sunday), which will focus on hunger and how we are charged to help those in need.

   We are asking you, our church family, to join our youth and their friends in their efforts to make a difference. This means we will be asking for people to sponsor us as we fast to impact hunger. We are also asking those of you who are able to join us to fast for 30 hours with us (you don't have to be physically with us), or just skip a meal or give up soda, chocolate or another item that is important to you, to show your support for starving children. The youth would like us all to live out “Intentional Community” and share a goal that, when we work together, will impact the world.

   At 10:00 a.m., Sunday, April 13, we will break the fast and invite all of you to breakfast in fellowship hall between the two worship services from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. More details about this effort will follow over the next few months, but please mark your calendars now for April 11 to 13, 2008 and join us in the fight against hunger.

   Just another quick statistic to end: if you are an average reader, by the time you finish this article, 40 more children have died from hunger. Thank you for helping us “Be The Change!”