Consider this a special edition of the Wide Scope. Love Week 2011 is the 2nd annual week of simply love poured out on the city of Charlotte. Last year, Elevation Church committed to volunteer 10,000 hours of service to the city of Charlotte. Well, they blew that number out of the water. This year, the church teamed with 25 others in the city of Charlotte to volunteer 25,000 hours from Feb. 26-March 6. It looks like that will be blown away as well. Part of what Love Week is about is shining the light on some of the outreach partners that the church has, and encouraging those that may not know about it of realize that they can help in the work to stand and take notice. Here are some of the partners and the ways you can help:
Samaritan's Purse: Water problems affect half of humanity. 1.1 billion people in developing countries don't have access to water, and 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation. Visit samaritanspurse.org to find out how you can make an impact. Not only that, but they spread the Gospel to over 8 million children in over 130 countries each year.
A21: The second largest organized crime in the world today is trafficking. 1.39 million victims of commercial sexual servitude worldwide are part of a $12 billion industry. A21 is working to get this practice abolished. To see how you can help, visit thea21campaign.org .
Compassion International: 130 million children in developing countries have lost one or both parents. More than 75% of the deaths of children under the age of 5 are preventable. To see how you can help sponsor one of more than 1 million children in 26 countries, visit compassion.com .
A Child's Place: As of June 2010, 4,453 children in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were identified as homeless. It's estimated 1,600 more have not been identified. They face a graduation rate of 25%. These children go hungry twice as much as others, and are sick 4 times more often. Visit achildsplace.org to see how you can help.
Crisis Assistance Ministries: Over 220,000 families with children under 18 live under the poverty level. Over 46,000 single mothers in Charlotte live under that level. Last year over 70,000 people received financial assistance thanks to donors and volunteers at Crisis Assistance. Visit the group in Charlotte, or look for one in your area to see how you can help them.
WISH Program: Wish is a program designed to rapidly re-house homeless families in safe and decent apartments. They empower people with resources they need to become self-sufficient. Visit wishprogram.org to see how you can get involved.
BlessBack Worldwide: BlessBack stepped into action in Haiti to assist some of the millions of families that were affected by the earthquake and recent cholera outbreak in Haiti. They exist to provide medical and spiritual blessings to hurting people around the world. To see how to join them, visit blessbackworldwide.org .
The good thing about this is that you don't have to live in Charlotte or even go to church in Charlotte to help these groups out. You can help them right there at your computer screen. If you want to know more about Love Week, visit loveweekcharlotte.com . If Charlotte is not where God has you, maybe this will inspire you to start spreading the love of Christ where you are. Whatever the case, take the time, and help take care of "the least of these."
No comments:
Post a Comment