FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Got Milk?
Can you believe this enduring slogan has been around for 23 years?! Developed for the California Milk Processors Board, it has been used across the country to promote the consumption of milk and other dairy products. While milk is a staple that most of us probably take for granted, for those living in poverty and in developing countries, milk becomes a symbol of hope. The possession of milk-producing livestock means more than just a steady supply of nourishment. Excess milk can become a source of income providing the economic means for families to gain access to healthcare and education. Milk-producing animals such as water buffalos, heifers, and goats also produce quality fertilizer that can be used to enrich the soil and grow crops for food and as a source of income. In areas where tractors and trucks are hard to come by or impractical, livestock such as water buffaloes also help in the working of the land and hauling of crops to markets.
As people of faith, milk plays a role in our story as promise of blessing and nourishment, a sign that provision will be made for our needs. In fact, over twenty times God’s people are promised a land “flowing with milk and honey”. Unfortunately, not all of God’s children have the same opportunity and access to the life-giving qualities of milk. This year, our special Lenten offering collection will go to the Heifer Project, an organization that specializes in providing livestock, training, and support to families and communities in need around the world to help them become self-sustaining and to give every child access to nourishing food and the means to a productive and fulfilling life. At the start of Lent special “milk carton” banks will be available at church for you to pick up and use to contribute to this important and life-saving endeavor. We will then collect the banks on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope of new life for all people.
More information about this special project will be made available throughout Lent. With your help we can provide a goat, a water buffalo, a heifer, a “Cheeses of the World” package (goat, sheep, water buffalo, and heifer), or even a “Milk Menagerie” (2 goats, a water buffalo, and a quality-bread heifer) to a family in need. Just as each of us has received we are called to share our blessings. It is for this reason that partnering with Heifer is an act of faith. When families receive livestock from Heifer, they then “Pass On the Gift” by giving some of their livestock’s offspring to other families in need, thus ensuring that our gifts keep on giving and transforming the lives of people around the world for generations to come.
As we journey through Lent I hope you will consider joining us in transforming the lives of our brothers and sisters throughout the world through this life-giving gift.
Pastor Tara
