Last Sunday, we discussed “The Missio Dei – The Mission of God.” We learned that Easter is more than an event that attracts us to Jesus. It is an event that sends us out on mission with Him. No matter your age or occupation, “You are His Witnesses in this world!” How awesome is that?
The best way for us to be His witnesses is not only for us to have all of Jesus (salvation) but also for Jesus to have all of us (sanctification). This is the Missio Dei, the mission of God for the world. We are partners with Him in this Gospel work.
One of the ways we can be on mission with Jesus is by helping to meet tangible needs in the world. Jesus tells us in Matthew 25:40 that “whatever we do for one of the least of these, we do unto Him.” For this reason, we have chosen the “Shoe that Grows Project” as one the ways to do just that.
According to www.theshoethatgrows.org, “over 1.5 BILLION people suffer from soil-transmitted diseases worldwide.” These diseases often limit children from attending school and helping their families. These diseases will often lead to illness and in some cases, even death. For children, they typically outgrow donated shoes within a year and find themselves stuck in the same problem.
The Shoe that Grows was created to change all of that. It is exactly what it says it is. It is a show that grows, (up to 5 sizes), with the child. There are even an adult size shoes that do the same thing. The cost of these shoes is $15. We have raised enough to purchase 36 pairs of shoes with a goal of 100.
We want to challenge you to join us as we are on mission with Jesus to provide shoes to the 1.5 billion people in the world that suffer without them. How many pairs of shoes could we purchase we canceled cable/satellite for one month? How many could we purchase took our lunch to work rather than eating out?
One of the great qualities of New Life Church is your GENEROSITY. I know we provide you multiple opportunities throughout the year to give. We do so with the understanding that you cannot give each time (nor do we expect you to). We do this with the hopes that one of our projects will touch a passion in your heart. Thank you for giving, serving, and being on mission with Jesus.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Jonathan & Sara