Announcement! Lenten "charity:water" project!

In the days and weeks after the Haiti earthquake, the Church is ALIVE team - like so many others around the world - watched in horror as images of destruction flooded our television and computer screens. Feelings of hurt, sadness, and helplessness filled us as we were reminded of the great need in our world each day of the week, let alone when a natural disaster strikes. As a team we donated and prayed - and continue to do so - but we felt that we should be doing more. This led us to conversations about mission, and ultimately to ideas of partnering with an organization so as to raise awareness and live into the call to help our sisters and brothers in Christ. That is, we sought to break out of our shells of apathy and take action.

Thus, we chose to launch a “water campaign” at the beginning of lent. We do this because instead of giving something up, we wanted to add something to both our lives and our world. There is something so somber and real about the Ash Wednesday services we attended today; something very poetic - very soul filled - to be reminded that our lives will come to an end and to dust we will return. We believe that the charity:water initiative - the organization we have chosen to work with - reminds us of this message. After celebrating Fat Tuesday (in which we gorge ourselves on pancakes and whatever else we will soon be giving up during the season of lent) we gather on Ash Wednesday as a community of faith that marches together into the reflection, confession and prayer of this season. As we walk away from the music and celebration that is Fat Tuesday, we walk into the silence and quiet of Lent.



Again, we as a Church is ALIVE team want to begin this Lenten season by adding something to our lives and to the lives of other. We are reminded in the stillness and silence of Lent that many of the world's needs fall on deaf ears, and those who suffer in this world do so in silence, despite lacking in food, medical care, and water. We posit that we cannot be a people of faith who stand on the sidelines and watch helplessly. We are called to take action and care for our sisters and brothers in Christ.

Thus, we seek to raise money to build a well somewhere in the world. Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don't have access to clean, safe drinking water. That's one in eight of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean drinking water to people who go without. We give 100% of the money raised to direct project costs, funding sustainable clean water solutions in areas of greatest need. Just $20 can give one person in a developing nation clean water for 20 years. A single well can provide an entire community with clean water for 50 years.

We have set up a charity: water campaign page to help raise money to build a well that will provide a community with water! We recognize there is a great need for water throughout the planet, and we will leave the "where" of the well-building to the professionals of charity: water.

So - we ask that you go to our charity: water page and donate! Give up your birthday, get people to sponsor the miles you run, sell lemonade, do something! Get your friends involved, your youth group, your Church, and your family! Together we - as a community and a church - can do make a difference!

Check out our profile: http://www.mycharitywater.org/churchisalive

We are excited about this project, and we are excited to see people come together to make this happen. If you have any questions ask them in the comments section below this post, we will respond to all of them!

In order to get the message out, we ask that you change your Facebook statuses to, "Help build a well - thechurchisalive.com!"

The Church is ALIVE in mission!