newsletter article about repsponse to mission trip

Dear Friends

Our mission trip is over and if you were in church on Sunday you know that it was challenging and life changing for all of us. The poverty immersion aspect to the trip enabled us to walk in another’s shoes and experience in a small way the frustrations and the pain of living in poverty in America.

Our team recognized that the causes of poverty are complicated and systemic. We learned that 37 million people in America live in poverty and that many of them are the working poor. They are people who are working for minimum wage which is not enough to live on.

The youth ended their trip by formulating an action plan. Our hope is that we can engage the whole congregation in working together for the poor. Here are some of the tasks ahead:
1. Research poverty in Ohio
2. Learn about who our representatives are and write them to advocate raising minimum wage.
3. Show the Video “Thirty Days” on living on minimum wage in Columbus to the church.
4. Plan and lead worship in October and focus on the needs of children who live in poverty.
5. Commit one Wednesday every month of youth group to a commitment to some activity or program devoted to poverty in America.
6. Do a “Scavenger Hunt” in Columbus to learn about what social services are offering in our city to help people.
This is a beginning for us and I would imagine that it will lead to more projects for us as a church.

What I know is that God’s vision for this world that he created is abundance for all God’s people. May we be open to his leading all of us in working together.

See you in worship,

Margot