Good Shepherd Children Prepare for Lent

Lent is a season of penitence and discipline.  It calls us to reexamine our lives, reevaluate our behavior, and to return to God.  In Children's Ministries, we make every effort to "train up" our children, so that they are learning that God simply wants us to quiet ourselves in a troubled world, so that He can direct us to be His hands, His feet, and His words.  We are to comfort, to serve, and to heal.

Our children's Lenten discipline this year will be two pronged.  First, children's classrooms will be visited by an ancient biblical character that sets the standard high for the rest of us when it comes to faithfulness and obedience!  Noah will visit children's Sunday school on March 1 and bring small arks to every child.  The arks are to be used as banks where children save money that will be used to support Heifer International.  Heifer is an organization dedicated to ending world hunger by giving farm animals to families in need.  Cows and pigs, goats and chickens, rabbits and llamas, (among others) are sent out two by two (male and female).  Recipients are instructed to care for the animals and to allow them to create offspring.  Eventually, they will pass on more animals to their neighbors.  Many, many people will benefit from the two original animals.  The children's arks will be brought back to church on Easter Day and presented as an offering before God as they physically process to the front of the church.  Heifer International is located in developing countries around the world and here in the U.S.

Due to the many needs here at home that are the result of our flagging economy, we will also continue to collect book bag and diaper bag items.  Most downtown community programs are reporting higher than usual numbers of people requesting services.  They also say they are seeing people they have never seen before.  The collected  items will be used to create backpacks and diaper bags for homeless children dining in our own Shepherd's Table Soup Kitchen. 

Some items suitable for donation include: Paper, Pens, Pencils, Notebooks, Storybooks, Tape, Scissors, Hand sanitizer, Combs, Brushes, Toothbrushes, Tooth paste, Small toys, Book bags, Rattles, Bottles, Sippy cups, Desitin, Diaper wipes, Diapers, Diaper bags.