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It
has been our custom for the past few years to “adopt a
family” or two or three at Christmas and help those
families with Christmas gifts and food. That has been a
great success because of your generosity. So why not do
it again this year, right? Somehow that just doesn’t
seem to be what God is leading us to do. Two families
that we were planning to sponsor declined help. God
bless them for being honest and not taking advantage of
people’s kindness and generosity. In the meantime we
have been encouraging our people to support ABCCM with
food donations. Once again you have responded. Monday,
Dot and Ross delivered what we had collected and the
Food Pantry at Hominy Valley ABCCM was empty when they
arrived.
With the current economic situation, I believe our
giving this year would be most effective if we put all
our efforts to supporting Hominy Valley ABCCM Food
Pantry. I talked this over with our Mission’s Chair,
Peggy Milroy, and she agrees. Rather than helping two or
three families this Christmas we can help dozens of
families have food on the table during these difficult
economic times.
God willing, by the time you read this article our new
building will be completed! We have talked and prayed
about how it should be used. My challenge to you is
this:
Let’s make the first use of this new facility be a
collection of food for ABCCM. Not just our normal
collection but an extravagantly generous collection of
food. As you go from the Fellowship Hall into the new
building, on your left is a storage room. LET’S FILL
THAT STORAGE ROOM WITH FOOD! In that room there are 1250
cubic feet. If each person or family would fill a box
three feet square, three feet high, we would have enough
food to over fill that room.
Think about how much food was available to you over your
Thanksgiving weekend. Think about how much you will
spend on gifts and decorations during Christmas. Isn’t
God calling you and me to respond to the needs of our
neighbors? I know that in times like these the tendency
is to tighten our belts because we don’t know what is
going to happen with our economy. The question is who
are we trusting?
The people of ancient Israel faced a similar situation.
They were hording all they had and were not giving out
of fear of the future. God spoke to them through the
prophet Malachi and said, “Bring all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try
Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts, if I will not
open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you
such blessing that there will not be room enough to
receive it.” (Malachi 3:10) Who are we trusting? God
challenges each of us to trust him.
As we open the doors of our new building, may it also be
that we open our hearts and trust God. Let’s fill the
storehouse, God says, “Try me now in this.”
May the richest blessing’s of God abide with you and in
your homes this Christmas.
Love, Fred |
