5th Sunday Offering Theme: Water
April has five Sundays and we will have a special offering. As Earth Day is April 22nd, we will celebrate water, one of God’s gifts to us, with a potluck. Join us after the service on April 22nd! Two agencies will benefit from our offering; Johnson Creek Watershed Council and ELCA Good Gifts with a share of a water well. Here are excerpts from the JCWC newsletter marveling over their recent success with the Watershed Wide Event: “20th Annual Watershed Wide Results! We are so excited about the results of our 20th Annual Watershed Wide Event on Saturday, March 3, 2018! It was a beautiful sunny day, with many community partners and groups joining together. Everyone got their hands dirty to leave a lasting legacy improving the health of the watershed from Boring down through Milwaukie. We did this through planting native plants, removing invasive species, and even salvaging native plants. Residents of our watershed love their urban creek-and the 20th Watershed Wide Event was an incredible testament to the spirit of grassroots community activism and ecological restoration.
Here’s what we accomplished together: -450 volunteers came to help! -6,400 native plants were planted -1.5 trailers of ivy removed (and acres of other invasives!) -100 plants salvaged (to be replanted after a construction project at next Year’s Watershed Wide) -Tons of great costumes-you rock! -40 pizzas eaten -Sunny weather and an all around great day!” (end of excerpt)
The ELCA Good Gifts has several options for helping villagers gain safe water. Traditionally it is the women and girls who get the water for the household. Walking for miles and expending energy and time on this important task limits the time spent on housework, study, and tending the crops. We can help build a water well for $250. Our council will have more information in April.
-Jean Whitford and Karen Ropar
