If you were in church on Sunday, February 14th you received a Valentine goody bag with a surprise inside. With LENT approaching, starting February 17th, Hospitality issued a challenge. During LENT it is common to “GIVE UP” something as we spend time in prayer, reflecting and preparing for Easter. This year, we are asking you to “GIVE BACK”.
Provided in your goody bag, was a black garbage bag. Over the 40 days of LENT you have been challenged to place one article of unused clothing into the garbage bag and to donate the bag to a charity of your choice. Here are a couple of suggestions: Lake City Humane Society Thrift Shop, Catholic Charities, Hospice Attic and the Christian Service Center. If you have children’s clothing, you may want to check with your school to see if they have a clothes closet for children in need. As an add-on to the original challenge, I am encouraging you to take a picture of yourself when you drop off the donation and send it into the church office for Nikki to post to the website, Facebook and the morning announcements.
We have so much to be thankful for. I remind you all that YOU are the Hospitality of this church. It’s not about the food (although it’s pretty darn good!), it’s about relationships. I encourage you to pick up the phone, call someone you haven’t seen or spoken to in a while. Cook a meal for someone and deliver it to them. Offer to run errands or do some shopping for someone. Remember, the key for LENT 2021 is GIVE BACK!
In closing, I saw a quote this week that really hit home. Hope to see you all soon!
By Terri Millikin, Elder