St. Paul’s, Lynchburg raised $3100 for Sudan through mite boxes, cupcakes

By Christie M. Wills

When it comes to working on the Millennium Development Goals, there are spoons and there are shovels.
Accomplishing the MDGs, the eight goals related to reducing extreme poverty in the third world, isn’t just about international summits and overseas mission trips. Making progress is also about doing the little things that add up.
Leaders at St. Paul’s, Lynchburg, developed a Lenten curriculum for children that explored Sudanese culture. Parishioners Barbara Boothe, Mary Ann Mayhew and Anne McKenna based the children’s curriculum on information from Oxfam International. The children learned what Sudanese people eat, what clothes they wear and where to find Sudan on a map. The adult curriculum followed the St. Andrew’s Society curriculum “The Fast That I Choose.”
The parish held a Hunger Banquet where people ate a meal based on a randomly assigned income status. As one billion people in the world live on less than one dollar a day, the lowest-income participants ate modest meals of plain rice. Middle-income participants had beans with their rice, and water to drink. The several participants with a high income enjoyed lasagna, salad, bread, iced tea and brownies.
The children were also encouraged to help raise money to support the Marc Nikkel School, a primary school in the Diocese of Bor that now serves over 300 students. They made scholarship mite boxes and collected money through Lent and Easter. To fill the boxes, they sold cookies during coffee hour and made Sudanese-inspired bookmarks and bracelets to sell to parishioners. By the end of May, the parish, led by the efforts of the children, had raised $3100, enough for the education of 31 students for a year.

Elsewhere in the diocese, other churches are also contributing to the MDG effort with smaller-scale projects. St. Thomas, Christiansburg is raising money to give a $5,000 “Noah’s Ark” to Heifer International by April 2008. Christ Church, Roanoke is holding an Alternative Gifts Fair after their confirmation service on November 11. It will feature fair trade items from the developing world, handmade soap by parish soapmakers and an opportunity to buy “working” gifts such as mosquito nets for Africa through Episcopal Relief and Development—just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
The diocesan MDG Committee recently selected winners of the Inspired Change fundraiser idea contest. Many of the ideas could be considered little changes that a parish or individual could make to support the goals. See page B for more about the three winners of Inspired Change who will meet Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori at diocesan Council in January.

In other MDG news:

•Sunday, December 16, the third Sunday of Advent, has been declared as Diocesan MDG Sunday.
The fulfilling of the request that each congregation designate 0.7 percent of their parish budget for MDGs could be addressed through special collections on that day.

•A Lenten build for Habitat for Humanity in Mexico is being coordinated by diocesan MDG committee member Gay Eure of Christ Church, Roanoke.
Several teams of diocesan volunteers are needed for each week of the build: Feb. 16-24, Feb. 23-Mar. 2, Mar. 1-9. The cost is about $1200 per person which can be donated by the participant or offset by fundraising.
Particpants will stay in either a modern hotel or retreat center near the sites. In addition to the build, participants will attend a local church service and take part in a cross-cultural exchange and educational tour.
The deadline for participants to register is Nov. 30. Contact Gay Eure at 540-344-0783 or email gweure@aol.com.

•The Feast of Marc Nikkel was observed in the diocese on Sunday, September 2. That weekend, a check for $8000 for the Marc Nikkel School was given by a donor family at Grace Memorial, Lynchburg.
Marc Nikkel’s life was also celebrated at R.E. Lee Memorial, Lexington with an afternoon featuring Sudanese musicians, children’s activities and a parish banquet. An anonymous donor from St. John’s, Waynesboro generously provided a $10,000 challenge grant for Marc Nikkel School scholarships. //