Challenges for the Heart '09

Challenges for the Heart

With God’s help, we will grow His heart within us for under-resourced people in the Cedar Valley and in our world…

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Connecting our hearts and minds with people who are in need around us and around our world.
Acting to help bring Christ’s hope and redemption into the world.

From November 1-21, we invite you and your family to the following challenges for the heart :

Prayer
Ø Pray daily for those in need.
Ø Tape a dollar bill to the dashboard in your car, your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, your closet, or other frequently visited places in your life. Let it serve as a reminder that 1 billion people live on less than $1 each day. Another 2.6 billion people live on less than $2 each day. Each time you see the dollar, pray for those in desperate poverty.
Ø Pick up and wear a prayer bracelet found at the church information centers to remind you of the call to prayer during the Challenges for the Heart.

Child Sponsorship
Ø If you sponsor a child somewhere in the world, we ask that you write and send a letter to your sponsored child. Remember your sponsored child in your prayers.
Ø We ask that you consider sponsoring a child from Haiti or Mozambique. You may sign up to sponsor a child at the Information Centers on November 1, 8, and 15.


Connecting With the Poor
Everyday, nearly 4,000 children die as a result of drinking unsafe water. Six million people are blind as a result of drinking contaminated water. This just is not right. The week of November 1-7, consider one or more of the following challenges to help you remember and to begin to connect with those who do not have access to clean water.
Ø Go without water for a day. No shower or bath, no laundry, no dishwasher, no running water in the home.
Ø Drink water only for 1-7 days this week. Contribute the money that would have been spent on soda, coffee, etc… in a special offering box in the atrium on November 8. The money will go to special projects in Haiti and Mozambique.
Ø Walk for Water. Saturday, November 7, 1:00 p.m. Individuals and families are invited to bring a bucket or two to Orchard Hill Church. We will meet inside entrance G at OHC, and walk 2 miles on the bike path toward Seerly Blvd. We will collect water for our buckets in the stream adjacent to the bike path and walk 2 miles back to church with our buckets of water. We will do this to begin to consider how so many must walk long distances for water daily.

Act Locally
Throughout the 21 days, consider one or more of the following challenges:
Ø Go on a “need” hunt in your neighborhood, workplace, or school. Meet one need that you uncover.
Ø Consider actions that would reflect your love for God and others in a “physical and present” kind of way in the broader Cedar Valley. Select one and act on it. (see a list of ideas in the back of the booklet)
Ø Join with others from OHC on Saturday, November 21, for a Saturday of service in our community. Check out our church website for more information (http://www.orchardhillchurch.org/)