generosity

Deuteronomy 15:11 "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."

We have a group heading off to Haiti for a few weeks this month. We spent a few Sundays at church collecting money for the group to buy rice in Haiti to help meet the desperate need for food there. Friends in our congregation gave $7,740 toward rice, and an additional $750 to help purchase some goats for families while there.

We also have some farmers in our congregation who are involved in FRB (Foods Resource Bank). From the website (http://www.foodsresourcebank.org/), the mission of FRB is: "Foods Resource Bank's goal is to engage the grassroots agricultural community in the U.S., along with individuals, churches and urban communities, to grow solutions to hunger problems in our world. FRB seeks to participate in helping to alleviate hunger throughout our world by working to establish food security through sustainable development activities. Food security is achieved "when all persons at all times have the physical and economic access to enough food to provide the nutrients they need for productive, active and healthy lives." Orchard Hill members and friends joined this mission over the past few weeks by providing $5805 to FRB. Much of the work our farmers are involved with goes to a project in Haiti.

The openhandedness of this congregation is so encouraging!