By Beth Rupe
As the weather outside teases us with the possibility of warmer weather and as we journey toward Easter, the Disciples Women’s Ministry Leadership Team is eagerly looking forward to the 2019 Spring Gathering. The event will be held on Saturday April 27, 2019 from 10 AM to 3 PM at the Chiara Center in Springfield, IL. You can register for the event at https://cciwdisciples.org/
Our keynote speaker Reverend Chesla Nickelson will help us explore our theme: How to Love Ourselves While Still Loving Others: the Art of Self-Care. And afternoon small group leaders, Kelsie Bentley and Beth Rupe will help us further explore self-care.
This year we are excited that our mission project will allow us care for others in a special way so that they care for themselves, their families and their communities. We will be taking a special offering for the Disciples4Water. This project helps to provide wells for villages in the Congo (DRC) which otherwise might not have a source of potable water. It is estimated that 780 million people worldwide lack access to clean, drinkable water. This lack of water contributes to unsanitary conditions and major health problems for individuals. 388 individuals die each hour of waterborne illness, 44% of those individuals are children.
Relying on the strength competencies of local partner congregations, Disciples4Water have found a unique way of addressing this problem for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mission trips focus on training water drill teams, education communities on the importance of clean water, and the skills needed to manage their wells. They assist with water-related health care and education projects. As of May 2018 the team had drilled 69 wells providing water for over 23,000 people with more planned. You can find more about the project at http://www.disciples4water.
For $1600 a well can be drilled and a community can be given access to clean, drinkable water and the possibility of healing and wholeness as water related illnesses are addressed. So help us get the word out and consider how you can contribute this project as a part of our Spring Gathering. You can bring your offering on April 27 to the Chiara Center or you can send it to CCIW, 401 West Jefferson, Bloomington, IL. Mark the checks DW Gathering – Water Project.
So consider inviting a friend or two, make an announcement in your local congregation and let neighboring congregations know and join us as we talk about loving ourselves and act to tangibly love others as we participate in the Disciples4Water project. Again, you can register at https://cciwdisciples.org/