Posted March 5, 2018 in Around the Synod

Lent Is the Season – Our Neighbor in Need Is the Reason for the One Great Hour of Sharing Special Offering

OGHS_Logo-667pxThanks to the generosity of congregations and presbyteries like yours, the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering brings help and hope to our neighbors in need. You may know that OGHS funds three life-giving programs:

A)   Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA): Disaster Response and Recovery
Most recently, PDA brought food, water, diapers, medical and other supplies to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico and Florida, as well as coordinating recovery and rebuilding efforts.

B)   Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP): Working to Alleviate Hunger and Eliminate Its Causes…through a 5-pronged effort comprising 1) Direct Relief, 2) Sustainable Development, 3) Advocacy, 4) Intentional and Sustainable Living, and 5) Education.
For instance, PHP helps subsistence farmers in Africa to learn more efficient farming techniques, resulting in increase crop yields so they can better support their families.

C)   Self-Development of People (SDOP): People Investing in People
SDOP partners with community groups of low-income people who want to change their lives and communities.  Examples include community gardens in “food deserts” of downtown Detroit, Baltimore, and New Orleans and of rural South Carolina, producing healthy food and income for community members who plant, harvest, and sell the food they grow.

How can you help sustain these life-giving ministries? Give. Act. Pray.

Give generously to OGHS through the offering envelopes or fish coin boxes in your congregation, online here, through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog here, or by calling 800-872-3283.

Act: Go here for bulletin inserts, minutes for mission, worship and educational resources and ideas.

Assemble Gift of the Heart kits for disaster survivors. Hygiene kits and cleanup buckets are especially needed. For more information, go here.

Hold a celebration and dedication of the OGHS offering envelopes and fish banks on Palm Sunday, Easter or any time.

Pray for our neighbors near and far dealing with the grief and dire challenges from floods, hurricanes and other disasters. Pray for our neighbors near and far lacking nutritious food, clean water and various resources. Pray for people who work with PDA, PHP and SDOP to bring help and hope to our neighbors in need.