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Summer Offering 2008: "Called To
Care: Handle With Care"
From the 1991 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren: CREATION: CALLED TO CARE: A CALL TO ACTION FOR KEEPING AND HEALING THE CREATION:
"The Creator-Redeemer seeks the renewal of the creation and calls the people of God to participate in saving acts of renewal. We are called to cooperate with God in the transformation of a world that has not fulfilled its divinely given potential or beauty, peace, health, harmony, justice, and joy (Isa. 11:6-9; Mic. 4:3-4; Eph. 2:10; Rev. 21:1-5). Our task is nothing less than to join God in preserving, renewing and fulfilling the creation. It is to relate to nature in ways that sustain life on the planet, provide for the essential material and physical needs of all humankind, and increase justice and well-being for all life in a peaceful world."
See <http://www.brethren.org/ac/ac_statements/91Creation.htm> for the complete 1991 statement.
The Environmental Grant program of the Outdoor Ministries Association (OMA) works to encourage Brethren camps throughout the country to develop new and innovative programs in the field of Environmental Education and Spiritual Ecology. This program seeks to fulfill the church's stewardship mandate (see Creation: Called to Care, a position paper of the 1991 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren).
Camp Bethel is a long-standing member of the Outdoor Ministries Association (OMA). Each year OMA is able to award environmental grants to camps who request funding for a special project aimed at caring for God's creative Earth. Periodically, OMA member camps work to replenish this fund and help more camps in their calling to "Keep and Heal the Creation." In order to do this, we need your help, because "All of us share the same breath."
Please pray for the camps for whom your gift will help. Please pray for the thousands of persons who will live and learn how to "Handle with Care" because of their experiences at these camps. 100% of all gifts directly benefit these programs.
Place all offering donations into the OFFERING BOX on the registration table at Sunday’s check-in in the Gym, (checks payable to “Camp Bethel Summer Offering”).
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Summer Offering 2007: “Every 30 Seconds: Fighting Malaria in Sudan”
Every summer, our campers, families and staff give generously to a worthy cause. Through our summer offering, we’ll remove a major stumbling block from the life journeys of the poorest of our sisters and brothers.
Malaria kills as many as three million persons annually worldwide, with 90% of deaths occurring in Africa. Most who die are children: 3000 per day in Africa; one child dying on average every 30 seconds.
There is currently no widely-available vaccination for malaria, and anti-malarial drugs are becoming less effective as the parasite becomes more resistant. One of the most effective anti-malarial methods is the use of insecticide-dipped mosquito nets over sleeping children's beds.
Camp Bethel is working with New Community Project (www.newcommunityproject.org) and partners in the African nation of Sudan to fund the production of mosquito nets by women's groups in affected communities. Our offering will directly purchase material for nets, sewing machines and provide training and life-long skills for seamstresses in affected communities. Moreover, our offering will directly save lives, so please give generously.
Life-saving mosquito net: $10; Sewing machine: $150.
Please pray for the families for whom your gift will help. Place all offering donations into the OFFERING BOX on the registration table at Sunday’s check-in in the Gym, (checks payable to “Camp Bethel Summer Offering”).
2006 SUMMER OFFERING: "Striving Together for Peace"
Every summer, our campers and staff give an offering to a worthy cause. Our 2006 offering, “Striving Together for Peace” will directly support two crucial needs of the EYN (Ekklesiyar Yan'uwa a Nigeria), our Church of the Brethren brothers and sisters in Nigeria.
In early 2006, reprinted cartoon images of the Prophet Muhammad sparked protests and riots around the world. Nigeria is an African country with 50% Islam and 40% Christian. On February 20 five EYN churches were damaged, burned or destroyed in Maiduguri, Nigeria as thousands of rioters held a three-hour rampage.
Our summer camp offering will show that we “let the Peace of Christ rule in our hearts” (Colossians 3:15) as we respond to these difficult times with faith, hope and love. 100% of your gift goes directly to peace efforts in Nigeria: 50% of our offering will directly help rebuild the damaged/destroyed EYN churches; the other 50% of our offering will directly support the efforts of the newly formed EYN Peace Education Committee to bring Muslims and Christians together in peace.
Make summer camp offering checks payable to CAMP BETHEL SUMMER OFFERING.