Hello (the) Church Family!

This summer the Church in East Madison was presented with an opportunity to share blessings in the Monona school district, through the Monona Giving Project. There is a fund that is used to help school district families in need, with needs ranging from getting a car fixed to help with bills or school supplies. There is a limit to what can be distributed to a family from the fund, and there is already a person in charge of that part. What they needed was someone to take ownership of really increasing awareness and raising money for the fund.

Since that’s one of our neighborhoods on the East side, and we’re connected to schools in general, we decided to take it on. What we’ve found is that many people are willing to help and chip in when it comes to their neighbors and their community. As much as I have a hard time with asking for money, when you tell people about a need in their community and something you are doing to help, an invitation to join and get involved comes pretty naturally.

Already the fund has grown to more than 4 times its size from last year, but it has a long way to go. What a blessing it would be if that fund had money left over at the end of the year because all of the needs had been met.

Even though this fund is set up such that we would not personally be in contact with those it helps, we’ve already developed relationships with the person in charge of the program, many other people in the schools and neighborhoods, and other churches. We’re excited to see what God will do with this opportunity, and how He will open more doors for us to engage with and be part of lives in Monona and our neighborhoods.

We are blessed to be on this journey together with all of you brothers and sisters. Thank you for your prayers, and know that we are praying for you as well.

It would also be a great encouragement to us East-siders to hear your ideas or experiences: how have you used (or how would you like to use) your energy and creativity for kingdom investment?