For the first time in my life, I feel guilty for washing my hands. Our youth ministry just completed the NO WATER DAY! - a challenge to go one day without using water for drinking or hygiene. This event was designed to help make ourselves and others aware of the global water crisis affecting approximately 1 billion people today.
I had no idea how hard this exercise would be!
Statistics say the average American washes their hands 6-10 times a day. It felt more like 25 for me, as I had to constantly fight my natural reflex to reach for the nearest faucet. The truth is that we individually use approximately 4 gallons of water a day JUST FOR WASHING OUR HANDS, while the average person in the developing world may only have 2.5 gallons a day for drinking, washing & cooking. To give you a little more perspective, we may use 100 gallons or more a day for those combined tasks.
So we went without water and then we came together on our Wednesday service to begin the process of figuring out what response we need to have to these facts.
The Old Testament Law says “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus says to give to others out of your abundance.
The New Testament Church modeled giving to everyone as they had need.
So we will prayerful be spending the next several weeks asking God to help us sort out how to apply these truths. I invite you to join us in prayer and discussion as we attempt begin to discern where and how to get involved.
Looking forward to exciting opportunities this next year!
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