Letter from Week of Compassion
Dear Friends in Christ:
Ask a stranger on the street if they’ve ever heard of The Good Samaritan, and they’ll probably say, “Yes!” The story is so familiar in our culture, that many may not even realize the story is one of Jesus’ parables — and most equate the Good Samaritan with anyone who helps another in need: from the person who helps you fix a flat tire to the driver who lets you out into traffic.
As Christians, we understand that with the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was calling his hearers to much more. When the young lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds with a radical affirmation that includes all of God’s children who stand in need.
Talk about high expectations! From that day on, followers of Jesus were called to see everyone as a person who deserves the same level of care and concern we show for ourselves and our families. But how can we possibly show that kind of love and attention to everyone in need? How can we be a “neighbor” to people who live halfway around the world? Do we even understand enough about their lives to know how to offer assistance?
Since 1946, the Week of Compassion offering has given North American Christians the opportunity to become participants in humanitarian work that expresses God’s love to neighbors far and wide — not just to victims of the major disasters that saturate the media, but to victims of “disasters” that repeat themselves each and every day: disasters of extreme poverty and chronic hunger, of terminally unclean water and nonexistent sanitation, of terrorizing war and devastating loss.
Gifts to Week of Compassion support programs that help our neighbors around the world build lives and communities that are healthy, safe and sustainable, making a huge difference in the lives of millions of families —
• creating sustainable sources of income for rural villages
• providing women micro-credit to start poverty-escaping businesses
• teaching trades and job skills to people maimed by landmines
• offering children a chance to survive past the age of five and go to school
• helping rebuild communities ravaged by natural disasters
• and so much more.
Week of Compassion gives each of us an opportunity to be the Good Samaritan to thousands of our neighbors. Through our gifts, we show the kindness, compassion and mercy to which Jesus calls us. This year we will celebrate our Week of Compassion special offering on February 18 and 25.
The resources in this package offer a variety of ways to engage in deepening our understanding of problems facing the world and opening our hearts to the needs of our neighbors. You’ll find Sunday School activities and sermon ideas, worship liturgies and cross-generational experiences. Best of all, you’ll find ways to help your church family deepen their understanding of God’s heart calling us to selfless giving and radical love.
When Jesus responded to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” he set a standard that wasn’t easy to meet. By participating in Week of Compassion, your congregation can experience the joy of showing and sharing God’s love — offering a hand to that stranger in need and making a difference in the lives of our neighbors around the world. And in so doing, we make a difference in our own.
With deep gratitude for our partnership in the gospel and in service to others, we are,
Your friends and servants,
Johnny Wray
Amy Gopp
Week of Compassion
