Living Saviour, Charlotte, helps kids, teachers

Living Saviour, Charlotte, participated in several God’s Work. Our Hands. efforts this August including one project for “Beds for Kids” and another in support of a local elementary school. On a hot August Sunday morning, children, youth and adults were huddled over large pieces of fleece materials, feverishly tying the cut strands of fringe together into blankets; not the kind of thing most of us wanted to do on a hot August morning, but for those who’d receive these soft and warm fleece blankets, it was a labor of love! The kids at our music and art summer camp got into it too, creating dozens of fleece pillows, just right to snuggle up to while reading or snoozing!

“Beds for Kids” is an organization which works to collect bed frames, mattresses, sheets, comforters, blankets, and lamps to provide children who move from homelessness to “homed” with the basic necessities. Did you know that most apartments only have overhead lights in the bathroom, and that doing your homework on the commode is not too easy?! So our congregation collected lamps—all kinds of lamps and shades, as well as sheets and comforters—and then as a group created fleece blankets and pillows! It was a fabulous morning of fun and a successful way to use Our Hands to do God’s Work!

Also, Living Saviour has been working for a few years to build a relationship with a local elementary school by providing tutors, end-of-grade test monitors, volunteers for Field Day and other events, as well as providing school supplies, underwear for the health room (a need they indicated), and little staff gifts throughout the year. This year, on the final Friday before school began, the congregation invited the teachers to a luncheon at the church, including delicious food, door prizes, and small gifts. The teachers were delighted to receive their choice of sports team lanyards, and the Carolinas—both UNC and USC were well represented!

The staff were also invited to fill out a prayer and need card to leave on the table if they wished; ten prayer cards and three need cards were returned. The needs have been filled, including old shirts for art smocks, black felt tip pens and clipboards. The prayers are being offered by our Prayer Chain and Praying for Possibilities Teams. We give thanks that we can support this school through prayer, simple gifts, and offer to fill the needs of these educators who offer so much of themselves to their students. We continue to invite them, pray for them, and build a relationship of trust and caring. God’s Work. Our Hands!

Submitted by Pastor Angela Powell.

Click on the gallery pictures above to view  a large image.