The Union Church in Waban partners with COMMUNITIES WITHOUT BORDERS to help educate orphans and other vulnerable children in Mtendere, Zambia — an impoverished neighborhood in Lusaka, the capital.
We at the Union Church in Waban believe that access to quality education is foundational to human dignity and critical to each person’s ability to grow into the fullness of who God created them to be. So it is a joy to engage in this ministry. Every other year we travel to Zambia not only to bring resources and support to the Mtendere school, but also to deepen and nurture our relationship with the students, teachers, parents and wider Mtendere community. The bond of friendship that have formed between us are strong and are life changing most certainly for us and we hope for the people of Mtendere as well.
The Christmas Offering
It’s hard to believe the Christmas season is already upon us! This is a time of excitement as we prepare with our families for this magical holiday. There’s also an excitement this year at UCW as we plan for our trip to Zambia this summer in our partnership with Communities Without Borders (CWB). UCW is in its fourth year of its relationship with Communities Without Borders and our partnered community of Mtendere, Zambia. CWB is a non-profit organization dedicated to building connections between partnering communities in the U.S. and Zambia in order to provide education for AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children. Our partnership with the community of Mtendere commits us to sending a minimum of $4,000 on an annual basis.
What are our monies used for in Mtendere?
- Children in our partnering community need scholarships in order to attend government schools.
- The older children can’t go on to 8th grade without the funds to pay for uniforms, supplies, shoes, etc.
- The teachers need stipends and training to do their job of teaching. On average, the teachers themselves have a 7th grade education.
For those of you who are new to UCW, it was just a few years ago that our friends here at UCW were incredibly generous and gave $3,000 to help build a health clinic in Simukanka, Zambia. It is remarkable what can be done with a relatively small amount of money.
We’re hopeful that some members of our congregation will be able to join Annie and Julia Gatewood on a CWB trip to Zambia this summer. If you’re interested please contact Annie .
Please be as generous as possible in giving to the Christmas offering on December 23 and 24. You can find Christmas envelopes in the pews or you can mail your check to the church office. Please designate “Christmas offering” on the memo line.
Blessings to you all this Christmas season,
Your Zambia Outreach Committee
Alternative Gift Fair
On Sunday, December 2, we will be holding the second week of our Alternative Gift Fair featuring handcrafts, photo note cards, and other gifts. New to the fair this year, we will have coffee and hot chocolate from Equal Exchange available for purchase. We will have materials available for families to make their own Advent wreaths using real greens. Suggested donation is $20. We’ll also have stations with other Christmas crafts. Plan to stay after worship to enjoy these fun events and get ready for the Advent season.
In order to help support this partnership with Zambia, we hold a fall harvest sale of pumpkins, mums, and other decorative items as well as a catalog fundraiser with CloseBuy. To learn more about our partnership with CWB and the people of Mtendere, Zambia please feel free to contact the chair of the Zambian Task Force, Annie Gatewood at agatewood@gmail.com.
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