Ernest Gabbard brings our devotional today. Please watch it here.
We want to give a big shout-out to the Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club! For the past two months they have given Lakeside Presbyterian Church several VERY generous donations to help supply despensas to families who needed extra help during the economic shutdown. Typically, the church gives out about 40 despensas per month. Between May 10 and July 10, we were able to distribute about 335 more—besides our usual 40! That’s more than 4X in addition per month!
We appreciate the donations, of course, but the Chapala Sunrise Rotary also did a wonderful job helping us to identify many people in need. While the economy has opened up and many of these families are now back at work, some continue to need our help. On Saturday, the church session voted to continue help an extra 102 families for the next two months, now using church funds. We will continue to evaluate the needs of these families.
We are blessed!
The question we’re often asked is: How much does a despensa cost? It’s a very reasonable $210 pesos. We are always comparing our despensas with the ones given by other organizations. We want to be sure we’re getting the best value. If you hear about a despensa that’s only $100 pesos, it probably doesn’t offer the quantity of food we do. We also provide shelf-stable staples, not fruits and vegetables. As you know, fruits and vegetables are quite inexpensive in our area.
Worship Leader and Elder Tom Emmerson has our devotional today . . . about the importance of listening. Watch it here.
Lynn Turnbull — our faith community nurse — gives us our devotional this morning. You can watch it here.
Do you approach giving as a discipline? That’s the topic of our video devotional today. You can watch it here.
In today’s video devotional, Jane Pifer talks about how to break a bad habit of judging others, using Matthew 7:1-2. You can watch it here.
Today, Dr. Wayne Cook’s video devotional is about the significance of what you believe. You can watch it here.
Today, Tom Emmerson brings us a devotional about how we can face our fears. Please watch it here.
Ernest Gabbard has our video devotional for today. Please watch it here.
Helping our neighbors.
This week Martin Thorner, our Ministry Outreach Director, and his team delivered 42 despensas to needy families in Chapala, San Juan Tecomatlán, San Antonio Tlayacapan, Riberas del Pilar, San Juan Cosalá, and the CREADD and Mezcala Drug Centers. Again this week, the cost of the despensas over and above our regular deliveries were underwritten by the Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club.
Plus, this week the despensas for families also included children’s clothing!
Just this week, while delivering depensas, Martin found a family with four young children living in a makeshift tent in the mountains. They had been kicked out of the room they’d been living in because they have no money. They had a little furniture, but no walls or roof, no potable water, no kitchen, no bathroom . . . and rainy season is just starting.
Martin discovered a small apartment in Chapala that rents for only $1,200 pesos per month. The church is paying their rent for the next few months to get them through the rainy season. (We have designated gifts that cover this kind of outreach.) They are so grateful and happy for their new place!
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in . . . ” Matthew 25:35
REMINDER: Tomorrow is Communion Sunday.
Please join us for a Zoom Communion meeting tomorrow. We will gather at 9:30 a.m. and start the service around 9:40 a.m. Just click on the following link when you’re ready to join. (And don’t forget to bring your own elements of bread and wine or juice to be consecrated.)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3767661238
We’re looking forward to seeing you there! May God bless you today.