February has been designated “Feed the Pig” month at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Closter, New Jersey. During the month of February, members and friends of the congregation have been encouraged to donate their pocket change and other gifts to Lutheran World Relief. Donations are being collected in a large silver piggy bank each Sunday morning. At the end of the month, the donations will be given to Lutheran World Relief. This organization will then provide a small herd of animals to a family in need in Central America, Asia, or Africa. This year’s “herd of hope” includes two goats, two piglets, two sheep, one hen and six chicks.
“St. Paul’s congregation really enjoys “feeding the pig” to provide animals for families in need,” comments Rev. Robert Holsten, pastor of St. Paul’s. “Last year, we raised enough funds to buy a goat for a family in Burkina Faso. This year, the congregation, by vote, has set their goal on the $530 needed to buy the above mentioned animals in the “herd of hope.”
“Our congregation cares for people in need, both locally and around the world, ” continues Pastor Holsten. “A group of women from our congregation and community put together quilts each Monday afternoon, from 1-3 PM in St. Paul’s Koepchen Fellowship Hall. We will pray over the displayed quilts before sending them on to Lutheran World Relief. This prayer will take place at the 8:30 and 10 AM worship services on Sunday, February 17. Lutheran World Relief distributes the quilts to people in need throughout the world. Last year, Lutheran Relief distributed over three hundred thousand quilts.
“‘Feeding the Pig” and sewing and sending quilts are just two of the many ways God helps us share His love in Jesus’ name,” Pastor Holsten concludes. “‘We love,’ the Bible says, ‘because God first loved us.’ God forgives us and blesses us through Jesus, God’s Son so that we may also be a blessing to others.”
For further information or directions to St. Paul’s, please call 201 768-6310.