Free Methodist Church Weekly Newletter

Christmas is a time of giving! Each year, our congregation chooses a church or an organization to help in the name of Jesus. This year we have decided to give to an important endeavor that our Free Methodist Superintendent Steve Fitch has started in order to help save lives all over the world.

Due to deforestation-for fuel and to make room for farming and building-many areas of the earth are devastated. In the places where trees should be, there is now not a natural barrier for tsunamis, a protection for coral reefs and the land has become unsustainable for growing food. As a result, many communities have been destroyed and people are starving. The Eden Projects was started to connect local people with their environment. Their approach includes conservation education, creating jobs, finding incentives to decrease cutting down new forests and planting species that naturally occur in the local areas, which ensures compatibility with local wildlife and native plants. They minister in Sudan, Kenya, Ethiopia and Madagascar.

Because of God's call on Steve's heart to help heal land and lives, they have planted millions of seedlings and have seen encouraging signs of new life. As Christians, we believe that God has commanded us to be stewards of all He has graciously given to us. We feel this is a much-needed ministry to people whose communities are literally dying and in danger. Our church has a personal connection with this ministry through our efforts in Ethiopia and also through the Shattenbergs, who are helping this work in Madagascar.

In place of the traditional pine this year is a living olive tree, a symbol of peace, bounty and anointing in the Christian faith. On it you will find stars with various dollar amounts on them. Please take a star, write on it which country you want to give to and place it in the offering plate with your check made out to Eden Projects. Each seedling costs ten cents! So, your gift will go a long way. When you give, you may take home a seedling (with instructions from our plant expert, Dick Johnson) so you can plant your own tree. Let's help the children all over the world to have a future that is full of life and hope!

Everything Lives Where Trees Live
**A Special Thank You to San Marcos Growers who donated this year's giving tree and seedlings!

Who is Eden Projects?

We are a people...
who come from a variety of faiths, cultures, nationalities and political persuasions. Despite our diversity, we all share a love for the splendor of the creation and care deeply for the well being of humankind.
We have come to understand...
that environmental destruction, through radical deforestation, is a major cause of extreme poverty in third world nations and a likely cause behind the climate change crisis.
We seek to bridge...
the relational and philosophical divides that often keep various individuals and groups from cooperating effectively. Therefore, we pursue solutions to the problems behind environmental destruction that are major contributing causes to extreme poverty in third-world nations.
We are a people...
who are committed to acting on conviction - not just talking about it. For this reason, we endeavor to work out multi-layered (holistic) solutions so that we may see both lives and lands healed.
We greatly value...
approaches that comprehensively address the complex nature of many problems. Spiritual lives, medical care, educational needs, and "other" solutions must be included in the equation. Our primary contribution to a holistic answer stems from our work in reforestation and agroforestation. Churhc