'Conspiracy' changes Holy Covenant Advent

BY JOHN A. LOVELACE
Special Correspondent

Google “Advent” and what do you get? This, for one thing:“Advent Conspiracy”

Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by substituting compassion for consumption.

Twenty months or so ago, Rev. Wendy Curran, associate pastor at Holy Covenant UMC, Carrollton, was looking for some new, meaningful way for the congregation to observe Advent. “Conspiracy” caught her eye, and the follow-up by her church’s Missions Committee during Advent 2008 injected the church into one organization within that international “conspiracy,“ the Houston-based Living Water International (LWI). It‘s “a faith-based organization dedicated to ending the global water crisis and providing a cup of water in Jesus‘ name.”

With limited first-time promotion during Advent 2008, Holy Covenant raised just over $3,000 for LWI.

Fast forward to August 2009; time to plan Advent. According to Rev. Andy Lewis, pastor, the Mission Committee and the church’s young-adult cadre, comprising about 10 percent of its 575 members, wanted to make LWI the church’s primary missional effort for Advent with a goal of $5,000 -- enough, under LWI supervision, to fund a sustainable well for a village or a school in a developing country.

Good news first: As of Jan. 25, one month after Christmas Day, Holy Covenant’s total raised was $14.949. As Pastor Lewis put it, “Basically, we set a goal of raising funds for one well; we’ll now be able to build three!“

Which raises the question: How did they do it?

The “buzz” began during worship services in November with the suggestion that members look at their Christmas shopping lists and consider whether one or more recipients might be honored by a gift to LWI. Weekly videos showed LWI at work.

During Sunday services in December -- both 8:30 and 11 -- small special envelopes were available for designated gifts to LWI. Following each service, tables were set up where members could “buy” gift certificates in the form of 4x6 cards with this message:

“In the true spirit of Christmas “In lieu of a gift, a donation was made to Living Water International in your honor to aid in building water wells in developing nationa that lack an adequate source of clean water. Merry Christmas 2009”

Volunteers sold thirty-four gift certifi cates on the first Sunday. One purchaser said, “Gift giving was never so easy.” Another liked it because it was “so different.”

Also during each service in December, teams of six to ten volunteers came forward to be commissioned to go house-to-house in two nearby neighborhoods with bottles of water, special pasted-on labels giving information about Holy Covenant UMC and its “living water” emphasis and a printed tab inviting member of the community to join in the emphasis via www.hcumc.org/LivingWater. The final total of nearly $15,000 did include, in fact, some $200 from neighbors.

The “living water” campaign culminated on Christmas Eve at all three services with special offerings plus the regular offering. Starting with $11,200 total raised to date, running totals were announced at each service: First service, $11,700; Second service, $12,300. Third service, $13,000-plus.

Pastor Lewis said these successes left the congregation “just beaming. . excited over embracing this project … feeling joy, confidence, enthused.” With triple-the-goal contributions in hand, the Mission Committee faces the task of selecting which LWI country Holy Covenant wants to designate to receive its three wells. Pastor Lewis speculated that one factor might be proximity in case the church wants to send one or more mission teams there in future years.

LWI participants pay no fee. The only expense to Holy Covenant for this venture into an Advent Conspiracy was $300 for bottled water and printing.

For more information see www.adventconspiracy.com,www.firstgiving.com/hcumc or www.hcumc.org/livingwater.
 

PHOTOS BY JOHN A. LOVELACE