Friends, It is with excitement and gratitude that I write to you during this season of Advent! As we prepare for our 10th year of ministry, we are looking back on a year of changes and new opportunities. Some of our large scale projects have included:
•Serving the First Presbyterian Church Houston leadership team
•Serving CyFair Christian Church in Northwest Houston
•Consulting Presbyterian School Houston on their outdoor education program
•Serving pastors planting churches in the Union Baptist Association
•Breakaway Ministry’s Go Mission annual conference
I had the privilege of preaching through Proverbs this past year. The following passage reminds me of the essential ingredient to BetterDay’s effectiveness:
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding... He will make straight your [crooked] paths.” (Proverbs 3:5&6)
First, continue to pray for BetterDays. We believe that God hears the prayers of His people. We also believe that praying is an effective and important way for you to be part of what we are doing. Second, would you consider making a year-end donation or a donation in the first quarter of 2012? In making plans for 2012, we have $46,000 as our goal this year. An important aspect of this goal is to increase the total number of donors who contribute. Our pyramid illustrates our goal! Every level in the pyramid makes a difference toward our overall goal. We need financial partners who will give $1 to $250 as well as the one time donors of $20,000 -- and everyone in between! The end of the year is a good time to give and receive a tax credit for 2011. But, our goal is to raise this amount by February 29, 2012! |
This year we’ve begun to build a team and during the first quarter of 2012 we will be spotlighting what each one brings to the mission and the paths that led them to be part of this work. For now, you can read more about Jeremy McQuown, Steve Hagens, and Mel Karger (my father!) at www.herecomebetterdays.org.
Also, while you are at the site, you can also make a contribution by going to the donate page and using PayPal! Or, you can send us a note letting us know that you will be praying for the work of BetterDays! Your prayers are very encouraging to us!
I preached through the book of Ruth during Advent, which comes to a close on Christmas Eve. While there is bitter struggle within this ancient story, God’s presence is woven throughout, most especially in the image of the kinsman redeemer. The story unfolds in the town of Bethlehem, from whence our redeemer comes, Jesus!
The Hebrew word hesed means, essentially, “help for the helpless.” In the book of Ruth, the God’s hesed is practiced and experienced by the people themselves. In other words, hesed is not only a truth about God’s character but also a feature of God’s people.
I pray that you will experience and share God’s hesed to those around you during this holiday season. We appreciate your prayers as we practice hesed through the work of BetterDays.
Grace and peace,
Chad Karger
Executive Director
| P.S. Stay in touch with me on Facebook, Twitter (chadkarger), and my blog: www.goingoutside.org. |
www.herecomebetterdays.org