Harvest of Talents feeding the hungry around the globe

 

[October 30, 2018] 

LINCOLN 

“Chain of Blessings” began in the Old Testament when Almighty God came to Abram and Abraham passed that along to Isaac, who passed it along to his son Jacob, who passed it along to his sons, including Judah, and on and on through generations leading to a guy named Jesus of Nazareth.

Another “Chain of Blessings” came from the New Testament: Andrew reached out to Simon Peter, who has influenced many people including John Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark, which has affected hundreds of billions of people.

Tom Gerdts, preaching minister at Lincoln Christian Church from 1985-2005, continued with the metaphor Chain of Blessings: “Our decisions and actions do have consequences. There are people in this world who don’t think they can make a difference, good or ill, but that is not true. Chains of Blessings are not inevitable. The are created by our intentional, obvious choices. There is an unbroken Chain of Blessings from Jesus, through every generation, through one or more of the apostles to another generation, ongoing for hundreds of years all the way to us.”

The Harvest of Talents “Chain of Blessings” started on October 27, 1984 when Pat Snyder, along with her committee, took to heart the command of I Peter 4:10 which reads, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (New International Version)

For 35 years that intentional chain has continued to grow, and each link proves to be a bigger blessing than the one before.

On the 4th Saturday in October, Lincoln Christian Church is transformed into a 'Chain of Blessings.' The little ministry tasks done from day to day throughout the year may seem insignificant, but each one matters, each one contributes to the chain of blessings. Whether the blessing is prayer, original art, baking, canning, gardening, quilting, recycling, running, or spending money, the chain reaches all over the world to feed hungry people. Through the help of International Disaster Emergency Services, hungry people get to eat in Haiti, Ghana, India, the Sudan, China, Africa, and more. One hundred percent of the funds raised at the Harvest of Talents is donated to I.D.E.S. to feed people physically and spiritually.

Jesus said, “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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me . . . I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:25-40 NIV).

Tom's wife, Karen, took to the stage to share a story about a mission trip to Nairobi. She said, “A little boy was watching over a large pan of water on a hot plate on the floor. He went to a small closet and got a bag of beans and proceeded to put the beans in the pan of water. The boy was crying.

"I asked the interpreter, ‘What is wrong with him? Why is he crying?’

"I was told, ‘They are happy tears because he gets to eat today.’
 

"To my amazement the bag was labeled I.D.E.S.

"Tears streamed down my cheeks and the boy asked, ‘What is wrong with her? Why is she crying?’

"He was told, ‘She, too, is crying because you get to eat today.’

"Wow, God! Just wow!” Karen said.

There are many people who are faithful to the unbroken chain. Harvests take place in California, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana and Kansas.

This year, Lincoln Christian Church's 35th Annual Harvest of Talents for World Hunger presented a check to International Disaster Emergency Services a check in the amount of $100,717.24 during the Sunday morning Celebration Service. This makes the total donated to I.D.E.S. over the last 35 years $2,340,453.06.

Future generations depend on us to be faithful links to the gospel chain. What will you do next for the 'Chain of Blessings?'

[Lisa Ramlow]