Coins for Lent

"What can we do for others?"

Lent is a good time to examine our lifestyles and commit to giving to a project that helps people in need.

Coins make dollars, but many of us toss them in the bottom of purses or onto dresser tops. Put yours to better use this year by following The Lenten Giving Calendar. Involve the family (or your congregation) in this scavenger hunt-like guided activity, collecting spare change to donate to a cause after Easter.

Decide where you would like your money to go: locally, abroad or somewhere in between. From local food banks to national or international disaster relief, there are (sadly) many options from which to choose, notably…

Children's Fund for Christian Mission: Funds benefit projects selected annually by the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. Teaching activities about each project are developed by GBOD.
 

Heifer International: Works to end hunger and poverty by giving livestock and training to families in need, encouraging empowerment and future self-reliance.

The next step is to decide the coins to collect as you progress through the calendar. You may want to contribute a quarter for each item or give the day's loose change.

Next, make a container to collect the money. Decorate a plastic tub, jar or a coin bank, and place it where all can see it -- preferably near the calendar.

Items on the daily guide will remind us of all we have and how little others may have.

Each Sunday, take time to pray as a family for the project for which you are collecting money and the people who will benefit from your gifts.

Preview and Print the Lenten Giving Calendar

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