Bethesda United Methodist Church

Please see the email below from the director of the Lawrenceville Co-Op and thanks to everyone who has been bringing in canned goods and praying for our neighbors at the Co-Op:

Your prayers for the Co-Op have been heard. A few weeks ago we were dangerously low on food and funds. August was a record month for assistance given. BUT our God has provided for our needs and is continuing to do so! Please continue to pray for the Co-Op and its faithful volunteers who are devoted to the Lord Jesus. Thank you for your prayers for our clients.

Linda Freund

Director

Thanks,

Dawn

I would like to thank everyone who helped out in the canned food drive. We had almost 500 canned food items donated!!  Please read the email from the Co-Op below.

Thanks,

Dawn

The Co-Op desperately needs your help! Donations have been critically down over the summer and need has greatly increased. We are purchasing food from Co-Op funds. Today we gave out over $5,500 in assistance with utilities, emergency housing, and prescription medication. We gave out 4,900 cans of food in one day. We purchased over $1,000 of food. We will be out of funds for assistance within the next two weeks unless donations increase immediately – both food and money. We have not been without funds to help those who qualified for assistance in almost 8 years! We have not been out of food in 10 years! PLEASE HELP! If each person in our 25 supporting churches gave $1 per member per month and 1 can per person per week we would have enough! During the past two weeks I have had notices from two churches – one cutting support from $100 per month to $50. The other discontinued their $100 monthly donation completely.

Each day the stories from the clients are getting to be more difficult to hear and to bear. One long-time volunteer who had been out for 10 months caring for his wife returned last Friday. He had to leave at noon. He said he was overwhelmed with the need and with the severity of the cases.

A woman was diagnosed with breast cancer, her husband had attempted suicide the day before, she had no phone to contact the hospital, and the brakes were out on her car. A friend had brought her here. We helped with a utility bill, prayed for her, and she left here knowing that Jesus loves her and she was encouraged. Today a man with chronic myelogenous leukemia (49 years old) came in for food. He is the primary caregiver for his aunt who is 88 and disabled. He broke his toes this week and was walking with a cane. He is terminally ill. Our volunteer Barbara talked with him, prayed with him, and encouraged him in the Lord. He was so happy when he left – “it was such a lift to talk with someone – with God’s people” he said.

The Lawrenceville Co-Op is God’s ministry, and we are trusting Him to provide for our every need. Those of us on the front lines need the support of our churches, our community and individuals who share our passion – Jesus’ passion – for helping “the least of these” in our very midst. If you are one of these, I pray that the Lord will use you to spread the word of our need, and the response will be such that we will be overwhelmed with the generosity of God’s people.

This email is my prayer for help in Jesus’ name,

Linda Freund, Director Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry, Inc.

P.O. Box 1328, Lawrenceville, GA 30046

Hours for deliveries: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 9 – 10:30; Monday 6-8p.m.; Wednesday & Friday 10 – 1; Saturday 10 – noon

176 Church Street, Lawrenceville, GA 30046

The next blood drive at Bethesda United Methodist Church is scheduled for August 29, 2010 from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall.  Everyone welcome!

The Lawrenceville Co-Op has been notified by the “Clothing Closet” that they are in need of children’s, preteen’s and teenage clothes. Please consider donating your slightly used clothes while you are “back to school shopping”. You may bring the clothing to the Fellowship Hall under the coat rack.

Thank You,

Dawn