2014 Lenten Meditations Focus on Economic Empowerment
January 22, 2014
Episcopal Relief & Development’s Lenten Meditations booklets are now available in English and Spanish. This year’s collection of forty-six reflections focuses on creating economic opportunities and strengthening communities, with a particular focus on empowering women.
Printed booklets should be ordered by February 15 for delivery by Ash Wednesday, March 5, and can be ordered from Episcopal Marketplace online or by calling 1.866.937.2772. PDF booklets and other Lenten resources are posted on Episcopal Relief & Development’s website at www.episcopalrelief.org/lent, and individuals wishing to receive daily email devotionals can sign up online.
“I am grateful to all of the writers who contributed to this year’s collection of Lenten Meditations,” said Sean McConnell, the agency’s Director of Engagement. “We have reflections from a variety of backgrounds and theological perspectives, all focused on how we can heal a hurting world through working for economic justice and strengthening local livelihoods.”
Congregations are also invited to commemorate Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday on the first Sunday in Lent, March 9, or another convenient Sunday during the season. On this special Sunday, congregations pray for those living in poverty and dedicate an offering in support of the organization’s Global Needs Fund, which provides help where most needed.
Hope chests, prayer cards, bookmarks and offering envelopes are also available through Episcopal Marketplace and can be used in accompaniment with the devotional booklets on Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday and throughout Lent.
“I encourage all Episcopalians to take time this Lenten season to consider how our actions can help empower those in need,” said Rob Radtke, the organization’s President. “Special efforts such as providing a micro-loan or vocational training through Gifts for Life are one way to make a difference, but our everyday decisions have an impact as well. Mindfulness of this can be a meaningful Lenten practice, and it can also serve to bring us closer in spirit to people we may never meet, but with whom we are entwined in a globalized world.”
Resources and guides for Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday are available at www.episcopalrelief.org/sunday. Please contact engagement@episcopalrelief.org or call 1.855.312.HEAL (4325) with any questions.
Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of The Episcopal Church and an independent 501(c)(3) organization. The agency takes its mandate from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 25. Its programs work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Episcopal Relief & Development works closely with worldwide Church and ecumenical partners to help rebuild after disasters and to empower local communities to find lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.
