During Assembly I invited commissioners to sail with me into the future God is preparing for God’s people on a ship I christened, Generosity (see my blog for June 18 at presbyterian.ca/moderator).
I now want to extend that invitation to the children and young people in our church. To them I say, become crew members on the HMS Generosity, for truly you are the ones who can inspire us to climb on board and hoist our sails for places unknown. Your energy and fresh ideas and sense of adventure are contagious and exactly what we need to propel us forward.
Here are just a few stories that illustrate my point:
Ryan’s well — In 1999 six-year-old Ryan Hreljac was inspired by his first grade teacher in Kemptville, Ont., to raise money to build a well to supply safe drinking water for children in Africa. After months of doing odd jobs and recruiting help from his schoolmates, Ryan raised enough money to build a well in Uganda. Eleven years later, Ryan is still actively raising money through the Ryan’s Well Foundation to fulfil his dream of providing safe, clean water for every child in Africa. To date, the Ryan’s Well Foundation has provided funds for over 600 water projects in 16 countries!
Hannah’s ladybugs — While driving though downtown Winnipeg with her mother, five-year-old Hannah Taylor was shocked to see her first homeless man: “Mommy, why is that man eating out of a garbage can?” She began raising money to help the homeless by inviting people to put their change into jars she painted to look like ladybugs, “because ladybugs bring good luck.” Now 13 years old, Hannah has raised over a million dollars through her Ladybug Foundation and continues to spread her message that the homeless are “great people, wrapped in old clothes with sad hearts. Don’t be afraid of them. Just care for them and be kind to them.”
Paige’s cuddles — When Paige Pedlar of Whitby, Ont., was six, she became so distraught after watching a TV show about children being left orphaned because their parents had died of AIDS that her mother had to cuddle her until she fell asleep. The next day, Paige wrote a book she entitled, Who Will Cuddle Them When They Sleep? to express her feelings in words and drawings. She has partnered with the Rotary Club of Whitby to sell copies of her book with proceeds going to the Cuddle the Orphans Project to raise money to combat HIV/AIDS.
Peter’s great Canadian cycling adventure — On June 18th, Peter McLean began a 9,000 km solo bike trek across Canada as a unique “coming of age ritual” and to raise money for the Canadian Bible Society’s Bike for Bibles program and for the Hakka Bible translation that his father, Rev. Dr. Paul McLean, has been working on for 25 years. (His mother, Mary Beth works at International Ministries at the church’s national offices.) You can follow his efforts at petermclean.tumblr.com.
I believe that Christ is calling the Presbyterian Church to embark on a voyage that promises adventures even greater than Peter’s bicycle trek. Where our journey will lead us, I cannot say; but, I am convinced that it is only in the spirit of hopeful generosity we see expressed in children such as Hannah and Ryan that we will find our way forward. Like Peter’s biking adventure, our voyage will require all the energy and imagination and courage we can muster. Thankfully, we do not make this journey alone. Christ is our guide and enabler, and we have many other shipmates for our voyage. And so I invite you today, no matter what your age, to join the crew of the HMS Generosity. Share your stories to inspire us along the way. And in the meantime, I ask you to pray along with me, “Come, Holy Spirit, come! Fill our hearts with your indomitable Spirit and fill our sails with your mighty wind!”
Blessings.
