A light in the darkness.
Mother Theresa will be canonized next September and clearly she was a light in the darkness. Malala Yousafzai is a light in the darkness in her unending fight for the educational rights of girls. Here in Baltimore, Destiny Watford, the high schooler fighting the permit for a trash incinerator in her neighborhood, is a light in the darkness.
Ever since San Bernadino, the hateful rhetoric in our country has escalated. It can seem very dark these days. Regardless of your religion and whether you are celebrating Christmas this week or not, you crave a light in this darkness.
But let me tell you...there is much light already piercing through this darkness.
- 10,901 trees have been planted by Maryland congregations
- 17 Anne Arundel County congregations are installing stormwater improvement projects with the help of Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the Watershed Stewards Academy
- Nearly 80 Baltimore congregations are working on stormwater improvement projects with the help of Blue Water Baltimore
- St. Matthews Catholic Church collected 95 signatures in support of a bag ban in the City, and is inspiring other churches to do the same
- 6 congregations are working on installing new cisterns at their properties, with the help of Anacostia Riverkeeper
- 30 young adults participated in a 3-part outdoor field experience and are now beginning to see their world with watershed eyes
- Thousands of supporters gathered to stand with Pope Francis as he addressed our nation's highest governing body in a plea for justice for the most vulnerable
- An upcoming Interfaith Scriptural Reasoning on Creation Care in Annapolis will offer healing dialogue among different faiths working towards the same goals.
We all are called to be light in the darkness. We may not make national or even local headlines, but our light does not go unnoticed.
Be hopeful - your work is having a collective impact.
Be grateful - you are not doing this alone...you are working in community with hundreds of other Maryland congregations.
Be inspired - there is light all around you.
Thank you for journeying with us this year. Your donation of money or time will ensure that our work can continue at full speed.
With deepest gratitude for the light you have shown me,
Jodi Rose Executive Director
Giving to IPC in Other Ways
Even if you cannot make a financial contribution to IPC, you can help us in many other ways.
- Collection Basket - Consider asking your pastor, rabbi, or spiritual leader if you can take up a collection for IPC to contribute to this mission. This not only raises awareness about the work we do, but it helps us with our annual operating budget.
- Volunteer Your Time - We need assistance with our website, database, phone calling to our congregations to follow up with them, and mentoring new congregations to get them started. You can help us from home, or you can come to our office in Annapolis and we will provide you a computer to work on. We also could use photographers/videographers, social media gurus, and help with Spanish translation of our materials. Click here to sign up to volunteer!
- In-Kind Donations - There are a few things on our wish list that would help us do our work more efficiently: a laptop, a projector to help us deliver presentations to congregations, and office supplies such as flip chart paper, flip chart easels, markers, and pocket folders (new)
Thank you!
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