Rev. Heidi McGinness
from Christian
Solidarity International
will be preaching at The First
Presbyterian Church
on Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 10:30 a.m.
Biography for Pastor Heidi McGinness
As
an ordained Presbyterian Minister, Pastor Heidi McGinness has served the
Lord in the rural, suburban and inner-city parish. Always the prophetic
preacher, Pastor Heidi has worked tirelessly to champion the rights of
ALL people, gaining her the reputation of being a human rights activist
and a respectful, compassionate listener. Pastor Heidi left her native
Germany as a young girl where she had the misfortune of witnessing the
results of hate and the horrors of war and its debilitating aftermath.
Trips to war-torn Sudan, Africa with the worldwide Christian human
rights organization, Christian Solidarity International (CSI), in 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 has catapulted Pastor McGinness into becoming
a modern-day abolitionist and passionate defender of the victims of
slavery, genocide and persecution. From 2004 through 2008, Pastor Heidi
has worked with CSI teams in Sudan. She has been personally present to
document the liberation of over 1,000.
Here is a little about what CSI does:
Tens of thousands of southern Sudanese women and children have been enslaved and carried to northern Sudan since 1983. CSI has liberated many and returned them to their homeland in southern Sudan. What happens to them next? After years of slavery and suffering, those freed from slavery by Christian Solidarity International are returning with no home and no food. They are facing extreme famine which will last until the next harvest in August and September. We cannot free them and forget about them!
Christian Solidarity International is working to provide every returning family with a special start-up sack containing the essentials to begin a new life.
The start up SACK OF HOPE contains:
-
Tarpaulin to offer shelter from rain and sun which can also be used as a groundsheet
-
Blanket to keep the whole family warm on cold nights in the bush
-
Mosquito net for protection against insects, snakes, and scorpions
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Cooking pan for boiling water and preparing millet gruel
-
Plastic canister to carry 5 liters of water
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Hand-held sickle for cultivating food and building a home
-
Fishing hooks
The Mission Committee will match $500 towards any donations made by the congregation. I would ask members to prayerfully consider supporting this ministry.