Love that Transforms
Love that Transforms
by Ann Higgins, Director of Development
How’s your Inbox looking these days? If you are like me, there’s the regular work emails to answer, including scheduling those zoom calls and webinars — flag and file — check! There are the retailers’ emails about “that thing” I’ve never heard or that I can’t do without, or special sales on Black Friday or Cyber Monday — hesitate for just a second and… DELETE! I don’t need more stuff. And then there’s the updates from the organizations I support — these, I generally open and read, or scan at least. I want to know about how they are doing, even if they are asking for financial support as many are doing this time of year. (And if I’m honest, as a Development Director, I like to see how other organizations are communicating their needs to their supporters.) And next week, I expect to get lots of emails regarding Giving Tuesday. (And yes, I’ll be sending one from camp as well.) And while having multiple organizations asking for monetary gifts all at the same time can be overwhelming, I love the idea behind the day.
The origins of Giving Tuesday are laid out on their website. They define the day, created in 2012, as “a day that encourages people to do good.” I like this, it’s straightforward, and I like how it fits in with my Christian worldview. We, as followers of Jesus, are encouraged to “do good works” multiple times in scripture. And Jesus shows us what this looks like as He feeds the hungry, heals the sick, comforts the broken-hearted, and even raises the dead! And I really like how He makes it so clear to His followers what our guiding principle of life should be in Matthew 22, saying basically, “Love God and love your neighbor.” He goes on to say that all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. In other words, believer, this is your “life verse”, I’ve given it to you, plain and simple. OK, maybe it’s not that simple, but what would the world look like if we, in our multicultural, multi-faith communities, could just strive for the “love your neighbor” part! We strive for this in our gospel-centered communities at Camp, but we all know it can be a challenge!
As the Giving Tuesday folks say, “Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give.” These are all terrific suggestions of ways to share God’s love with our neighbors. I am thankful for this global movement, because it reminds me of my “life verse” and that I should be loving my neighbors in more intentional ways. As all of us in the Christian community strive to do this better, we might really move closer to the same goals the Giving Tuesday folks have — ”to build a more just and generous world.” I can say a hearty “AMEN!” to that!
So as you comb through your inbox on December 1st, Giving Tuesday, you will probably see that email from us. I hope you will give it a look and consider making a gift to camp. Your support shares the transformational love of Jesus with campers and staff–the kind of love that empowers us to also transform our world.
Ann Higgins is the Director of Development for Camp Brookwoods, Deer Run, and Moose River Outpost where the best part of her job is interacting with the thankful and generous camp family that supports our mission. You can reach her at ann@christiancamps.net