Disciple: More Days of Love

Brendan Murphy on March 26, 2021

ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE campaign extended through Easter season

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The ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE fundraising campaign (Disciple, Fall 2020) was launched during Advent 2020 with the diocesan goal ofā€‰raising $198,000 by Epiphany. The goal remains in place, and, to reach it, the diocesan campaign has been extended through the Easter season until Pentecost.

ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE is a global campaign of Episcopal Relief & Development, a ā€œ$3 million grassroots Church-wide fundraising campaign dedicated to expanding the organizationā€™s global programs, improving the lives of children up to age six.ā€ These first years of a childā€™s life are critical, as Josephine Hicks, vice president of Episcopal Church programs for Episcopal Relief & Development, explained in the Fall 2020 issue of the Disciple.

ā€œResearch tells us the most important time to help children become all that they can be is during the first five years of life. If you canā€™t ensure healthy growth, appropriate nutrition, nurture, stimulation and education during those formative years, it is virtually impossible for those children to catch up. If we can help children thrive during that critical period, however, we give them a chance to become everything God dreams for them to be. We can also transform their communities, because 15-20 years from now, those children will be healthy, productive adults who contribute to those communities.ā€

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

The Diocese of North Carolina pledged to raise and contribute $198,000 to the global campaign, a figure that reflects a $15 donation on the part of every member of the Diocese. That $15 donation has the capacity to change the course of a childā€™s life in the form of mosquito nets, bicycles, nutrition and parenting programs for young families, economic assistance, and assistance with care for newborns and their mothers. It is a small cost for an incredibly large impact.
When the campaign launched, each church in the Diocese was issued a congregational fundraising challenge based on the churchā€™s 2019 annual Sunday attendance. Already several churches have met their goal, but as we extend the campaign through the Easter season, the pot has been sweetened.

Churches are encouraged to meet their challenge as a contribution to a friendly convocational competition. The convocation that exceeds their goal by the greatest percentage will receive a prize of $2,500 to donate to the local ministry or charity of their choice. So by taking part, churches are not only helping children on a global scale, but they also are working toward the chance of supporting ministry work in their local area.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE

There are a multitude of resources to help you share ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE and engage your congregations.
You can track the collective diocesan fundraising progress on the diocesan website at episdionc.org/1000-days-of-love. There youā€™ll see the fundraising thermometer rising, as well as find ways to donate and resources from Episcopal Relief & Development. (You can access those directly at episcopalrelief.org/1000daysoflove/share.)

It takes only a moment and a few dollars to change a childā€™s life. We hope you will be a part of this effort!

WAYS TO DONATE

The easiest way to take part (and give credit to your church) is to donate $15 directly to the campaign. You can do this in two ways:
  • Online: Visit bit.ly/1000DaysofLove to make your contribution.
  • By check: Send to
    Episcopal Relief and Development
    P.O. Box 7058
    Merrifield, VA 22116-7058
    On the memo line, write the name of your church and the city and state in which it is located so your church will receive credit for the donation.