Youngchurch:

Godâ€™s Global Barnyard

In Kosovo, Lrije lost her husband, farm, house, cows, tractor and car due to war. The Lutheran World Federation, which receives help from the ELCA World Hunger Appeal , gave Lrije’s family 10 sheep to raise for the wool. It also started a women’s center in her village and taught people to weave. Lrije makes wool carpets to sell and earns a regular income to support her family.

Lrije’s story is one of many that can be read at the hunger appeal’s Web site as part of its God’s Global Barnyard project. The site also provides resources for children, fundraising ideas, coloring pages and the chance to buy a symbolic gift of a goat, pig, chick or other animal.

Chickens in church

Ohio youth get a special visit during Lent

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? At Messiah Lutheran Church, Lyndhurst, Ohio, it was the chicken—a lot of them.

Chickens—of the paper variety and the breathing kind—mark the progress of a Lenten project at Messiah Lutheran Church, Lyndhurst, Ohio. Youth made and sold pretzels for donations to buy chicks for a family in Africa through Heifer International.

Each Sunday in Lent 2007, one of the Sunday school classes made and sold pretzels to buy chickens for people in need through Heifer International. The organization focuses on sustainable resources—farm animals and agriculture that are ongoing sources of food and income.

A starter flock of 10 to 15 chicks costs $20. The flock can bring up to 200 eggs per year per hen, with the eggs providing protein for malnourished diets and income for a family.

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