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|  DLW Registered Member
 Date Joined Apr 2003 Total Posts : 2457 | Posted 12/18/2003 6:42 PM (GMT -6) |   | A SHORTLIST OF WORTHY CHARITIES FOR CREATIVE CHRISTMAS GIVING, from the editor.
If you're like me, most of the people on your Christmas gift list already have more than they need, and their lives will not be measurably enhanced by another "thing" they'll need to find room for among their "stuff." And yet there is something about Christmas that makes us want to give to those we love. At PRISM we are hearty advocates of offering gifts to those who TRULY need them, but doing so in the name of our loved ones so that they can share in the pleasure of giving.
It's not always easy to know how and where to give, so we've compiled a shortlist of charities and organizations that we feel are worthy of your donations. We've culled them from the pages of PRISM Magazine, where they have been featured over the past year. Some of them will be equipped to send out a gift card to your loved one, informing them of your gift. Those that are not equipped to do this will welcome your donations anyway, and you can easily write a note into a Christmas card to let your friends and family know about the charity you have chosen to benefit in their name. All are non- profits, which means that your Christmas shopping has the added advantage of being tax-deductible! You can't beat that.
COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL, releasing children from poverty through individual sponsorships (tel: 800-336-7535 or http://www.compassion.com/resources/realmercy )
MUSTARD SEED ASSOCIATES, promoting whole-life stewardship and purposeful Christian living, and providing a forum to challenge and promote community ( http://www.msainfo.org )
THE SIMPLE WAY, incarnational ministry to the poor in Philadelphia ( http://www.thesimpleway.org )
AGROS FOUNDATION, breaking the cycle of poverty through land ownership in Latin America (tel: 206-528-1066 or http://www.agros.org )
BOOKS FOR SOUTH AFRICA, providing much-needed educational materials to impoverished rural areas of South Africa (Contact Nancy Parker at surveysa@hotmail.com for more information.)
BREAD FOR THE WORLD, a nationwide Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying our nation's decision makers and engaging in research and education on policies related to hunger and development (tel: 800-822-7323 or http://www.bread.org )
SARONA GLOBAL INVESTMENT FUND, offering people trapped in poverty a hand up, not a handout (tel: 877-772-7662 or http://www.saronafund.com )
THE CLINIC, providing medical outreach to underserved communities ( http://www.theclinicne.org )
WORLD VISION, enabling the world's children to realize their God-given potential by tackling the root causes of poverty ( http://www.worldvision.org ) [Please note that World Vision is currently inviting people to help pay for postage to send over $53 million dollars' worth of manufacturer-donated winter clothing to needy children in 38 countries. A $30 pledge means $540 worth of warm clothing can be mailed. For more info and to donate, go to https://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/eappeal.nsf/ egiftclothing_sp_122203?OpenForm&campaign=1183420&cm p=OTC-1183420
CONSISTENT LIFE (formerly known as the Seamless Garment Network), committed to the protection of life, which is threatened in today's world by war, the arms race, abortion, poverty, racism, capital punishment, and euthanasia (tel 919.779.1912 or http://www.consistent-life.org )
INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT, a "think tank with legs" created to develop sustainable environments for religious freedom worldwide and to inspire and equip emerging leaders with faith-based methodologies of engagement ( http://www.globalengage.org )
Kaleo Urban Ministry, equipping young leaders for holistic ministry to urban Boston and beyond ( http://www.kaleoboston.org )
BRIDGE OF HOPE, ending and preventing homelessness, one church and one family at a time ( http://www.bridgeofhopeinc.org )
HERE'S LIFE INNER CITY, enabling the church to respond to God's heart for the poor (tel: 212-494-0321 or http://www.hlic.org )
The following excellent organizations fight against sexual trafficking, a multibillion-dollar industry that claims the lives of women and children in every country on the globe: > INITIATIVE AGAINST SEXUAL TRAFFICKING ( http://www.iast.net - tel: 703.519.5896) > SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL ( http://www.sharedhope.org - tel: 1.866.HER.LIFE) > INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION ( http://www.ijm.org - tel: 703.465.5495) > ECPAT USA ( http://www.ecpatusa.org - tel: 212-717-2530) > RAINBOWS OF HOPE ( http://www.wec-int.org/rainbows - tel: 808.548.2811)
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Niebuhr thought that sustained moral energy in politics depended on religion's power to mobilize reason along with self-transcending love. The prophetic tradition, meanwhile, gave Jews and Christians some protection against the temptation to identify their social causes with God's will. Lincoln's second inaugural address expressed the prophetic insight, "The almighty has His own purposes." | | Back to Top | | |
 |  honorman Registered Member
 Date Joined Oct 2002 Total Posts : 1137 | Posted 12/19/2003 12:03 AM (GMT -6) |   | | Try also to remember those in your immediate area for giving this Christmas. The poor are all around us. | | Back to Top | | |
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