Text Box: Our Church is participating in the Beads of Hope Campaign. You can contribute to the effort by making a donation. Just drop it in the offering plate with your name or just mail it in. The proceeds from the April 6 concert will be donated to the Beads of Hope Campaign. . . . The following is a message from our Moderator Marion Pardy - - ********************* I greet you in the name of Jesus, the Christ, the body to which we belong as Christians; in the name of one God, Creator, in whose image each person in the world is created; and in the name of the Spirit who sets our hearts aflame with compassion towards the brokenness in God's world. As I write this letter I marvel at the strength and courage that our church's global partners display as they wrestle with a humanitarian crisis that numbs the mind and wrenches at the heart. Text Box: The World Has HIV/AIDS is the slogan that was chosen to capture the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. 20 million people have died as a result of AIDS. 40 million people are infected with HIV. 14 million children became orphans because of HIV/AIDS. This is not a crisis that is isolated to one continent. It is a global catastrophe in the making that affects some parts of the world more than others. The good news of the gospel is that there is hope, even in the midst of seeming hopelessness. We in The United Church of Canada, together with our sisters and brothers in God's world, dare to be messengers of hope. The United Church's global partners have identified the ways in which they are able to address the challenges they face in providing the care and support that is needed within their own communities as a result of HIV/AIDS. What they need from us is the financial assistance to support this work. That is why The United Church of Canada is launching a one-Text Box: million dollar emergency financial appeal related to the global HIV/AIDS crisis. We can also accompany global partners by advocating for changes in the conditions that foster the spread of HIV/AIDS. The materials that accompany this letter will introduce you to the awareness, advocacy, and fundraising aspects of this campaign, which is called The Beads of Hope Campaign. I would ask that you consider how you can respond to the scriptural challenge of 1 Corinthians 12:26: "If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it." (Good News Bible) Millions of people in many parts of our world are suffering as a result of HIV/AIDS. I encourage you to allow the movement of the Spirit to inspire you to give generously to provide the resources that will help to soothe this suffering. Let us pray persistently and work passionately until God's will for fullness of life is fulfilled. In faith and hope, Marion Pardy (The Right Reverend Dr.) Moderator Text Box: KAZ’S KORNER ... Text Box: Kaz Shikaze