This Mother’s Day, we give thanks to God for strong and beautiful women around the world.
This Mother’s Day, we give thanks to God for strong and beautiful women around the world.
In response to this Covenant Newswire story about CWR no longer being able to use our familiar Campbell’s soup-style label, we have received a number of touching stories about how the soup cans have touched the lives of individuals, families, and churches.
Below is a wonderful story about the soup cans have been a family tradition for a woman named Helen from First Covenant Church in Jamestown, NY:
For many, many years my dad was the one who counted the [Covenant] World Relief Banks for our church. He had the time to do it since he was retired and was a “detail person” so the tedious task of counting and wrapping hundreds of dollars in coins was something he enjoyed. Each year he would find things other than USA coins in the banks – foreign coins, buttons, bus tokens, tiddlywinks, etc. I can still see him sitting by the dining room table meticulously counting each bank. He was thrilled with the banks and that such small amounts of money, faithfully given, could accomplish so much to help people in need all over the world.
When dad no longer had the strength to carry all those coins to the bank, he would still do the counting and wrapping and I would then take the money to the bank for him. In the past several years, I have counted the banks often for our church. Each time I do, I think about the example my dad set for me of faithfully serving Christ and his church in this small way. Small acts of faithfulness, whether in giving or in counting what is given, are important. Thanks for the banks and for years of faithful giving and faithful serving that they inspired!
We are grateful that the soup cans make such an impact, both for the individuals and families who use them and for those around the world who benefit from them. If you have a story you would like to share, please send it to us at covenantworldrelief(at)covchurch.org or by mail to Covenant World Relief, 8303 W. Higgins Rd, Chicago, IL 60631. Thank you!
In 2012, CWR sent $1,070,752 to projects.

One of Covenant World Relief’s biggest values is our great partnerships with others. At the core, CWR is a partnering ministry – we choose to work in partnerships in order to better leverage human and financial resources.
Leaders from CWR, ECCSS, and MTI discussing partnership possibilites
We are excited by the possibility of a new partnership developing, but not between us and another group – between two of our own partners! CWR director Dave Husby has been exploring ways that two of CWR’s great partners, the Evangelical Covenant Church of South Sudan (ECCSS) and Medical Teams International (MTI), can work together.
Our hope is that the expertise of both organizations can be brought together. MTI has great medical experience, expertise and funding, while ECCSS has amazing connections to the most vulnerable in South Sudan, good local leadership, and a strong willingness and desire to partner with others. It is exciting to imagine what these two organizations can do when they partner together with their varying areas of expertise!
Currently, the capacity of ECCSS is being assessed to ensure that this is the best possible partnership for all of the involved groups. Pray that this can become a fruitful partnership, and that by working together, CWR, ECCSS, and MTI can better love, serve, and work together with the poor, the powerless, and the marginalized.
Our partner Bread for the World has come out with a great series of reflections for the season of Lent to help us remember to pray for those who are suffering around the world. Each week, we will include these readings, prayers, and actions to observe during Lent.
Jesus is Anointed for Death
Isaiah 43:16-21
Psalm 126
Philippians 3:4b-14
John 12:1-8
Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with fragrance of the perfume.
-John 12:3
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
-Psalm 126:5-6
Prayer
O Christ, we give thanks for Mary and all your disciples whose faith and witness guide our Lenten pilgrimage. May the outpouring of your abundant grace embolden us as we urge our elected officials to end hunger. Amen.
Action
More than three-quarters of the world’s poorest people depend on farming for their livelihood. Increasing agricultural productivity in Africa and elsewhere is the long-term solution to drought and famine. Take a few minutes to write or call your members of Congress to encourage them to keep funding our nation’s “Feed the Future” initiative. To find the names of your senators and representatives, visit www.bread.org.