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Date: March 30, 2005
Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
V: 847/742-5100 F:  847/742-6103
E-MAIL: _CoBNews@AOL.Com_ (mailto:CoBNews@AOL.Com) 
 

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN NEWSLINE
March 30, 2005
 
PETERS CREEK YOUTH PARTICIPATE IN SOUPER BOWL OF CARING
 
By Jack Lowe
 
Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Va., has participated in  the

Souper Bowl of Caring for the past ten years. I learned of it several years  
before in a mailing from the organization. It seemed like such a simple idea 

that I was surprised to learn how few churches were actually involved.
 
I asked the youth of Peters Creek to assist in receiving a special offering  
for the Souper Bowl of Caring. That's how it works. On Super Bowl Sunday
youth 
 stand at the doors of the church following worship with soup pots or bowls. 

Worshipers are asked to put in $1 as they leave worship. The funds are given 
to  an agency that works on world hunger--a soup kitchen, a food pantry, a  
denominational hunger fund, or a like agency.
 
We chose RAM House, a ministry of Roanoke Area Ministries, where people can  
receive a free breakfast and lunch, food assistance, financial assistance for
 
utilities and prescriptions, and employment assistance. This year our 
offering  included an added component. Our challenge was to raise $250 and
receive 
250  cans of soup. Results were an offering of $146 and 150 cans of soup,
plus 
other  food and paper items. We canceled worship on the last two Sundays of 
January  because of snow and ice, so a special "Joyful Noise Offering" and an

offering  for tsunami relief also fell to Super Bowl Sunday. Our total for
the 
three  special offerings was over $1,700.
 
The Souper Bowl of Caring began when seminarian Brad Smith prayed in  worship

at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., on Super Bowl  Sunday

1989. "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be	
mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat," he said. The youth
were  
inspired by the prayer and planned the first Souper Bowl of Caring in the  
Columbia area in 1990. From 22 churches, it has grown to 10,673 churches and 

schools raising $3,803,833 so far in 2005. In the Roanoke Valley, Peters
Creek  is 
one of over 50 churches that participate. Each year, we seek to recruit at  
least one new church. My hope is that every Church of the Brethren
congregation 
 will join in. For more information see _www.souperbowl.org_ 
(http://www.souperbowl.org)  or write to Souper Bowl,  Inc., P.O. Box 29224,
Columbia, SC 
29224.
 
--Jack Lowe pastors Peters Creek Church of the Brethren in Roanoke,  Va.
 
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to  
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its
faith  in 
community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith  
traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its
 300th 
anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United	
States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the  
Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
 
# # #
 
For more information contact:
 
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News Services
Church of the  Brethren General Board
1451 Dundee Ave.
Elgin, IL 60120
847-742-5100  ext. 260
 
*****************************************************************
 
The Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl  Brumbaugh-Cayford,

director of news services for the Church of the Brethren  General Board. 
Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited  as the
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