On Monday evening, we gathered at Lowhill to pray for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, the earthquake in Mexico, and all others in need. We also began to take direct action. We’re gathering items that will be donated to Church World Service for the volunteer and professional clean-up efforts taking place in Texas and Florida.
On Tuesday, I visited a 95-year old member of our congregation with deep ties to our church’s history. She told me about growing up on the farm, taking her produce and meat from New Tripoli to the farmer’s market in Allentown, life with her husband and children. “Life is short, when you think about it,” she said.
The idea that life is short is found throughout the Scriptures, and it’s the animating principle behind the so-called “bucket list,” that compendium of things, places, and experiences people wish to do or see or have before they die.
In response to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, Christ’s Church at Lowhill is putting together a different kind of bucket list. We’re collecting the following items needed by clean-up teams in the wake of Harvey and Irma. The following list details the contents of one clean-up bucket:
- One five-gallon bucket with resealable lid (If bucket has been used, clean well but do not use if it has held chemicals of any kind.)
- Four scouring pads
- Seven sponges, including one large
- One scrub brush
- Eighteen reusable cleaning towels (e.g. Easy Wipes)
- One 50 oz. or two 25 oz. bottle(s) of liquid laundry detergent
- One 16-28 oz. bottle of liquid disinfectant dish soap
- One 12-16 oz. bottle of household cleaner that can be mixed with water (no spray bottles)
- One package of 48-50 clothespins
- Clothesline, two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.
- Five dust masks
- Two pairs non surgical latex gloves
- One pair work gloves, cotton with leather palm or all leather
- 24-28 heavy duty or contractor type 30-45 gallon trash bags on a roll and removed from carton
- One 6-9 oz. bottle of non-aerosol insect repellent
All cleaning items must be new – all liquid items must be capped and securely tightened. When collected, we’ll place the cleaning items into the buckets, making sure they are packed securely to avoid damage during shipment, and we’ll deliver them to Church World Service collection depots to be distributed to clean-up teams in the communities affected by these storms.
Life may be short, but the work we do as the hands and feet of Christ is lasting. In a world were so much attention is paid to fleeting things, to what the writer of Ecclesiastes calls vanities and vapors, we’re making a different kind bucket list focused on helping people recover, rebuild, and live.
Please help these efforts by sharing this post with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, and by donating whatever items (many are available at local Dollar Stores) you can. Donations can be brought to the church every Sunday, and arrangements can also be made by getting in touch with one of our volunteers at contact@christschurchatlowhill.org.
Thank you for your help!
