How to give
Cornerstone United Methodist Church: The Live Simply Project
To give online, go to www.cornerstonechurch.org under the tab “Give.”
Checks can also be written and sent to Cornerstone United Methodist Church, 7600 Princeton-Glendale Road, Liberty Twp., OH 45011. Mark “Live Simply” on the memo line of the check.
LIBERTY TWP. — A local church is urging others to live simpler lives, in order for those less fortunate to have an opportunity to live.
The Live Simply Project, which began on Christmas Eve in 2004 at Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Liberty Twp., is a mission project centered on providing the basics for impoverished orphans, children and families in both Guatemala and Haiti.
Taking place over the four weeks of Advent in December, Live Simply was created by Cornerstone Pastor Jeff Raker to refocus his congregation on the true meaning of Christmas. The basis is for people to spend less on Christmas gifts, and to take the amount which would have been spent on gifts and give it away to the project.
“It came out of two different things: the core of understanding the Gospel and the purpose of Christmas,” Raker said.
That purpose of Christmas, Raker said, is not the consumer aspect — buying the latest novelty to hit stores — but rather knowing the heart of Jesus and giving to those less fortunate.
“Christmas is not your birthday,” Raker said. “It’s Jesus’ birthday and the best present we can give is to align ourselves with the heart of Jesus, whose heart is with the poor.”
Raker’s first step in leading the church toward this purpose was taking the church’s Christmas Eve offering in 2004 and donating it all to the One Mission Society in Haiti.
The move was a departure from what most churches normally do with Christmas Eve offerings, which is apply it to budget shortfalls a church has incurred at the end of the year, Raker said.
“I told (the congregation) ‘We’re just going to give it all away,” Raker said. “Christmas says to give it away.”
The move got church members thinking, said Sarah Horvatich, office manager at Cornerstone and a member of the church.
“That just had us all thinking of what we can do outside our community,” Horvatich said.
The congregation at Cornerstone gave more than $4,500 to the mission in Haiti in 2004, and the project has continued to grow ever since, Raker said.
“It has really been incredible,” Raker said of the response. “We’re trying to seed it into the culture of Cornerstone to make it a lifestyle.”
It appears the seed has taken root, as the church has given more than $403,000 to the One Mission Society in Haiti, Orphan Resources International and the Fundaninos Orphanage in Guatemala, and locally to the Hamilton Living Water Ministries since the project began.
“Our goal in it all is to help people focus on Jesus during Christmas, instead of themselves,” Raker said. “To give to the poorest of the poor; we already have more than we need, we don’t need anything else.”
The impact of the giving has been tremendously, Raker said. The Fundaninos Orphanage was able to install running water, hot water heaters, hire two teachers and build an infants room due to Live Simply’s contributions. In Haiti, the donations have helped children attend school, eat and receive clothing.
“We ask the people on the ground where they want the money to go,” Raker said.
The Live Simply Project also contributes to keeping a Haitian radio station, Radio 4VEH, on the air. The station provides information to Haitians ranging from personal hygiene, farming, how to avoid outbreaks of disease and the Gospel, Raker said.
“We had no idea here the kind of impact it would have there,” Raker said. “We radically changed these kid’s lives.”
It has impacted members of the church as well, Horvatich said.
“It’s always surprising to me how much this congregation gives, not just at Christmas time, but throughout the year,” Horvatich said. “It does overwhelm me.”
The project, however, isn’t just about giving money, Raker said. It’s about taking part. The church conducts a mission trip every year, alternating between Haiti and Guatemala.
“It’s more than just writing the check,” Raker said. “We want to be on the ground with (the missions). “
It is a goal which the Live Simply Project has been able to provide, Raker said.
“We’re not looking for handouts from the community,” Raker said. “We have our handout to give. We’re just here to serve.”
Contact this writer at spragoo1977@yahoo.com.
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