LIGHTHOUSE
CHURCH
PSALM 46 RELIEF FUND
Dear Friends of the Psalm 46 Relief Fund,
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
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As I write this email to you, I’m rejoicing at how amazing and faithful our God is. I’m grateful to God because everything that the African American Council of Churches (AACC) and Lighthouse Church have done is thanks to Him; He alone deserves all the glory and praise. Praise You Jesus!!!
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Pastor Marcus Allen and I are also very grateful to you for your generosity. Over 750 individuals, churches, and other organizations have helped us raise $390,000 in just three months. That is definitely A LOT more than what we were thinking or expecting, but that’s how our God works. He likes to amaze us!
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Thanks to this fund, in the past three months we have helped about 3,000 families, which represents close to 10,000 people.
This is what we have done so far:
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The AACC has helped hundreds of families pay their bills with checks up to $300.
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The AACC organized two large community events that provided food, woodman’s gifts cards, and financial assistance for about 1,500 families.
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Lighthouse Church gave away 6,700 hot lunches to families with children.
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Lighthouse Church gave away about 53,000 lbs of food and toiletries to about 1,000 families.
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Lighthouse Church helped 407 families with their rent. The Average Check amount was $400.
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$12,500 were given to the Latino Chamber of Commerce to help small, family owned businesses.
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$10,000 were given to Reach Dane to help provide Lunches to children, mostly children of color.
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$1,000 were given to Centro Hispano to help Hispanic families in need during Covid-19.
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$1,500 were given to Luna’s Groceries, in the Allied Dr. Neighborhood, to start a fund for families to be able to shop there for free.
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$1,600 were used to buy masks to provide to the community.
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We still have a small portion of the funds available to help families with their bills and rent during the month of July. The need is still great, and many families are still without jobs. Please continue to pray for God’s provision during this time.
As I speak to Pastor Marcus about the needs for families of color and how they were affected by Covid-19, and the future of this fund, one thing is clear, we are only putting a bandaid on a big open wound and this is not sustainable. We are grateful for what we have been able to do with the fund, and it has been a true blessing to help thousands of people. But, at the same time, we feel very strongly that something needs to be done in a way that will help families of
color change their lives for good and not just temporary. Our hope and prayer for the future is that when we are faced with a similar situation as what we are facing now, that it will not be mostly the white community providing funds to help the families of color, but rather, that we would live in a community where all families, regardless of the color of their skin, are prospering and able to help those in need.
For that to happen, we need police reform, economic development, changes in our education system, access to health, and the list continues. Not an easy task, but doable if we are intentional and have faith that nothing is impossible for God.
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For this reason, Marcus and I have decided to leave the Psalm 46 Fund available for donations, for ONE MORE MONTH (JULY), BUT WITH A DIFFERENT FOCUS. All the gifts that come in July will be split between Mt. Zion Church and Nehemiah Center For Urban Leadership Development. The goal is to raise $80,000 and the funds will be used in the following way:
Mt. Zion Church:
- Health - $28,000 will be used to provide a therapist, From Anesis Center for Marriage and Family Therapy, that will help with 4 hours of therapy per week for a year.
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- Education - $12,000 will be used to help Mt. Zion’s after school program which helps many children of color in the south side of Madison. This program will help with reading, homework, and other activities that will encourage and up-lift the children.
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Nehemiah:
- Police Reform and Re-entry program - $20,000 will be used to provide resources for individuals of color who are leaving the prison system and re-entering life outside of prison. This includes education, training, and help create policies that would enable these individuals to have a path to success moving forward.
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- Education – Nehemiah will invest $20,000 in infrastructure and resources to continue educating the white community through their Black History Class. Because of social distancing, an investment needs to be made to turn these classes into virtual classes; this has a great cost, but many more people will be able to access it. The goal of Nehemiah is to help the White community and other non-Black people come close to the real issues affecting the Black community in order to create Allies, that will help change systemic issues rooted in our nation.
Both of these organizations are FAITH-BASED, and predominantly African American organizations led by Pastors in the community, Pastor Marcus Allen and Pastor Alex Gee, who have proven to be Leaders of integrity and action. I encourage you, as the body of Christ, to pray and consider investing in these organizations. I know that $80,000 in one month is a lot of money, but God has shown us that He is faithful. I strongly believe in the importance of what these two organizations are doing, and I commit to invest into this goal personally and, as the Pastor of Lighthouse Church, I commit Lighthouse Church to invest the first $2,000 to for this goal. Please Join me! Lighthouse Church will continue to be the fiscal agent for the fund for the rest of July. To give a tax-deductible gift online, please click the DONATE NOW button. Checks can be made payable to LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH, write Psalm 46 on the memo line, and mail to Lighthouse Church 6402 Schroeder Rd. Madison, WI 53711.
If you have any questions about the Psalm 46 Fund, what we have done so far, or about the two organizations that we are supporting, please reach out.
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Sincerely,
Marcio Sierra Jr.
Senior Pastor of Lighthouse Church