The 4th. Sunday of every month is "Joyful Noise" Sunday. The children come forward midway through the service, receive a brief message and then disperse through the congregation with brightly colored cans to collect loose change. The "Joyful Noise" is the sound of coins dropping into the cans.
Proceeds from this effort (over $4000 since its inception) until recently went to support the Abandoned Children's Center, North Katanga Annual Conference, Democratic Republic of Congo. The missionary overseeing the Center was Dr. Jon M. Taylor who until June 2004 was pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Little Rock.
With Dr. Taylor's recent return to the states the decision was made to switch JN's support to Heifer International. The objective is to raise enough money ($5000) to buy a "Gift Ark".
Below is an excerpt from the Heifer International website describing an Ark and its benefits:
Imagine how your gift could change the world. Two cows bring milk and income to a Russian village. Two sheep help families in Arizona produce wool. Two camels help families in Tanzania earn income by transporting agricultural and industrial materials. Two oxen pull plows and carts in Uganda. Two water buffalo help Cambodian families increase rice production through animal draft power. And that's just the first five sets of animals ... your ark provides 15 pairs of animals to change lives.
Last Updated 01/24/09