$161,426 raised for Heifer International

In honor of "Throwback Thursday", we're taking a look back at our 13 years of ministry supporting Heifer International. You may remember it as "Fill the Ark" Sunday or Petting Zoo weekend.

About Heifer

Heifer provides long-term solutions to hunger and poverty. Since 1944, Heifer has helped 20.7 million families in more than 125 countries move toward greater self-reliance through the gift of livestock and training in environmentally sound agriculture. The impact of each gift is multiplied as recipients agree to “pass on the gift” by giving one or more of their animal’s offspring, or the equivalent, to another in need.

Here to better explain how Heifer works is celebrity chef Alton Brown:




How You Have Helped

Every spring since 2000, you have helped us raise money for Heifer International. These donations provide farm animals that produce food and income for needy families around the world. The total of $161,426 represents 13 years' worth of donations by Shepherd of the Valley. That's an average of over $12,000 per year. Wow! THANK YOU to all who have made generous gifts to Heifer over the years.

For those of you new to SOTV, most years have happened like this:

In early spring, children in church are given an ark-shaped bank  to take home and collect coins in. Sometimes even "older kids" take a bank too! On Fill the Ark Weekend, usually the first weekend of May, the congregation returns its FULL banks to church, with all donations going to Heifer. Additionally, we have staged a "Living Gifts Market" in the narthex where people can symbolically “purchase” animals including goats, pigs, honeybees and more. Many people have taken advantage of Fill the Ark Weekend's proximity to Mother's Day to give mom a special gift that keeps on giving!

What you probably remember most from past years is the Sunday Petting Zoo featuring many of the same animals that Heifer purchases for families. In addition to the photos on this page, check out our Throwback Album on Facebook. It's always fun to see kids experience animals up close, but check out some of the awe-struck adults getting in on the action too!


Moooved by Great Volunteers!

A special debt of gratitude to the volunteer leaders of this ministry including Kirsten Levorson, Martha Pederson, Lori Bullock, and most notably the Turnquist sisters—Cheryl Perry, Kristi O’Brien, Marcia Priebe, (pictured) and their entire families. Over the years, the Turnquist clan has created many creative, memorable, and always costumed, skits for worship. These skits have served to educate and bring awareness to the work of Heifer and the need for this global mission. Their dedication to this ministry has been truly inspiring, and has provided a great example of how a whole family can serve together to support a single cause.

We did not plan a Living Gifts Market or Petting Zoo this spring, but we encourage you to learn more about Heifer International and to make a donation now, or any time throughout the year at www.heifer.org.

SOTV does great work in many other global ministries too, including our Tanzania Parternship, Holy Land Shepherds, Fair Trade Coffee (in the narthex this weekend!), and more. Thank you to all the volunteers and generous donors who enable this faith community to be Christ's hands and feet in the world through Heifer, and other global ministries.


See more photos from past Fill the Ark Weekends on our Facebook page!

Post by Shepherd of the Valley- Apple Valley, MN.