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By SUSAN STARK
What follows is a short story of a bucket
and how it linked a group of women to Liv-
ing Waters for the World.
My connection with the old well buck-
et began in a dusty antique-sort-of-store
where it caught my eye and my heart. It was
the real thing.
A heavy chain, still attached to an artisti-
cally looped iron handle, certified strength
and the beauty that often comes in simple
things of purpose.
I brought it home, filled it with soil and
a lovely green and purple plant and it hung
on our porch for years.
This March the women of University
Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas, gath-
ered for our annual retreat. Having just
experienced the hottest summer of record,
multitudes of wildfires and exceptional
drought, it is little wonder we had selected
water as our focus.
Our retreat was entitled “Drawing Peace,
Joy and Love from the Deep Well of God’s
Grace.” We used the stanzas from “I’ve Got
Peace Like A River” to structure our con-
templation of caring for others, for our
souls, for the world.
And that led us to Living Waters for the
World and great enthusiasm in being part of
the ripples providing clean water for friends
we did not know. These “ripples” were sym-
bolically collected in that old bucket.
I had to ‘unplant” the bucket to ready it
for this purpose, and when I did I realized
that it had been filled with Wandering Jew.
Beyond the richness of this living meta-
phor, the bucket made me consider other
containers ...and how each of us contains
this precious and holy love of God, ready to
be poured out.
Susan Stark of Dripping Springs, Texas, is a
member of University Presbyterian Church, Austin,
Texas.
Passion for mission comes by the bucket-full
7
It’s just an old well bucket, but it has a story to tell. From left are University
Presbyterian women Betsy Boyt, Carol Fowler, Susan Stark, Kathy Escan-
dell, Madelyn Mitchell and Remie Martin.
By TIM MYRICK
In follow-up to the excellent Strategic Planning Work-
shop held in January (reported on in our last newsletter),
the LWW staff and Leadership Team has taken the next steps
of defining the specific areas of emphasis for action in 2012.
Based on the output of the various teams during the
workshop, and the priorities established by our four teams
— Field Operations, Development and Awareness, Educa-
tion, and Technical — goals in five basic areas have been
established for accomplishment this year. These include:
• Development of a continuing education program,
including definition of a course catalog, appropriate delivery
methods, and recommendations on staffing. Plans are to
implement at least one course this year and include short
continuing education modules at each Team Meeting.
• Improvement of IP/OP performance in providing
sustainable clean water in-country, through implementa-
tion of best-practices and routine evaluation and support of
networked and non-networked countries. Annual report
cards will be developed to identify problem installations and
areas where improvements can be focused.
• Focused Volunteer and In-Country Coordinator (ICC)
development efforts, through construction and use of an
LWW-wide volunteer database (contact info and abilities)
and the planning for our first ICC Conference. We expect
to have the database built and operational by the end of the
year, and the comprehensive plan (and funding) approved
for the ICC conference, anticipated to be held in Guatemala
as early as fall 2013.
• Review of all LWW communication vehicles (print,
audio, video, electronic, and merchandise) for relevancy
and priority ranking (including cost and schedule) for
updating. The goal is to complete the top two priorities by
the end of 2012.
• Prepare for potential Synod organizational changes. As
the General Assembly ponders the future of synods across
the US, the LWW organizational structure hangs in the
balance.
To be prepared for such changes, a team will evaluate
the potential for and steps required to make LWW its own
501(c)3 organization with continued strong ties to the
PCUSA (similar to what the Presbyterian Women organi-
zation has already done). A plan will be presented to the
LWW Committee by the end of the year for appropriate
consideration.
That’s a full plate to accomplish, indeed. We ask for
prayers and helping hands as the working groups step out
to address each of these goals in the coming months.
Contact Bill Jansing, LWW Committee moderator, with
any questions or to volunteer to help!
Tim Myrick of Oak Ridge, Tenn is a former moderator of the Living
Waters for the World Committee.
Planners lay out goals for training, performance,
developing relationships in coming year