Menlo Park Presbyterian Parishioners To Walk4Water

Menlo Park Presbyterian Church leaders are inviting people to put themselves in the shoes of rural Africans this summer and Walk4Water.

Church leaders are partnering with two organizations that are paving paths for people to gain access to clean water — World Vision and Living Water International.   

Mark Swarner, MPPC Mission Pastor, said that one of the most pressing social, spiritual, and economic problems in the world today is extreme poverty.  

“But extreme poverty can be ended,” Swarner said.

“And as a faith community we are pleased to host this event as part of a much larger global effort.” 

This is the second year the church has organized a Walk4Water event, according to Monica Brandt, who is on the church's learning team. About 100 people participated in 2012.

This year, church leaders want 1,500 people to participate, so they can reach the giving goal of $37,500. For every person who walks the walk, the MPPC is committed to donating $25 to the creation of a clean water project. 

The giving goal was designed to bolster the creation of wells that will provide drinkable water that is free of water-borne diseases.

The endeavor ties into U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative to highlight the increasingly complex issue of providing water to people that is free of deadly toxins, parasites, and bacteria. The United Nations named 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation to encourage people to find ways to help others gain sustainable access to water.

The Walk4Water event is a one-mile walk that starts at the church and takes parishioners to a water source. Participants will fill their buckets with water and then return to the starting point. Snacks, mingling, and informational activities will await them when they return, say organizers.

The Menlo Park Presbyterian Church has been located on Santa Cruz Avenue for about 140 years.  Its 4,500 members attend services in Menlo Park, as well as at its other campuses in San Mateo and Mountain View.

Organizers say people who are not church members are welcome to join in the walk, which will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 13. 

The San Mateo Open Door Church will start its walk at 1 p.m. on Sunday July 14, while the Open Door Mountain View Church will walk at 6 p.m. on Tuesday July 16.

For more information about the event, or to register for a walk visit the MPPC’s website.