“By this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35.

In Zach. 7:10 we read: “The Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’”

The 2009 Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale Board cordially invites everyone to the 51^st Anniversary Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale to be held March 20-21, 2009, in Interstate Center, Bloomington, Illinois.

Eighty percent of the net proceeds from this family fare event are channeled through Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a relief and service agency located in Akron, Pennsylvania. MCC first began in 1920 in Russian and Ukrainian villages needing assistance. Today MCC, celebrating 88 years (1920-2008) of serving “In the Name of Christ,” has over 1,000 volunteers working in the United States and 56 other countries of the world.

The mission of the Mennonite Central Committee is:

1. To seek to demonstrate God’s love by working among people suffering from poverty, conflict, oppression, and natural disaster;
2. To serve as a channel of interchange by building relationships;
3. To strive for peace, justice, and dignity of all people by sharing our experience, resources, and faith in Jesus Christ.

One part of raising money for MCC is the Relief Sale Program. Annually there are approximately 35 sales held throughout America from the east coast to the west coast and about 11 in Canada. Approximate income from these 46 sales is $5,000,000 annually.

Twenty percent of the Illinois Relief Sale net income is used locally by grassroots volunteers to provide food for the needy in Central Illinois.