2025 ZOE LENTEN CHALLENGE: March 5, 2025 – Sunday, April 20, 2025


Welcome our new Zoe family: Victory Murinya Empowerment Group, Kenya! We are partnered with this new group from July 2024-June 2027. 2025 is the Clemmons UMC 11th annual Zoe “Do Less” for Orphans Lenten Challenge! CUMC has embraced this ministry so powerfully and we are honored to have entered our 9th Zoe Empowerment Group Partner Pledge. Our 2024 goal was to raise enough to start a new CUMC Zoe family, as we surpassed our goal in 2023 and completed our financial support of our 2022-2025 Zoe Upendo Murungene family! Due to your generosity during the 2024 Lenten Challenge, we were able to commit to the above family!!

 Zoe Empowers is an empowerment program that works with child-headed households and their families impacted by the global orphan crisis. Through a three-year program, participants become safe and healthy, skilled for long-term success, and able to lead meaningful lives within a supportive community.

For our Zoe Lenten Challenge, we ask that you “Do Less” for the Zoe children. In other words, by “doing less” and donating the cost of a few luxuries to Zoe during Lent, we can support these orphans toward self-sufficiency.

Ways to Give to Zoe:

  • Write a check to CUMC with “Zoe” in the notation.

  • Give online at clemmonsumc.org/give and designate Zoe in the drop-down menu.

  • The take-home Zoe boxes are no longer available. Watch for other containers for your family coin collection during Lent. Our request this year is that you count your change and either write a check for that amount or provide cash bills when you bring your box back on Easter Sunday.

Since 2015, when the Adult Forum Sunday school class’s introduction to Zoe, Clemmons UMC has affected over 263 households and 857 children through Zoe; these children look to us not only as family but as their parents. Clemmons UMC groups supported, almost all in Kenya are:

  • Victory Murinya Empowerment Group, Kenya July 2024-June 2027

    • 26 households totaling 93 youth and children

  • Upendo “Love” Murungene July 2022-June 2025

    • 25 households totaling 82 children

  • Hope Marega July 2020 – June 2022;

    • 29 households totaling 78 children

  • New Talent, Donor Match Group Zimbabwe July 2020 – June 2022;

    • 30 households totaling 81 children

  • Baraka Yetu (“Our Blessing”) July 2018-June 2021;

    • 29 households totaling 86 children

  • Unknown Name Donor Match Group July 2018-June 2021;

    • 31 households totaling 105 children (numbers estimated)

  • Jikaze (“Work Hard”) Mwerongundu July 2016-June 2019 (co-sponsor);

    • 31 households totaling 111 children

  • Ushirika (“Fellowship”) Kiego July 2016-June 2019 (co-sponsor);

    • 31 households totaling 90 children

  • Amani (“Peace”) Jan. 2015-Dec. 2017

    • 32 households totaling 131 children

 In addition to prayers, we pledge financial support of each group in the amount of $9,000 each year for three years. This commitment is primarily funded through our annual Lenten Challenge, which is a challenge to “Do Less” for Orphans. In other words, by sharing a little or even “doing less” and donating the cost of a few luxuries to Zoe, we fulfill our commitment.

 We have historically met each three year commitment in 2 to 2.5 years allowing us to extend early pledge to yet another empowerment group.

To learn more about Zoe Empowers and the ways this organization partners with orphans in Africa, visit www.zoeempowers.org.

Clemmons UMC is a Stephen Ministry Congregation.