World Water Day
- Diversity & Inclusion Ministry
- 17 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Every day, more than two billion people around the world wake up without reliable access to clean water. They walk. They carry. And often, the water they find puts their lives at risk. World Water Day, observed each year on March 22, calls the global community to attention — and to action.
Established by the United Nations, World Water Day focuses on a different dimension of the water crisis each year. In 2026, the spotlight falls on the relationship between water access and gender equity. The connection is direct: in communities where clean water is scarce, it is overwhelmingly women and girls who bear the burden of finding it. Hours spent collecting water are hours not spent in school, in work, or in community life. When access to clean water improves, women's lives improve — and so do the lives of families and communities. Clean water and gender equity are not separate causes. They are one.
As people of faith, we believe that water is life — and that all people bear the image of the Divine. To work toward clean water access is to work toward the dignity and flourishing of real human beings, here and around the world. And here at TLCS, that work has a name.
Since 2003, the Living Water program — a partnership of Trinity Lutheran Church & Schools and Edmonds Lutheran Church — has given over 100 grants totaling more than $1.1 million to fund water improvement projects in countries around the world, including Kenya, Guatemala, Haiti, Nepal, Bangladesh, and many others. Rooted in the words of John 7:38 — "Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water" — Living Water is one of the most tangible ways God's work moves through this community.
Scripture
"Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." — Revelation 22:17
Prayer
Creator God, Where your people are thirsty, let water flow. Where your people are in need, let help arrive. Where your people have much, let generosity move them to action. We ask this in your name.
Amen.
Action
Learn about the global water crisis — and how it connects to gender inequality, poverty, and public health — at the UN World Water Day site (link below).
Look locally for opportunities to support clean water access, including through TLCS's Living Water program.
Reflect on your own water use. Small, mindful changes in daily habits are a real form of stewardship.
Give to Living Water: bring change on the first Sunday of the month, give by cash or check, or give online at give.tlcs.church. 100% of gifts go directly to water improvement projects.
Get involved — the Living Water team is always looking for new leaders. Email livingwater@tlcs.church to learn more.
