During the 30 hours that 150 believers fasted at Immanuel Baptist Church, Princeton, W.Va., 31,250 people died of starvation around the world.
That’s why the believers were fasting.
“We fast to save their lives. We fast so they don’t have to,” participants were told as the event launched in late February.
Seven years ago, when Immanuel held its first fast for world hunger, only 13 people participated, said Josh Johnson, the congregation’s associate pastor. This year, its f30 fast drew 150 participants from a wide variety of congregations and raised more than $8,300 for the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund.
Because the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund is a “dollar in, dollar out” operation, every penny of the amount raised by the young people will go to combat hunger in North America and overseas.
The church’s emphasis on a 30-hour fast for world hunger ministries actually began with a previous youth pastor who used a program promoted by a Christian parachurch ministry. Johnson, however, liked the fact that the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund does not take out a percentage of donations to cover administrative overhead. Southern Baptists are able to do that because their unified budget, from contributions through the Cooperative Program, provides a permanent infrastructure for operating hunger ministries.
“When we have a ministry within our own Southern Baptist circles that sends 100 percent to the missions field, in my book, that’s a lot better,” Johnson said. “So we came up with our own event and designed our own curriculum.”
The result: A church that was giving about $1,700 a year to world hunger increased its giving to more than $6,000, over the course of four years. And this year, it wrote a check for $8,371.06.
“That’s $56 per participant in one weekend,” Johnson noted. “If all our churches committed to this project, we could stamp out hunger and change lives all over the world.”
At the end of the event, participants broke their fast by celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Then they all ate a hearty dinner, prepared for them by other church members.
A holistic effort like the f30 event not only creates awareness about the world hunger crisis and raises money to help but it also engages Christians in missions, deepens their discipleship, helps churches grow and ministers in the name of Christ to the entire community, said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response.
“The f30 event not only raised money for a good cause but a period of fasting also is a great time for teaching spiritual truth,” he added.
To contribute to the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund, visit www.worldhungerfund.com. (BP)
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