Several years ago, I was traveling in the southern Philippines, headed to a community where we were going to help with agricultural projects. Along the way, we passed through a village where a prolonged drought and an armed conflict had forced several families to take refuge in a local school.
We stopped to see if there was anything we could do to help. We were overwhelmed by what we saw but did not have with us what was needed to help. When we told the people at the school that we could not help them, one of the older women said, “But what will I tell my children? We have no food.”
There are nearly 1 billion people in the world today who are wondering the same thing. The majority of these are women with children. Where will they get their next meal? What will they tell their children when they come home with no food?
Isaiah says, “If you offer yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness” (Isa. 58:10).
James says, “If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15, 16).
And Jesus says, “I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat … I assure you: Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matt. 25:35, 40).
So what will we do about that hungry person who asks what to tell their children? More importantly, what will we tell our children about what we have done for the hungry of the world?
Sunday, Oct. 12, is our Southern Baptist World Hunger Sunday. You can start praying now for the hungry of the world. And you can start praying about making a sacrificial gift through your church. Imagine what kind of statement would be made if tens of thousands of Southern Baptists gave millions of dollars through their churches to impact global hunger. Or you can contribute online at www.globalhungerrelief.com.
As you pray and give, you communicate your heartfelt concern to those who hunger as well as those who see your response.
(BP)
_____________________________________________________________
On World Hunger Sunday, Oct. 12, Southern Baptist congregations will address the hunger crisis across North America and around the world by focusing on the theme Hunger Happens Everywhere. Donations received are channeled through Global Hunger Relief, which uses 100 percent of each gift to meet hunger needs. For more information, visit www.globalhungerrelief.com.
____________________________________________________________
How you can make a difference
Nearly 20 percent of Alabamians are under “food stress,” said Jim Swedenburg, state missionary with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Citing a study on hunger in Alabama and reporting on October’s World Hunger offering during the Alabama Baptist State Convention’s Christian Life Commission fall meeting Sept. 30, he mentioned Alabama Baptists’ heart for helping alleviate hunger issues.
“Our receipts last year were up 2.3 percent,” he said. “This is a good sign. Twenty-five percent of this offering remains in Alabama and the remainder is distributed by the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention).”
Of the amount distributed by the SBC, 80 percent goes to international food programs conducted by Southern Baptist representatives and 20 percent is used for feeding programs in the United States.
To donate, give through your church by designating your contribution for the World Hunger Fund. Or text “GHR” to 80888 to donate $10 immediately (#worldhungersunday).
For more information, visit:
www.alsbom.org/worldhunger
www.globalhungerrelief.com
www.imb.org/worldhunger
www.wmustore.com
@globalhunger on Twitter
(Michael Brooks, www.alsbom.org)
Share with others: