From storm-ravaged villages in Honduras to the decaying ghettos of New York City to the war-torn Balkans, missionaries and volunteers are ministering to hungry souls through the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund.
From storm-ravaged villages in Honduras to the decaying ghettos
of New York City to the war-torn Balkans, missionaries and volunteers are ministering
to hungry souls through the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund.
Indeed, last year, almost 30 million people were impacted by
Southern Baptist efforts. And a new video by the Southern Baptist Ethics and
Religious Liberty Commission is seeking to make sure workers have even more
money to use this year.
“When Will We Cry?” highlights ministries funded by the Southern
Baptist hunger emphasis. It also challenges viewers to give to the World Hunger
Fund – and to find their own place of service in a Christ-centered ministry
to persons in need.
Commission director of Hunger Concerns Steve Nelson said he
has high hopes the production will raise awareness of the fact that God calls
his people to be involved in ministry evangelism.
“Southern Baptist hunger ministries often go unnoticed,” Nelson
noted. “Many people are probably not aware that in the year 2000, over 26 million
people in other countries and over 2 million in the United States were touched
with God’s hand of caring through Southern Baptist hunger and relief ministries.
Without the World Hunger Fund, these ministries could not minister to the bodies
and souls of millions of people in Jesus’ name.”
The fruit of these ministries is plain – thousands of
people accepting Christ as their savior and hundreds of new churches being planted,
Nelson said. “God is using this ministry in a powerful way. It is time for the
Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund to take a place of prominence in Southern
Baptist life.”
And it does not take much. Just 12 cents will provide a meal
for a homeless child in northern Uganda – and a gift of $1.05 will provide
a 15-pound food packet to a hungry family in Washington, D.C.
Nelson also noted that 100 percent of World Hunger Fund receipts
are used for relief ministries. He urged persons to consider the practice of
gleaning – giving regularly to the offering.
“Hunger is a year-round problem. And God’s call for his
people to be involved is part of a Christian lifestyle. That is why Leviticus
19:9-10 speaks of regularly making a portion of our abundance available for
those in need. The concept of gleaning is being embraced by thousands of Christians
as they discover the joy of regular giving out of their abundance,” Nelson stated.