Christian Women Connection
Phone: (765) 648-2102 • Toll-Free: (866) 778-0804
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • National Staff
    • Our Council
  • Ministries
    • 2020 CBO Remittance >
      • Stories of Hope - Virtual
    • "Change" the World
    • The Linen Chest
    • Children of Promise
  • Resources
    • Unwritten-Suicide Prevention
    • Annual Planning Resources >
      • 2021 Empower Life
      • Local and State Projects
    • re:Connect
    • During Covid-19
    • LifeGivers Courses
    • Logos and Artwork
    • Forms
    • Relevance Report
  • Events
    • Convention 2021
    • State and Regional Events
  • News
  • Connect
    • Connector Ministries >
      • ARISE - Women in Ministry
      • You Feed Them
      • Multicultural Ministry
      • Mentoring Women in Transition
      • Becoming a Missionary
      • Planning a Mission Trip
    • Partnership
    • Start a New CWC Group
    • National Newsletter
    • State Newsletters
    • Social Media
    • Links
    • Contact Us
  • Hands & Hearts
  • Give
    • 2020 CBO Remittance
    • Donate to CWC
    • Shop Amazon Smile
  • Store

You Feed Them

2/14/2017

 
By Mary Stephens
PictureWest Side Church of God Food Pantry Glendale, Arizona
As the day declined, the Twelve said, “Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat…“You feed them,” Jesus said.

​They said, “We couldn’t scrape up more than five loaves of bread and a couple of fish…He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd. After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up.    Luke 12-17 (The Message)
 
When we read the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, we often focus on the miracle of Jesus multiplying five loaves and couple of fish. Sometimes we forget that one of the central themes of this story is that when hungry people encounter Jesus, they are fed.
 
Hunger and food insecurity are still huge issues for many people in the world. In the United States alone, 14.5 percent of households struggle to put enough food on the table. More than 48 million Americans, including 15.9 million children live in this condition.[1] That means one in five children in the United States is at risk of hunger.
 
The hunger experienced by these families is not just a rumbling tummy from missing one meal. Chronic hunger means these families are malnourished. They lack the strength and energy for everyday activities. They experience fatigue and an inability to concentrate. Others face food insecurity which means they do not have regular access to safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development.
 
The children and families who are facing hunger live in our communities. They are our neighbors. We must ask, what happens when hungry people encounter us? What happens when they encounter the church? Are they fed?
 
Thanks to the You Feed Them grant, we can say that yes! When hungry people in Glendale, Arizona encountered the West Side Church of God, they were fed. Through the help of a You Feed Them grant, the West Side Church food pantry was able to feed 398 families with a total of 1,992 individuals! That is 1,992 children, women, and men who were shown the love of God through nutritional food. That is 1,992 people who were able to have satisfying meals because of the church.
 
The You Feed Them grant started as a finance project which Christian Women Connection groups were asked to financially support. With those collected funds, the Christian Women Connection national office is able to give direct aid to churches like West Side Church of God through grants. It’s a great way to dollars and cents into fruits and vegetables.
 
You may be asking, “What can I do?” You Feed Them provides the plan, resources, and connections to multiply “the loaves and fishes” we all have to feed the hungry people in our communities. Check out www.christianwomenconnection.org/you-feed-them for steps, instructions, and grant applications.
 
Jesus told his disciples to feed the hungry. Jesus is telling us to feed the hungry. Let’s work together and feed them!


[1] Source: Household Food Security in the United States, 2010. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, September 2011. (Table 1A, Table 1B)

Mary Stephens is the Senior Ministry Coordinator at Christian Women Connection. 

    Categories

    All

    Archives

    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016

    RSS Feed

Christian Women Connection • PO Box 2328, Anderson, IN 46018 • Toll-Free: (866) 778-0804 • Local: (765) 648-2102 • Fax: (765) 608-3094 • ​frontdesk@wchog.org