Hunger funds provide food to meet needs in Illinois
- Oct 2, 2008 - 2
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.—Pat Bankson was handing a woman a free bag of groceries when suddenly the woman blurted out, “I’m scared of dying.”
Bankson, coordinator of the food pantry at Caledonia Community Church in Olmsted, Ill., used the opportunity to share Christ with the woman. Although the woman did not make a salvation decision at the time, the seeds have been planted. “She’ll be back,” said Bankson. “I know we’ll keep talking. I’ll get my chance to tell her more about Christ and the others [volunteers] will, too.”
Volunteers from the church help Bankson prepare bags of groceries which are delivered or picked up the second Wednesday and Thursday of every month. Caledonia Community Church is located in Southern Illinois, just 40 miles northwest of Paducah, Ky. The church, which averages 80 people in its Sunday morning worship service, provided food to 473 individuals over the summer months this year.
“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” Bankson said. “I get to see people and talk to them. Many tell us, ‘God bless you’ and He does.”
The food pantry at Caledonia Community Church is just one of the many Illinois Baptist church food pantries providing food to the hungry with assistance from gifts given to the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund. Last year, IBSA distributed in excess of $60,000 from World Hunger Fund gifts to Illinois Baptist churches for use in their food pantry ministries. Those church ministries fed 153,000 people and resulted in 1,883 decisions to accept Christ.
Janet Case coordinates the food pantry at Second Baptist Church in Bluford, Ill., a small town 10 miles east of Mt. Vernon. Their food pantry fed 116 people over the first few months of this year with assistance from World Hunger Funds.
She reported, “I had one elderly gentleman tell me he didn’t know what he would do without the food he gets each month at our food pantry. As medicine, utilities and fuel get more expensive, some people don’t have the money for food. I explain to them each month how thankful we are to God for providing the food we are able to give them.”
Sandy Wisdom Martin, IBSA director of Missions Involvement, administers World Hunger Funds in Illinois. She urges Illinois Baptists to contribute to the fund by participating in the “Fast One To Feed One” campaign and observing World Hunger Sunday on October 12.
“We are encouraging Illinois Baptists who are able, to fast one meal each month and donate what they would have spent on that meal to the World Hunger Fund,” said Wisdom Martin. “The fasted mealtime can be used to pray for the needs in the community and around the world. And the slight amount of hunger we feel can help us appreciate what many people contend with on a daily basis.”
Eighty percent of the fund’s gifts are used by Southern Baptist international missionaries while the remaining 20 percent are used by Southern Baptist missionaries in the United States.
“Fast One To Feed One” resources are available online at IBSA.org. To learn more about the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund, visit worldhungerfund.com.
This article is reprinted from the September 26, 2008, issue of The Illinois Baptist, the newspaper of the Illinois Baptist State Association.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is actively involved in fighting against world hunger. To learn more about this important issue, additional resources are available here. If your church is interested in purchasing materials on world hunger, please visit our online bookstore and erlc.com.
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comments
1 On Dec 25th, 2008, at 12:29am, Joseph Jayakumar wrote:
This is something reality, Jesus saw the multitude as they were hungry, and gave them food, that is the ministry you did, that’s great. May God strengthen you to stand as a blessing in the days to come.
Realistically, I appreciate your ministries. You are doing a wonderful job, that’s great!!
Joseph Jayakumar
2 On Jan 8th, 2009, at 8:44pm, Rev.V.SAMSON wrote:
I apprciate your work according to poor people and where there is necessary. It was our Lord’s desire to help the poor.Mathew 25:35-45.Here are many people and orphan been waiting for their food. pls pray for them.
Rev.SAMSON