United act of compassion fills stomachs, feeds souls
By John W. Kennedy
When he pastored Alamo Christian Assembly in the San Francisco Bay area in 2002, Ken Jones received a Convoy of Hope mailing. Jones believed in the ministry, but he wanted to do more than just take up an extra offering at the end of a church service. Jones wanted to do something that would have a lasting impact.
He devised a plan that would culminate in congregants volunteering to give up one day’s salary in order to help feed the poor and suffering. For two months, during the Sunday morning service, Jones stressed the importance of feeding hungry people.
Virtually everyone in the church of 200 caught the vision, from teenagers with part-time jobs to senior citizens living on pensions. When the day came for the offering, those in the pews donated a whopping $22,700.
Jones thus devised the initiative now known as One Day to Feed the World, a Convoy of Hope and AG World Missions initiative that since has spread to around 400 churches.
With half the earth’s population living on less than $2 a day, the need of the hungry has grown even more acute because of the global recession. The situation is desperate since food prices skyrocketed last year — as food supplies diminished.
“The idea is not to feed the world in a day — there’s no way we’ll ever do that,” Jones says. “But we can bring in one day’s pay — and there’s only one sacred day we have to take action.”
Clearly the contributions involve sacrificial giving; funds aren’t in lieu of tithing or regular missions offerings. Yet participating churches have discovered that One Day to Feed the World cultivates a spirit of generosity. For instance, the year Alamo Christian Center launched the concept, its general fund grew by 21 percent and its missions fund increased 42 percent.
These days, churches typically show videos and make announcements about the endeavor (which can be held at anytime during the year) each of the three weeks before the offering is taken. On the day of the event, the pastor preaches about hunger, poverty and how Christ views those in need. Funds collected are used to finance Convoy of Hope’s ministry worldwide, including city outreaches, disaster mobilizations and daily feeding programs for children.
To learn more about Convoy of Hope, visit its photo gallery in the Exhibit Hall or go online at www.convoyofhope.org.