Delivering Hope

Jose had been facing difficult times. In this tough economy, it had become increasingly difficult for him to provide food for his wife and four young children. He was spending most of his days with a group of other men looking for work as a day-laborer.

One day, Pastor Jaime, who had recently planted a church in the area, approached the men with donuts and coffee. He preached the gospel of Christ to them and let them know that he and his church were interested in meeting their needs, especially for those who had families. Jose exchanged contact information with Jaime, and they set up a time for the pastor to visit.

Soon after, Pastor Jaime and some volunteers from his church visited Jose and his family with Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) “Food Paks” in hand. These followers of Christ were able to demonstrate the Lord’s compassion to this needy family, and were able to proclaim the ultimate display of compassion in Christ’s sacrifice for sinners. During their next visit, Jose’s extended family had gathered as well, and soon there were five families experiencing the love of Christ and hearing the gospel. None of them had ever been inside a Christian church before. Today, all five families are attending Pastor Jaime’s church.

Children’s Hunger Fund is a Christian organization that works to feed hungry children in impoverished regions across America and around the world. For twenty years, the Lord has uniquely used CHF to train local churches on how to best develop compassion ministries. What sets CHF apart from other relief organizations is their steadfast commitment to the local church. Rather than simply sending food to various areas indiscriminately, CHF understands that the Bible teaches that the church is to be at the forefront of compassion work around the world. Because of this, they work exclusively with local evangelical churches, supplying them with food to take to their communities as a platform from which to proclaim the gospel.

As churches identify needy families in their communities, members of the church visit those families with Food Paks filled with a variety of nutritious, nonperishable food items. On subsequent visits, church members continue to provide food, along with counseling and a biblical perspective on the issues of life. In the context of these relationships, believers are able to share the gospel, invite these families to church, and demonstrate the love of Christ. By equipping local churches that are committed to preaching the gospel and loving their neighbors, CHF has established a network of more than sixty churches in Southern California that feed over 30,000 people each month. Every year, we hear testimonies of numerous people whom God graciously saves and who worship Christ in these local churches.

By working with churches who are actively evangelizing the poor, Grace Church has an opportunity to spread the message of how Christ redeems sinners from the spiritual poverty that underlies all the issues that give rise to physical poverty. Over the next few weeks, our church family can partner with Children’s Hunger Fund and other churches throughout Los Angeles to demonstrate the love of Christ to those in need.

This is a very practical and effective way that our entire church family can partner with other local churches and minister to the physical and spiritual needs of our city. It’s exciting to think that donating a few food items can relieve a family’s hunger for a week or so. But it’s downright amazing to know that, while that food will perish, we can bring our neighbors the very Bread of Life come down from Heaven, which gives life to the world and satisfies their spiritual hunger forever!