International (MNN) — It’s a celebration that might not be on everyone’s calendar. But on April 10, Hunger Sunday is an invitation for Christians around the world to contemplate the power of ending all forms of human poverty.
Gary Edmonds of Food for the Hungry says the day of focus on global food insecurity isn’t simply a hat-tip to hunger-related issues, but it’s a real way Christians can become actively involved in addressing a global issue with eternal impact.
(Food for the Hungry)
“It’s estimated right now that 25,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes. And this is not simply a statistic: these are children, highly vulnerable children who have real names, come from real families, in some of the most despondent and desperate places around the globe.”
Food for the Hungry works with churches and Christian people as it focuses its efforts to end all forms of human poverty–both physical and spiritual. And he says there’s one true test to find out the health of a community. “You can find the relative health of a community by testing out the relative well-being or health of its children.”
(Food for the Hungry)
Hunger Sunday may be marked for April 10, but its impact can be a year-round focus for Christians. Edmonds says its begins with prayer, but it doesn’t stop there. He says that everyone should formulate a tangible response to the issue of poverty. “One of the things we’re calling people to do is to sponsor a child. That is one of the easiest, simplest, and most effective ways to help a child, their parents, and the communities [in which] they reside, to overcome all forms of spiritual and physical hunger. We know that when hunger comes on a physical side, it leads people into a state of despair; they then do highly desperate things. So we have to go in and raise the hope of these people. We have to let them know that they’re created in the image and likeness of God, and that God cares for their wealth and their well-being.”
Visit Food for the Hungry’s website to learn more about all the programs being done to address poverty around the world – including child sponsorship.
