During yesterday’s Baylor Hunger Summit, Cristina Alvarez shared her story. Growing up, she was where 22 percent of Texas children currently are — on the school free lunch program. The aid of those meals greatly helped her stay healthy.
In Texas, 2.5 million children are on the free lunch program during the school year. But during the summer, 2 million of them are on their own to find their next meals because they are not connected to a summer feeding program. Is your church willing to help these children? Are you willing to help them?
If so, call the Christian Life Commission at 888-244-9400. They’ll help you start a summer feeding program.
I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner virtually every day; and I often throw in some snacks, as well. Most Americans do likewise, but many do not. And Texas is near the bottom of the U.S. barrel when it comes to hunger. We are second only to Mississippi in the degree of “food insecurity.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture describes food security as having “consistent access to enough food for active healthy lives for all household members at all times during the year.” I’m food secure, and most of you reading this are food secure, as well. But since we’re Jesus Followers, we have a mandate to care for the 17 million U.S. households (14.6 percent) that cannot count on getting their next meal, much less a nutritious one.
Texas Baptists are in the midst of a broad-based effort to end hunger in Texas by 2015. It’s amazing what has been done this past year through the leadership of the Christian Life Commission’s Suzii Paynter, the Texas Hunger Initiative’s Jeremy Everett and others. The state is becoming organized to deal with the problem of hunger as never before. Giving to the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger is on the rise and, therefore, more projects in Texas are being funded.
Dealing with the hunger problem in Texas is the key component of the Care aspect of Texas Hope 2010. I’m so proud of how Texas Baptist churches and individuals are stepping up to the plate (no pun intended) to make a difference in regard to such a critical need. And, as we are seeking to deliver people from hunger, we are introducing them to the ultimate deliverer, Jesus Christ.
If you and your church are not on board yet, I encourage you to pray about how you will become involved. More ways of involvement are going to be emerging, but you can start immediately by giving online to the hunger offering at www.texasbaptists.org/worldhunger. The hungry people of Texas need us.
WHEREAS we are grieved by the recent tragedy at Fort Hood; and
WHEREAS we are also grieved by the suffering of all people in times of war; and
WHEREAS we are concerned by the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the continued threat of terrorism:
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we encourage Texas Baptists to pray for just and lasting peace for all people; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we encourage Texas Baptists to pray for our President and other leaders as they make critical decisions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we affirm our men and women in uniform in times of great stress for them and their families; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that we pray for and affirm the work of Baptist military chaplains as they seek to bring hope and encouragement to our armed forces.
WHEREAS each person is created in the image of God and loved and valued by God; and
WHEREAS the affirmation of life and healing are core tenants of the Christian faith; and
WHEREAS millions of people in our society lack access to affordable and adequate health care:
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that Texas Baptists work to bring health and well being to the society in which God has placed us; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that Texas Baptists encourage lawmakers and public officials to cooperate in efforts to ensure adequate health care for all members of society.
WHEREAS the effects of the global financial crisis continue to impact families, congregations, and communities across the nation; and
WHEREAS a major cause of the crisis is the excessive accumulation of debt induced in part by overspending; and
WHEREAS our ability to provide for our families and to share with others is undergirded by responsible and compassionate financial stewardship; and
WHEREAS the resources which are provisionally entrusted to us belong ultimately to God (Ps. 24:1):
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we encourage Texas Baptists to renew our commitment to a biblically grounded stewardship of financial and material resources which is marked by prudence, thrift, and benevolence; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we avoid both excessive debt and excessive spending so that we can enhance the economic stability of our families, churches, and communities; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that we are inspired by the Gospel to use our resources wisely to provide for our own genuine needs and to serve the larger interests of God’s Kingdom.
WHEREAS in 2009, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that in one 30-day period:
nearly one-fourth of Americans 12 years or older had consumed alcoholic beverages to the point of intoxication,
5.3 million had used cocaine,
450,000 had used heroin,
2 million had used inhalants,
25.2 million had used marijuana,
850,000 had used methamphetamine, and
over 15 million had abused prescription drugs; and
WHEREAS these statistics do not begin to tell the stories of the lives, families, congregations, and communities which have been devastated by drug and alcohol abuse; and
WHEREAS congregations are uniquely positioned to minister to the individuals and families impacted by substance abuse:
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we encourage Texas Baptists to assess the effects of substance abuse in their congregations and communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we encourage our churches to respond to these effects through education, intervention, and appropriate ministries; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that Texas Baptists explore the ministry options available to them through the Christian Life Commission and other public and private organizations.
Whereas support for religious liberty through separation of church and state is an historic Baptist distinctive; and
Whereas government funding of churuch-based social ministries through the Faith-Based Initiatives program has in some cases resulted in direct government support of distinctively religious activities in violation of the principle of church-state separation; and
Whereas the resolution of sexual values adopted by the 1992 annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas upheld a biblically grounded “sexual ethic of fidelity in marriage and abstinence outside of marriage”; and
Whereas the 2005 annual meeting reaffirmed this resolution because “society continues to be plagued by sexual values and practices which are both harmful to humanity and unfaithful to God”; and Read the rest of this entry »
Sharing the hope of Christ in prisons through City Reach last weekend had a proufound impact on Pam Poole, who currently works on the Evangelism Team of Texas Baptists.
Watch her testimony. Many thanks to Kaitlin for shooting the video.
Rex Campbell
Gabriel Cortes
Ferrell Foster
Emily Prevost
Carolyn Porterfield
Linda Wear
Scott Willingham
Rand Jenkins
John Hall
E-mail us using the format firstname.lastname@bgct.org.
