Blog Post by
Janice McMillen
Communications Associate
jmcmillen@glpby.org
I am a competitive person and was raised to be so, but only in team sports. In my everyday life I compete against myself, and I get that from my dad. He challenged us daily by asking, “what did you do to help someone today?” and if we couldn’t immediately answer, he would continue with, “I am disappointed – you had the opportunity to help someone today and you didn’t.” That was how my dad disciplined. He used his voice. Those words, in addition to my competitive drive, made me work harder to address my need to be a better person.
That is what I love about the 2019 Presbytery wide challenge of addressing Hunger Action as a body of faith. It is a competition of and in compassion. Our churches are mostly filled with die hard sports fans, but we also have equally competitive, yet compassionate ministries. Win – Win!
Recently we announced that we have 34 of our 76 congregations addressing hunger in their communities in some manner. Not quite 50% – but a huge jump from the 7 that we had at the beginning of the year.
Our congregations were challenged and being the competitive compassionate people that they are, they stepped up to share with our denomination what they were already doing for the most part. We didn’t ask that they do more, rather we asked them to report what they are already doing…from hosting or volunteering at food pantries to community gardens, from backpack programs to meal nights, from Christmas food boxes to writing politicians, and more.
Is your church a Hunger Action Congregation yet? There are still 42 that are not accounted for on the list. If you aren’t sure, the list can be found here.
If you are not listed, please reach out to your church leadership and see what you can do to make our denomination aware of your work. Continue that competitive compassionate drive until all our congregations announce hunger has no place in their communities. You see, when we address what we already know about our congregations, our communities, and our world, we can improve the world around us.
If you have questions about the process, you can find the information about Hunger Action here, or email or call me and I will help! I am competitive enough that I would love to lead our entire denomination in combatting hunger, right here in Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery, with ALL our congregations as a part of the team.
Peace,
Janice McMillen