Warning, this article is very depressing at the start, but it's written to give you hope and solutions. Tragic facts: almost 16,000 children die every day from hunger-related causes—that's one child every 15 seconds. The famine in Africa worsens with 29,000 deaths so far—at the same time, hunger-fighting groups have their lowest balance of resources in recent years. How do we wrap our minds around facts like these? What can we do? As Christian communicators using computer technology, we can do a lot and this article will get you started . . . .
We forget the power we have
Every church office that has a somewhat new computer has a more powerful computer than NASA had when they put a man on the moon. Any church that has a copy machine has print production capabilities that Reformers and kings could not imagine. Every church with an internet connection has communication abilities with a reach and low costs unimaginable a few decades ago.
We can use these tools to educate, equip, and mobilize the Body of Christ to meet the needs in our world.
I realized, following after night after night of crying every time I saw the news or read about what is happening. I gave what I could, but I knew my tears and meager donations weren't enough. After more tears and prayers, I remembered the power of Christian communicators and how by using the tools we have; we could make a big dent in the needs of the world. I decided to write this article and in addition I've created a section on the Effective Church Communication website called the Micah 6:8 Communication Project.
In case you can't immediately call to mind the verse, here it is:
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NIV)
Following are some ways we can use technology to make the most of the resources. In addition to the ideas here, on this website, is a permanent link on the home page that will take you to a section of Micah 6:8 Communication Project resources. All of the resources in that section will be free for anyone to download and use. These resources will be updated week.
I have received some resources from people that will be added this coming week, but we need lots more. I am also researching resources from various groups and I'll be adding new things as I find them.
Your most important tool
The most important tool you have is your ability to communicate continuously for almost no cost.
It is vitally important to teach your people that "doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with our God" is not something we do only for a once a year, at a special event, or only on a mission-emphasis Sunday. Though special events are great for extra giving and focus, hunger and desperate needs are a constant in our world today.
We have the technology to continuously push out ideas, education, tools, resources, stories, links, to our people to keep a lifestyle of giving always in front of them, if we will take the time to do it. Though we no longer have the excuse of cost, we do have the personal emotional cost of a constant focus on difficult subjects. Hunger, poverty, and human trafficking are not pleasant topics to communicate. But one day we will meet Jesus face-to-face and we don't want to be like the man in the story about the Good Samaritan, who didn't want to look at a bloody, beaten man, so he turned and walked away on the other side of the road.
We want to face these issues, communicate about them and encourage our people to take action. Here are some reminders of what we can do:
Create with the computer
How easy it is to forget what it took to create church bulletins, bulletin inserts, postcards and brochures before the days of desktop publishing. If your church wanted to put out a publication that encouraged people to give to hunger projects or any kind of compassionate project, and if you wanted it in full-color, you were looking at a major expense.
Today, all it takes is a little time in MS Word or MS Publisher to create it and a color printer or copier to reproduce it. The list of links on my website or any of your denominational websites will give you materials you can download or modify to provide a continuous stream of materials that remind people of needs and ministries meeting them.
PDF what you don't want to print on paper
You don't even have to spend money on paper if you don't want to—you can create your communication, save it as a PDF and then either email it to people or post it on your website.
Educate and link on your website
Speaking of your website, you can easily create a list of links, call it the Micah 6:8 connection and have a place where people can immediately link to organizations that serve hungry people.
Feature one a month; tell people about the group. Go to a website such as the Charity Navigator: http://www.charitynavigator.org/ and give people the background, statistics and evaluation of the various charities. Some of the statistics you'll find show what various groups, even highly rated ones, spend on administration and other costs. That makes even more amazing the work of the World Hunger Fund, which is supported by the Southern Baptists and administered by them, that gives 100% of donations to the hunger projects. To see one of the most beautifully simple and clear hunger related websites ever go to: http://worldhungerfund.com/
Many of the aid organizations have videos, stories and other educational materials that you can link to. Screen these ahead for what is useful and denominationally appropriate for your congregation and then make the links clear and easy to access.
Preach, teach, and supply devotions on your blog or website
You can't preach or teach every Sunday about hunger and world needs, but you can create devotionals, short articles, devotions and similar content on your website or blog consistently. I'm working on materials to help with that if your creativity in this area is weary.
Push out links on social media
On a consistent basis, tweet and mention on Facebook what aid groups are doing, the status of current needs, success stories, images or pictures. There are a lot of great things happening—share those stories with quick summaries and links.
For example: one of the most wonderful is a little invention called Plumpy Nut (Google it for pictures—fantastic ones available). It is an incredible nutritional supplement in little packets that tastes like sweet peanut butter and is revolutionizing the ability to restore health to starving children because it needs no refrigerator or reconstituting. A Plumpy Nut picture of the week with links to groups who are distributing it is just one idea of the kinds of things you can do. Here is one story: http://www.worldvision.org/home.nsf/pages/home.htm#/home/main/hunger-drought-horn-africa-1-1374
Share your ideas with me!
Technology has given us incredible tools to use to alleviate world hunger and other pressing pains in our world. The ideas above are only a start of what we can do.
PLEASE send your ideas (bulletin inserts, PowerPoints, how you communicate about hunger or other needs) with permission for me to use them to: yvon@effectivechurchcom.com.
Finally, no matter what organization you give to or what you do, pray lots, give sacrificially, and always: "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."
My church, Albright United Methodist Church, in Mishawaka, IN, has begun bringing just one can per person of a suggested item each Sunday through September. Last Sunday, over 200 cans of soup were brought in. This week it is peanut butter. The idea is; each one doing one little thing can accomplish good things. It is eating the elephant one bite at a time.
Great idea! Thank you!
It is so true that little things by all of us can add up tremendously.
Yvon