Merry Christmas AND Matching funds for FOOD!!!!

As the angel, played by Gladys Herdman, said in the classic children’s book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, “Hey! Unto you a child is born!” In case you’re not familiar with the book, consider this your official recommendation. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. It will move you. It’s a story of what happens when a family of the six “worst kids in the history of the world” get involved in a church Christmas pageant. 

While we are celebrating Jesus’s birthday, it’s a good time to remember that Jesus didn’t come just so we could wear our Sunday best while sitting amongst other people, also wearing their Sunday best. As Christ followers, we are called to care for the poor, feed the hungry, and share the Gospel.

Shortly after the time set aside to celebrate the birth of Christ, it will be time to celebrate Allen’s birthday. And Allen always requests gifts to help feed the hungry. Proceeds from Allen’s birthday fundraiser are used to cover a lot of the food shipping costs needed for the upcoming year. This year, there is a matching funds challenge for any amount up to $23K. In theory, the ministry could raise up the $46K to be used for shipping containers of food. Last year’s birthday challenge raised about $50K, so this is not beyond the realm of possibility!

Why is this birthday fundraiser so important? Here are examples of three different MAJOR occasions, when Sowers4Pastors has been asked to jump in and help during a food crisis, beyond their normal feeding programs. 

The first time was when a study was done by the U.N., the Honduran government, and a branch of the Catholic church. The study came back with the finding that 1200 Honduran children in western Honduras were starving to death. Even though the group doing the study had identified the situation, it was going to take some time before they had the resources in place to help. S4P was asked if they could step in immediately - and they were able to do so, providing 100 meals for each child and their families. That was enough food for them to have at least one nutritious, calorie-dense meal per day for three months. 

The second time S4P was called upon to provide immediate food relief, beyond their regular commitments, was after a major earthquake in 2009. People had lost their homes and were in desperate need of everything. Again, other organizations pledged help immediately, but it was weeks before they were on the ground and able to give concrete help - and in the meantime, S4P was able to fill the gap. 

Something similar happened in 2020 when people in many parts of the country lost their homes during the back-to-back hurricanes (Eta and Iota). With each of these three events, Sowers4Pastors was able to provide immediate food assistance. Local pastors were going out and seeing people in need of food. During this time, there was a major increase in pastors requesting food. The number grew to be sixty pastors beyond those who routinely operate feeding programs. Pastors were able to deliver assistance and use the food as an evangelism tool. 

These fast responses were only possible because S4P had the food on hand. That’s why they like to keep more food than is required for the upcoming scheduled meals at the sponsorship and non-sponsorship feeding centers. The food doesn't go to waste, and if there is no emergency, it is used in the regular ministry work.

During COVID restrictions, there were problems with getting the food from the US, to fulfill the regular ministry obligations. The organization that normally provides the food at no charge if S4P can cover the shipping costs was unable to package food. That was the one instance when Sowers4Pastors had to pay for the actual cost of the food to fill three containers (in addition to paying the cost of shipping and entry fees). Several churches stepped up to the plate and held socially-distanced packing events. The ministry paid an additional $100K for the much-needed food. This was possible because of your generous donations!

Sowers4Pastors has been blessed to have the funds, the storage space and the manpower to keep a large quantity of food on hand. They want to do the best they can to be ready when there is a crisis. Other individuals and organizations might have the desire to help but may not have the resources available to provide immediate assistance. This is why S4P believes it is their responsibility to use their resources to keep an emergency supply of food on hand. 

Allen said, “It is prudent to have resources (money and storage space) so that when a container is offered, we are able to take it. We never want to say that we can’t accept food because we don’t have the money to ship it.”

You will be able to make donations to Allen’s Birthday Fundraiser via Facebook or through the Sowers4Pastors website. When making a donation through the website, simply make a note that you would like the funds to be used for this purpose. 

Merry Christmas to you all!

 - posted by Christi