Missouri Poverty Summit (As posted on the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Missouri website)

Dr. Doyle Sager, pastor, First Baptist Church, Jefferson City
FBC BEACON June 18, 2009

Despite encouraging signs in the national economy, we know that real life happens up close and locally. I met recently with some area church leaders to talk about our united response to suffering and need in our Jefferson City area, as lay-offs, cut-backs and reduced health benefits continue to take their toll. Did you know that the unemployment percentage in Jefferson City has increased 59% in the last 12 months? Raw figures: 2,451 lost their job in the last 12 months and 295 in the last 30 days.

Along with about 500 others, I recently attended a Poverty Summit. We learned that over 780,000 Missourians live in poverty; over 263,000 of them are children. [Side note—as I sat in the Capitol Plaza Hotel for this conference, I couldn’t help wondering: Why was this conference planned and led by secular organizations? Why is the church always the tail light instead of the headlight on social issues?] If Jesus walked the earth today, would he care about all this? Yes! He DOES walk the earth (his body=the church) and he DOES care what happens to people. The good news of the Gospel is that God cares about every part of our lives.

So, what do we do? Can we think in new ways, beyond partisan politics and old prejudices? Can we ask God to make us part of the solution? What spiritual gifts has God placed in you to serve others? Where are your passions for ministry? What project makes your heart race with anticipation? The mission of FBC JC is to share the love of Jesus Christ and EMPOWER disciples. And disciples are DIS-empowered if they are emaciated by hunger, ravaged by poor health and hounded by job insecurity. Join me in praying that the transforming power of Jesus Christ may flow through all of us in order to touch bodies, minds AND spirits for time and eternity.

Grace, Doyle

click here to learn more about the 2009 Missouri Poverty Summit

The food

On Wednesday afternoon, ten of our youth distributed bags of groceries door to door in Jefferson City.  We gathered at the church for a brief prayer then headed to Save-A-Lot grocery store.  After doing this a few times, we have our shopping down to a pretty good routine.  The kids each grab a cart and go shopping for their item: bread; peanut butter; jelly; meals in a can; tuna; fruit cocktail; cereal; macaroni and cheese; and crackers/cookies. We try to purchase items that kids can eat since many are home on their own during the summer months.

We then take all the items back to the church and assemble bags.  We staple a letter to each bag stating that this is a free gift – no strings attached!  Just a way for us to show God’s love for our neighbors.  We also list the church’s contact information if they need anything else.

We buy enough to assemble 50 bags of groceries.

The packed bags!

After the bags are assembled, we load them up in the van and drive to different low socioeconomic neighborhoods. We take a bag, go door-to-door in pairs and offer them a bag.  We always are met with warm reception and many “thank-you’s” and “God bless you”.  Our youth get to see how others in our community live and that we have many needs in our backyard.  One grandmother thanked us and told us that she had run out of food the week before and had been feeding her grandchildren microwave popcorn.  There are so many needs and we are learning as a youth group that God commands us to love our neighbor.