“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me…”  Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV)

Sunday, May 4th is Compassion Sunday.  This is a national event aimed at helping us grow in our understanding of God’s very special love for the poor.  It’s also an opportunity for each of us to intervene in the life of at least one child in poverty.  Consider the following facts about poverty (source):

• About every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria, a preventable and treatable disease.
• 22,000 children die each day due to conditions of poverty.
• About 2.5 billion people live on less than $2 per day.
• 1 billion children (nearly half of all the world’s children) live in poverty.  Hundreds of millions live in extreme poverty.
• Each day, 10,000 newborns in developing countries die within a month of birth.
• 640 million children live without adequate shelter.
• There are 1.1 billion people in developing countries without access to clean water.

On May 4th, you will hear a special presentation about the ministry of Compassion International.  Compassion International has been a trusted charity since 1952.  Over 1 million children have benefited from personal sponsorships through Compassion.  On May 4th, we will have a special table setup in our foyer with more information about how you can begin sponsoring a child.  It only costs $38/month to change a child’s life.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding Compassion Sunday at FBC.

That’s all for today.

Stephen

PS – Monday night, April 14th, is Faith Baptist Church Missions Spirit Night at our local Chick-fil-a.  Eat there between 5pm and 8pm and a portion of all proceeds will benefit our summer mission teams.  Make sure you show them the picture below and tell them you are there supporting FBC Missions.  You have to show them the picture in order for us to get credit!