Inter-America: Adventist church mobilizes its members to feed nearly one million needy people

October 15, 2009 – Mexico City, Mexico…[Libna Stevens/IAD]

For the second year in a row, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America mobilized thousands of its church members to provide a special meal for nearly one million of the neediest people in their cities and communities, on Oct. 10, 2009. The division-wide activity designated as Inter-America's Day of Kindness and Compassion, sought to promote awareness for the less fortunate who go hungry every day as nations observe the United Nations World Day of Hunger every Oct. 16th.

Organized by the Inter-American Division's (IAD) youth ministries department and in coordination with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) offices across the territory, the activity involved a small donation of $2.00 or less on the part of each church member to provide for a meal for someone in need.

“It's exciting to see how young and old have once again joined together and committed to serve those in need during this activity,” said Pastor Bernardo Rodriguez, youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America and joint organizer. “Their motivation and commitment to help others has been so evident that it brings me great joy.”

Pastor Rodriguez estimates that over half a million young people alone participated in this year's activity throughout most of the 17 church regions located across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, the French Antilles, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Arodi Barrera was among the 200 volunteers who got up early on Sabbath morning to package some 3,000 boxed dinners. A master guide and member of the Central Adventist Church in Mexico City, Barrera was dressed in her uniform and ready at the church at 5 a.m. She brought a group of about 40 pathfinders to help.

“I really feel incredible,” said Barrera. “I feel useful to know that what we are doing is going to have greater results later. People will be able to receive help and they will also get to know more about God.”

Greater results is what David Tenorio is expecting out of this benevolent activity. As personal ministries director at the Central Church, he helped organize volunteers.

“We had been planning this for months. Even though Conference leaders suggested our group prepare at least 1,300 dinners, We decided that we had the resources within our church members to add more meals and were able to collect enough money to prepare 2,700 more meals,” said Tenorio. The additional meals went to a community in Naucalpan in Mexico City, where a new group of 45 members was established by the Central Church.

“There's a lot of poverty in Naucalpa,” he added. “We were excited to join this Day of Kindness and Compassion to share God's message of love to those there and hopefully establish a church there by next year.”

Along with each boxed meal, each recipient in Mexico City received a copy of “Steps to Christ”, as the effort promised to nurture both physical and spiritual health.

Evy Cortes also woke up early in the morning with a group of her Dorcas Society friends to prepare a sandwich spread and sliced bread for 3,000 boxed meals.

“I feel so happy to be part of the Adventist Church and participate and collaborate in this program of giving food to those who need it,” Cortes said.

In Mexico City alone, some 42,000 people gathered in parks, churches, and community centers to benefit from these acts of kindness.

Pastor Jorge Garcia, ADRA director for the church in Central Mexico, said that in the planning stage they involved at least 10,000 church members throughout the city just to promote the event with the membership and the public in general.

“We hope that our society around us realizes that the church cares for people's basic needs and that through this activity our members can be more aware of the less fortunate and be able to share the little that they have,” Garcia said.

During the day's program a special live program took place at the Monumento a la Madre Plaza (The Monument to Mothers Plaza) in Mexico City, where church leaders and scores of volunteers gathered to feed and show kindness to hundreds of homeless and needy families who were invited as guests of honor. In addition to a meal, they had access to free medical and dental services by a team of physicians who donated their time and talents.

Children were a special focus of the program at the Plaza as well. Church volunteers invited dozens of children from the streets to teach them about values, participate in craft activities and receive a gift bag of goodies.

The one-and-a-half hour program was broadcast live through Esperanza TV and 3ABN Latino.

Church members throughout the remaining regions in Mexico delivered some 328,000 meals, organizers said.

Elsewhere in Inter-America, church members in the Dominican Republic, South Central America, and Colombia combined delivered over 300,000 meals during the initiative. The church in Venezuela and Guatemala each reported delivering more than 80,000 meals. Churches in the Caribbean and the West Indies also participated in delivering thousands of meals.

In Puerto Rico, church members actively participated in collecting funds to distribute bags filled with toiletries for over 5,000 prison inmates throughout the island.

“This wonderful event has shown us that it is impossible to improve the methods of Jesus Christ,” said Wally Amundson, ADRA director for Inter-America and co-organizer of the Day of Kindness and Compassion. “Once the volunteers realize that it's up to them and that they can do more, then it's spontaneous, and our volunteers all over Inter-America are now ready to replicate this great event day by day, and city by city.”

Church leaders are already seeing results in Bucaramanga, Colombia, where the idea to do acts of kindness was borne several years ago and last year's site for the division-wide Day of Kindness and Compassion. Mayors in two municipal districts have already invested part of their operating budgets in promoting this program among local businesses.

“In this case, Adventist leaders and members are agents of change and inspiration in their communities. They have inspired local government officials to extend their resources and interests into the community in a new way, raising awareness to the plight of the less fortunate, and accepting the challenge to do something appropriate and easily replicated locally,” Amundson said.

Replicating simple creative programs that can have lasting impact on the community activating church members into action is what organizers sought. They are happy with the results seen so far.

“This day of Kindness and Compassion left us with a great satisfaction of what it means to give and what it means to be committed,” said Pastor Rodriguez. “I saw adults, youth and children preparing to serve. I think that this initiative opens the way for a church united in the future through service.”

Although no immediate plans are made to hold this division-wide initiative once again next year, organizers said that what's important is that church members can use this event to pattern a lifestyle of daily service.

“It has always been our purpose to motivate not only Seventh-day Adventists, but also the entire community to identify and respond to needs, no matter how simple or modest,” said Amundson. “Building bridges between the members of society that have extra and those that have needs then becomes more obvious as an ongoing responsibility.”

Amundson said that the Adventist Church in the Euro-Asia Division has adopted this initiative and will be providing meals to 10,000 needy people in 10 of their major regions next weekend.

“If we have planted a seed in the hearts of the members, we have accomplished a mission for Christ through this initiative,” Amundson said.

To view more photos of Inter-America's Day of Kindness and Compassion visit http://bondadycompasion.interamerica.org/.