We've always done the 30 Hour Famine. Every year, without fail. It's a great event. If you don't know about it, check out the link for more info. Anyway, we've always done it. But the last few years, I've had students showing up with a $5 donation, or even $1 once. We are trying to raise money to save kids lives, and the kids just come for the event.
It has always bugged me when this stuff happened, but I let the students come hoping that being a part of the event would open their eyes to the needs around them. It doesn't. It just doesn't. So, this year, I snapped. I just can't do it anymore. So I got with Renee, our leader planning the event, and Michael, our other youth pastor. We agreed to put a base amount on the event. Any student can do it, and raise $5 if they want. But they can't come to the Friday night - Saturday event. To get in on Friday night, they have to raise at least $75. No admittance without it. And I told them that that was the bare bottom ministry. If they show up with $75, don't be proud about it. You scraped by.
I don't know if any one else would agree with this approach. I'm sure there would be a whole host of people in youth ministry who disagree passionately. That's the advantage of writing a blog that no one reads. I won't hear from them. But I believe it's a good move. I want our faith to mean something. I want following Christ to be a sacrificial adventure. These kids carry $150 dollar cell phones. They can raise $75.
It will be interesting to see how it impacts the famine. I'm actually looking forward to the Famine now in ways I haven't in a long time.
What do you do with the Famine, or events like this?
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1 comments:
I resonate with the idea that this event is supposed to help them get it ... but they don't. I wrestle through that. Why not? What is the barrier? Is it that while we are taking part in world hunger (or whatever the issue is) we are not fully entering in to it? For what it's worth, I like the idea of putting a minimum amount raised on it.
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