Youth fast today to change tomorrow
As part of the B1 United Methodist Advance fasting program, youth from
Medford (N.J.) United Methodist Church and Epworth United Methodist
Church in Elizabeth pack meals for area needy. UMNS photos by Gwen
Kisker.
By Gwen Kisker*
April 16, 2009 | MEDFORD, N.J. (UMNS)
|
The youth hand out free lunches at the Salvation Army in Trenton, N.J.
|
Jordan Robinson is not comfortable with the divide between the haves and have-nots of the world.
“I don’t think anyone should have to starve and find a way to survive,” the 11-year-old said.
Now the United Methodist Church is giving him and hundreds of other young people a way to do something about inequity.
The program, called “B1,” invites youth groups to harness the power
of an ancient spiritual discipline – fasting – to transform the world
and their perspective of it. B1 stands for “one being, being one,”
suggesting that everyone has the responsibility to live with a sense of
connection to others.
The program organizes a 24-hour fast from food, service to the poor,
fundraising for United Methodist Advance projects, and education about
systems around the world that keep people impoverished. The Advance is
the designated mission-giving program of The United Methodist Church,
administered by the denomination’s Board of Global Ministries.
|
Educating youth about global systems that keep people in poverty is an element of the B1 program.
|
Wearing T-shirts reading “B1 – fast today, change tomorrow,”
Robinson and 80 teens and tweens from Medford (N.J.) United Methodist
Church and Epworth United Methodist Church, Elizabeth, N.J., launched a
widespread pilot of the campaign in February.
The group spent the first evening making lunches to pass out the
next day. After missing dinner, they prepared 650 ham and cheese and
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. “It’s kind of like a challenge, but
it’s also fun service,” said eighth-grader Brielle Hohne. “It’s not
hard to be around food when you know you’re doing something good.”
Body, mind and spirit
B1 targets the body, mind and spirit in one event to create empathy for the poor.
“I think the fasting is absolutely critical because they’re
physically feeling the effects of hunger,” said Bethany Carl, the youth
director at Medford.
The rest of the evening was dedicated to learning, focusing on
biblical references to hunger, statistics on world hunger and ways to
address the issue, according to the Rev. Dawn Corlew, Medford’s
assistant pastor.
|
Brielle Hohne breaks her fast with Holy Communion.
|
The children walked through the sanctuary, looking at a wall covered
with magazine pictures of material things, such as expensive cars and
designer clothes. An opposite wall displayed photos of people living in
poverty, along with statistics. The group leaders asked the young
people to walk down the center aisle and think about how they can
balance their wants with what the world needs.
After sleeping at the church, the young people headed to nearby
Trenton, N.J., to give away their free lunches. The group spread out to
seven different sites arranged by Turning Point United Methodist
Church, including low-income high-rises and a food pantry.
Just the simple gesture of a free sack lunch moved some of the
recipients. Phyllis Blassingame has been living in abandoned houses and
shelters for 30 years. “When I see young people that are helping
people that don’t have, it’s a blessing. …They’re giving and caring
about us, so we’re grateful for it," she said.
“I would like the kids to take away that we are really blessed …,”
said the Rev. Debbe Barnett, assistant pastor at Epworth United
Methodist Church. “ I think for them to go out and meet people,
who in some cases, are very different than they are – it’s just that
personal contact, looking into someone else’s face. Once you see
something, you seldom forget it.”
Focus on poverty
That’s the impact the creator of B1 hopes to have. “B1 is a way for
the church to pick up where Jesus left off,” explained Rachel Harvey, a
mission specialist with The Advance. “And our area of focus with
poverty is our call as Christians to respond and to carry on in the
work that Jesus was doing.”
|
While handing out free lunches at the Salvation Army, the youth pray for E.T., a man suffering from a terminal illness.
|
After returning from Trenton, the young people gathered for worship to thank God and reflect.
“Making the lunches, giving them out to people – it really changed
my perspective on life,” group member Shaun Joyce told the
congregation. “I really understand how well I have it now and how bad
other people can have it. And I won’t take anything for granted
anymore.”
The fast ended with the Lord’s Supper, followed by a mad rush to the
potato bar. Jordan and others left with a sense of empowerment. “I
learned that everyone can make a difference in the world,” she said.
The New Jersey youth groups collected about $4,500 to be split
between two Advance projects – one national and one international.
In addition to this event, B1 is being piloted in Oregon, Virginia,
Minnesota, Idaho and Oklahoma. It is expected to be offered to youth
groups nationwide during Lent 2010. Details are available by calling
Rachel Harvey at (212) 870-3792 or visiting the B1 Web site at www.fasttodaychangetomorrow.org.
*Kisker is a freelance producer in Pittsburgh.
News media contact: Fran Coode Walsh, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Video
Teen Fast Helps Hungry
Related Video
How Hunger Feels
Kids Fight Hunger
Related Articles
Stories of Sharing: Initiative urges youth to B1
World food crisis especially impacts the poor
Food shortages hurt church response to hunger
U.N. urges practical steps to help hungry
Stop Hunger Now marks 10th with million meal event
Resources
B1
The Advance
UMCOR
Hunger/Poverty | 
Facebook
Korean News