Happy Easter !
Jesus is Risen! He is Risen indeed !
We are so thankful for the hope that we have in Christ and your faithful prayers and generous support. Our food pantry service for those in need continues to grow despite the end of the pandemic. With this growth we realize it is even more critical to address both the physical and spiritual poverty along the Columbia Pike corridor.
We have been actively meeting the physical needs of our families who visit our food pantry as we are the only other Food Pantry in Arlington that is open 3 days a week. We have also been collecting and donating coats, toys and books through generous donations of our supporters.
However, our ultimate goal is not only to address the physical needs but to meet the spiritual poverty that is at the core. We believe that our strength lies in partnering with local churches to provide wrap around care through "Building Bridges with Families" (BBF) so that our families can be empowered through local church programs such as Coffee & Conversations, Spanish Bible Studies, job and housing assistance, discipleship and prayer to overcome whatever challenges that come their way. Often, it starts first with taking the time to listen and to pray individually with those who come through our midst.
Brian Fikkert on his book ‘Becoming Whole, Why the Opposite of Poverty is not the American Dream’.
"The matter of the heart is the heart of the matter." The disconnect between how we're thinking of poverty and the way the poor are experiencing poverty is at the heart of the conflict of poverty alleviation. And so often our efforts, which focus on providing material things, actually undermine human dignity, and exacerbate the sense of inferiority on the part of the materially poor. Instead, there's a heart at play; a set of drives, a set of desires that's driving a person. Until we get to the heart issues, we're not going to have lasting impact.
|
