Partners in Ministry,

“The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said: ‘Send the crowd away; so they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions, for we are here in a deserted place.’ But Jesus said to them; “You give them something to eat”. (Luke 9:12-13a) Far too many of God’s children are hungry. With life confusing and complicated much of the time, we can claim this message of Jesus as a clear and simple truth. For all humanity, food is not an option. If we are to build God’s Kingdom here on earth we should consider the importance of prioritizing the basic building blocks of life. 

The recent proposed spending cuts to the Federally funded SNAP program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) revealed 42 million people were already in the program, roughly 1 in 8 U.S. residents – a shocking statistic in a country as “rich” as ours. The National Center on Budget and Policy Priorities currently reports that after seeing years of decline through 2021, food insecurity has again been on the rise since 2022 due to reduction in government assistance programs, budget cuts and detrimental policies related to food assistance. 

In the California-Pacific Conference, it is evident this sad reality is seen by leaders and members of our local churches. Many of you have likely prepared or handed a bag meal to an unhoused person or donated to the nearest food pantry, food bank or church “Blessings Box.” Some of our local churches are dedicating time and resources to hot meal programs, food distribution centers or have developed programs of their own. You can read about some of these ministries on our website.

The Connectional Ministries of the California-Pacific Conference wants the “Ending Spiritual and Physical Hunger” call of our conference to be a significant action item, not just an aspirational idea. Our vision is to enhance feeding ministries throughout our conference by identifying best practices, facilitating connections and providing support to help local settings meet the needs of their individual communities. We lack a big picture view so as a first step, we want to identify the good work you are already doing! In January, a survey will go out to every local church in our Annual Conference. Your responses will be foundational to understanding our current state and assist us with planning to enhance these efforts which not only provide much needed physical nourishment but also bring spiritual nourishment for those involved in this important work.

Thank you in advance for your participation! If you have questions, a resource you want to make sure we are aware of, or just want to ensure you are among the first to share your insights into this important work, please contact Rev. John Farley at johnfarley2020@gmail.com, who is coordinating on this project.

Erin Hawkins
Executive Director of Connectional Ministries

Rev. John Farley
Project Coordinator