Ignite Student Ministries, (a youth program at Lakeshore Community Church), conducted their 7th Annual Hunger for Hope event on March 16 and 17 from 5 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hunger for Hope is an event where students combine a mission experience with a service project. Ignite Ministries is for grades 6 through 12. Students volunteer to participate in this 24-hour fasting experience at Lakeshore Church. In the weeks leading up to the fasting event students collected canned goods for the Hilton Food Cupboard and raised money in the form of sponsorships.
This year 30 local students participated and raised almost $6,000. Jake Cretelle, a sophomore at Hilton High School, raised the most by receiving $450 in sponsorships. Every penny raised is going to the Spark of Hope Mozambique Ministry.
Ann Frey, the event leader, has been involved with the youth ministry at Lakeshore for the past seven years. She has also been to Mozambique, a country of extreme poverty in East Africa. According to Spark of Hope leaders, Mozambique is a nation scarred by war, AIDS, corruption, alcoholism, spiritual darkness and poverty. A non-profit organization called Children’s Relief International formed the Spark of Hope mission to create a place where young men and women are encouraged to dream of a better life. In 2014 Ercylio Greva, a professional athlete from Mozambique, visited Hilton School District and was inspired by the school’s library resources to help students. Greva, a Spark of Hope Project leader, was then motivated to build a similar resource opportunity to support students in Mozambique. The monies raised by the students in Ignite Ministry will go to help fund tutoring for kids in grades 8 through 12, meals for students, resources like books, pens and pencils, and mentoring/discipleship assistance.
In addition to the canned food drive and raising money through the Hunger of Hope Event, the students experienced fasting from food for 24 hours. Participants had only water and a glass of juice during meal times. This helped them experience what it is like to feel true hunger. “Often kids say they are hungry 30 minutes after they eat a meal. This opportunity gave them a chance to feel real hunger like those in Mozambique,” Ann said. They not only went without food but they also went without running water. The water to the church was shut off and in the morning when the kids woke they had to walk over to the North Greece Fire Department to gather and carry back their own water. “Not having running water also helps the students see through the eyes of others,” said Ann. Ann hopes that when the kids spend time without food and running water it helps them see how much they have, that they take for granted and the result is, it will help foster more compassion for others.
During the 24 hour Hunger for Hope event at the church, the leaders tie in teaching activities and games to help educate what it is like to live in extreme poverty. Students hear stories and skype with Ministry leaders in Mozambique. As they learn they wrestle with the harsh realities of what others face which leads them out of their comfort zones and encourage them to help make a difference. Reflecting on Hunger for Hope, Ann says, “I am still amazed and it brings tears to my eyes to think of the way God is at work in Mozambique.”
For more information about Ignite Student Ministry or the Hunger for Hope event, visit www.lakeshorechurch.org/h4h
