Did you know that 62,050 people suffer from food insecurity in Knox county? That means that these people are unable to gain access to enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle for all household members as defined by the USDA. One of the hardest hit areas and one of the biggest areas in need is the Western Heights Community in North Knoxville. In that community, the Knox County Association of Baptists has a Baptist Center that serves this community. The center provides meals, clothing, hygiene products, after school activities, and worship services where the people and children of the community can feel safe and be served (there is a link to their website at the end of this article). In the spirit of sacrifice and service, I am very excited to announce our student ministry’s 6th annual #30for30 event at City View Baptist Church. This yearly event highlights and brings awareness of hunger in the Knoxville area and donates food, hygiene products, and clothing to the Western Heights Baptist Center for them to better serve the needs of that community.
You may have heard of our event before, but allow me to give you a brief overview of the weekend. We will be gathering on April 7-8 for 30 of the best and hardest hours of our participant’s lives. For 30 hours participants voluntarily go without food, only having Gatorade and water to drink. That’s right, participants give up eating for 30 hours so that we can experience for just a brief time what thousands of Knox County natives experience every day (Don’t worry, if someone can’t give up food for medical reasons, there are alternatives). We begin our famine at 9am on the 7th and continue it to 3pm on the 8th. During that time, participants will be engaged in a series of competitions (food related of course) as they are put into teams to compete for the prize of #30for30 Champion, the coveted Golden Fork Trophy, and the right to eat first at our break the fast banquet.
This year is a special year. Our theme this year is #30for30: Homecoming. To make this the biggest and best event to date, we are inviting EVERYONE who has ever participated in #30for30 to come back and experience the excitement all over again along with new participants wanting to start their tradition of this event with us this year. This year could potentially see us hit the 50-participant mark. Can you imagine 50 people putting aside life, stresses, problems, & differences to come together and participate in something bigger than themselves? We call that CHURCH!!
We will kick #30for30 off with the donation drive that occurs 1 month before the actual event. We will begin collecting items of food, clothes, & hygiene products beginning March 4. As you all know, sacrifice is a part of following Christ. And the love that we share and pour out on others is a direct physical reflection of Christ to others. I hope you will join us in prayer for this event as we seek to make a real impact on the lives of the Western Heights community and hopefully allow them to have an encounter with Jesus.
In Christ Alone,
Rev. Bro. Coach
Western Heights Baptist Center
RBC 