USA (MNN) — The day after tomorrow is Compassion Sunday: a day of great importance for the Church says Tim Glenn of Compassion International.
"The Church is God's answer to helping the poor," says Glenn. "He's very much called the Church to take care of the poor, the orphan, the widow."
And that's the idea behind Compassion Sunday. It's a day for ordinary people to get their congregation involved in answering this very call.
"Compassion Sunday is a day we set aside each year to focus on the cause of children in poverty," Glenn explains, "and to try to get people–the church primarily–to sponsor a child in poverty around the world."
About 2,000 churches participated in Compassion Sunday last year, and Compassion is trusting God for an even greater response this year.
"In our 26 countries, we've got 10,000 kids waiting for sponsors, and we're hoping to find [those sponsors] in our churches across the United States," says Glenn.
Right now, Compassion cares for approximately 1.4 million kids living in poverty around the world. Through sponsorships, kids get an opportunity to hear the Gospel and learn about Jesus, health care, complete meals, and so much more. Learn more about child sponsorships here.
"That 1.4 million is just a drop in the bucket. There's over a billion children living in extreme poverty around the world," says Glenn. "There will always be a need for more sponsors."
Compassion Sunday is a big way to fulfill that need. Approximately 10% of Compassion's child sponsorships come as a result of this annual event.
While it might seem like just another way to ask for money, Glenn says it's more. It's about getting Christ-followers engaged in the Lord's work and shining His light in the life of a child.
"This is a response to Scripture, it's a response to the Gospel, it's a response to the call from God Himself to get involved in this cause," Glenn states.
And you don't have to be good at public speaking to present the call to your church. Glenn says presenters are ordinary people.
"They're moms, they're uncles, they're whatever, who understand the importance of this cause, and they want to present it to their church," he says. "They're not celebrities, they're not famous speakers, they're ordinary people: people just like you and me."
Visit CompassionSunday.com to learn how you can become a presenter.
Ordinary people can do extraordinary things in the life of a child through Compassion sponsorships.
"It's a powerful relationship," says Glenn. "If you get the right sponsor and the right child together, it can be incredible and make a huge difference in a child's life."
Ask the Lord to give all Compassion Sunday presenters peace. Pray they'll have words to describe the immense impact child sponsorships can have.
