During the month of October into November, we will have an emphasis on hunger relief mission and ministry work. One of the truly inspirtational stories to be told about Baptist missions work that is being done around the world under the banner of "hunger relief." Sponsored by our Baptist Men, Saloma Baptist Church will once again be raising funds for hunger relief in support of the mission work of Baptist Global Response (BGR). Our goal for 2015 is $1,000. And we should have no problem in reaching this goal in the coming weeks.

Let me share some of the start statistics that illustrate the widespread nature of hunger in our 21st century world:

840 million people are chronically hungry worldwide - that's 12 percent of the world's population.
About 3.1 million children under five years of age die each year of hunger and malnutrition - that's about 8,700 children dying each day - and about one child every 10 seconds.
Hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.\
There are more hungry people in the world today than the combined populations of the United States, Canada and the Europen Union.
Hunger is the world's number one health risk today.

These, and related facts, illustrate the depth of the problems associated with hunger and malnutrition around the world. They are made worse by poverty, drought, war and strife, natural disasters, and overt neglect by those who have plenty. Hunger is a real and important issue in the world today.

Saloma Baptist Church is a congregation compelled by the love of Jesus Christ, and our mission is to minister to our community and world in the name of Jesus Christ. We are already doing a lot in support of hunger relief - we recently sent funds to Zambia to help with hunger relief necessitated by the drought there; funds have been sent to help with the Syrian refugee crisis through the Baptist General Association of Virginia; we support the mission of Baptist World Aid of the Baptist World Alliance; we support our Taylor County Food Pantry run by the Taylor County Ministerial Association; we help local families in need with benevolence gifts; we support Baptist Global Response in our general fund mission budget; and now we are collecting funds to donate $1,000 to BGR for global hunger relief. Many of our families collect pocket change throughout the year and bring it in October and November to help support this effort. Others provide sacrificial gifts during this special mission emphasis.

Global Hunger Relief combines our gospel in action - bringing around 30,000 people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ around the world while providing food and empowerment to "the least of these, our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ..."

Will you join us in ministering to the "least of these" via our Hunger Relief Fund mission drive? Thank you for your support.