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Biblical Inspiration for OFH:Ames UMC has a sincere heart for reaching the lost for Christ. In the end, we believe that it is only through a sincere relationship with Jesus Christ that anyone is truly going to have hope . . . especially the kind of hope that is strong when external circumstances aren't going your way. At the same time, though, we understand that all of us allow our external circumstances in this physical world to take us to a place of hopelessness at times. Ames UMC is also interested in addressing these physical issues and trying to help the greater Saginaw Valley area meet the physical needs of hurting people. Operation Finding Hope is not exclusively for the unemployed, the depressed, the uneducated, etc., but it is for people in these situations that OFH was created and is intended to help. Of course, some students may simply be interested in bettering themselves or picking up a hobby, but really don't need the increased marketability or the hope-fostering activity. That's fine. OFH doesn't want students attending the free classes to have the stigma that because they are attending, they must have serious problems. Our Biblical Inspiration for OFH is a simple one. James 2:14-17 says,
In summary, as sincere followers of Jesus Christ, we want to be in the business of meeting physical and emotional and mental needs of people in addition to meeting the spiritual needs of people. This is a difficult but important task. Because we don't have the resources to simply give jobs or give money to people who need it, and because simply giving money can be irresponsible if you can't ensure that the money is being used wisely, we decided to offer hope-fostering training sessions with the intention of meeting physical needs in a more effective manner. There is a saying, "Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a person how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." It is our intention to be teaching people how to fish (maybe literally in one of our classes, but in the very least, figuratively teaching them how to fish so they are fed for a lifetime). Furthermore, when studying the Bible, one sees fairly quickly that the "down and out" are close to God's heart. For those who are able, God has called them to help meet the needs of these people. One Biblical example of this concept comes only one chapter before the previous text shared. James 1:27 says,
The slogan for OFH, "giving YOU hope and a future", was inspired by the text in Jeremiah 29:11-13 which says,
At Operation Finding Hope, it is our hope that we may glorify God by trying to meet physical needs of those around us. Hopefully many who attend will see our source of hope . . . the kind of hope that is strong in the midst of hardships. |