Church Conducts “Hold Hope” Food Campaign for Vulnerable Households in Nairobi

By Joshua Kim

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Amid the ongoing climate crisis and economic hardship, the World Mission Society Church of God (General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol, hereafter the Church of God) held the “Hold Hope!” campaign on March 25 at the Starehe Sub-County Office in Nairobi in celebration of the World Day of Social Justice (February 20).

This campaign is an initiative by the Church of God with the aim of sharing hope with members of the global family facing hardships caused by the climate crisis, economic difficulties, and diseases.

Through this campaign, the church supports vulnerable groups and small-scale food producers around the world.

Along with the “Hold Hope” message, the church provides substantial livelihood support and emotional support as well.

The campaign is being carried out in many countries around the world, including Tanzania, Nepal, Thailand, and Greece, as well as Kenya.

Through this campaign, the message of hope was delivered to about 22,000 households in 48 countries, as of last February.

The donation ceremony will be graced by the presence of Starehe Deputy County Commissioner John Kisang and some other officials. The Church of God donated food boxes which has been wholeheartedly prepared for 30 vulnerable households in the neighborhood.

Each box is generously filled with essential food items such as maize flour, rice, sugar, chai tea, long time milk and instant noodle. Some of the church members will personally visit the recipient households to deliver the food items and to examine the well-being of their neighbours.

A representative from the Church of God said, “Our church members have come together with one mind to share the love of God who treats everyone as a family.

I hope that the food items we have prepared with the heart of a mother, who prepares meals for her children, will help our neighbors in need gain courage and feel the warmth of the global family.”

This campaign is part of the “Global Hope Supporters” initiative launched by the Church of God to commemorate its 60th anniversary in 2024. It falls under the category of “Poverty and Hunger Alleviation.”

The “Global Hope Supporters” initiative is undertaken in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across six areas, including climate change response, educational support, and building safe, resilient, and sustainable communities.

World Mission Society Church of God (watv.org)

The Church of God is a global church with over 7,800 branches and 4 million members in 175 countries around the world. They believe in God the Father and God the Mother according to the Bible.

The church practices love and service in many ways, following Christ’s teaching: “Love your neighbor as yourself!”

Until now, the church has carried out over 45,000 initiatives worldwide, including environmental protection, blood donation, disaster relief, educational support, intercultural communication, and campaigns, as part of efforts toward enhancing global harmony and development.

The Church of God has devotedly served local communities through various activities, such as neighborhood assistance, environmental cleanup, tree planting, and blood donation.

Last year, through the “Hold Hope!” campaign, the church provided food to 80 vulnerable households across the country, as well as boats, motors, nets, and other fishing equipment to small-scale fishermen to support their self-reliance.

The church has also helped create clean and pleasant community environments by planting trees along the Nairobi River and Tudor Creek in Mombasa, as well as cleaning up Ngara Road in Nairobi, and Vihiga Road in Kisumu.

Last year alone, the church held the “Worldwide Blood Drive to Give Life Through the Love of the Passover” four times, helping mitigate the national blood supply shortage across communities.

The church also took the lead in improving the educational environment by painting murals at a primary school in Homa Bay County and installing a security fence at a high school in Nairobi.

In recognition of its humanitarian activities, the church has received over 5,600 awards, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award from four U.S. administrations, the Presidential Citation from three ROK governments, the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (UK), the Legislative Merit Medal of Brazil, the Medal of Honor of the Congress of the Republic of Peru, and the Antonio Brack Egg National Environmental Award—the highest environmental recognition bestowed by the Peruvian State.