The pandemic has upended the economic stability of our church and community. But with that shaken foundation, we have seen great opportunity to meet needs all around us. Over the past few months, Awakening Church has been consistently working with other local churches in our community to provide much-needed food, diapers, and other personal hygiene items as families in our local area face trying times. 

While our personal needs have increased and our resources have decreased, we have stayed intentional about running toward our community needs, instead of away from them. As a result, we have seen many needs met and many lives changed. Each week we pick up and deliver many pallets of food from one of our local partners. That food is brought to a local non-profit that sorts and distributes that food based on the individual family needs. At it’s peak, we were serving over 620 families. Today there are 565 families in the program (approx. 2542 people, 28 churches involved, and over 16,500 grocery orders provided).

Recently, there has been an surplus in food so many of the leftover food boxes have gone directly to a local hispanic church that has faced great challenges. Their pastor has expressed deep hurt and questioned the survival of their church. And he’s not alone. According to the Barna Group, tens of thousands of pastors are unsure if their church will survive the coronavirus pandemic. However, 2020 has given us a glimpse into just how fragile our churches actually are. We are learning first hand how you don’t know how able God is until you find yourself in a situation that you can’t handle and requires the divine providence of God. We need God’s providence in these days!

You don’t know how able God is until you find yourself in a situation that you can’t handle and requires the divine providence of God.

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But praise God, He is providing! And he’s using Awakening Church to help provide for other families, churches, and neighborhoods across our region. This past Friday, 370 food boxes were picked up and delivered directly to this hispanic church. They have 67 families in their congregation, so they are using the food boxes as a way to reach out to their community, minister to their felt needs, and build relational bridges into their immediate neighborhood.

In a year of uncertainty, we are continually looking for ways to love our community and share the message of hope through a relationship with Jesus. Despite facing ongoing challenges, Awakening Church will continue to operate virtually and prepare for the day when we can worship together again physically. Please continue praying for us and our boldness to proclaim Jesus in a hurting city.

Find more ways to connect and support at www.AwakeningSeattle.com