Staff writer
While many students in the county enjoyed a day off from school on Friday, some decided to skip meals and use their time off to help others.
Youth groups from four Hillsboro churches participated in a 30-hour fast that started at 8 a.m. Thursday morning and went into Friday afternoon.
Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church youth group member Anna Glanzer said that while it was hard, the experience was worth it.
“Many people go hungry not by choice,” Anna said. “To think that $35 can feed a child for a month, and most of us easily can spend that on dinner on a night out, is crazy. It is important to bring attention to this, and fasting is a way to raise awareness and focus on those in need.”
Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church youth pastor Cord Werth said that the fast was a way to help the youth groups identify with people who go hungry every day.
“The fast was a great spiritual discipline for the students,” Werth said. “They were encouraged to pray for those with hunger needs every time they themselves felt hungry.”
Glanzer also said that the fast was a great way for the kids to grow spiritually.
“During the 30 hours, the teenagers learned about current issues of poverty and injustice around the world,” Glanzer said. “The youth were challenged to grow closer to each other and God as they examined what it meant to be actively compassionate as a Christian accustomed to a first-world context.”
The youth groups also helped raise money for 30 Hour Famine, a fundraiser ran through World Vision in order to help provide food for hungry children, by holding a carwash for two hours on Friday morning.
An estimated 60 cars visited the carwash in order to help raise money.
“We did the car wash for two hours,” Ebenfeld youth pastor Kat Glanzer said, “and never stopped washing.”
Participating churches along with Ebenfeld and Parkview were Grace Community Fellowship Church and Zion Lutheran Church.