Winter/Spring 2004
Facing Bench

Youth Achieve New Records in Fund-Raising During 30 Hour Fast
78 Damascus Area Teens raised over $17,000 for World Hunger during the 13th Annual World Vision 30 Hour Famine.

On February 27-28, 2004, Damascus Friends Youth from Damascus, Ohio, helped the worlds’ hungry by going without food for 30 hours. They joined the 13th annual World Vision 30 Hour Famine - an event designed to get youth involved in raising awareness and money to fight hunger overseas and in the United Sates.

For 30 hours, the teens went without food, consuming only liquids. A shortage of food didn’t stop them from staying productive. Just imagine what 78 teens can accomplish in 30 hours of focused commitment! World Vision has designed this unique program to help teens look beyond themselves and to see both the needs in their community and around the world. Structured times of instruction were provided for learning about world hunger through World Vision lessons and all youth participated in praise and worship times, led by their own worship team.

The lessons didn’t stop in the classroom as all 78 teens committed themselves to several community service projects - some more fun that others. Six teens with rural experience helped a local farmer who has struggled with cancer. They cleaned windows, loaded over 250 bales of hay, and helped with chores. Another six teens committed to a “Damascus Sweep” during which they swept the sidewalks of Damascus, hauled away gravel and debris, and swept the sanctuary, hallways, and youth room of the church. Twelve teens made greeting cards and a light snack mix which they hand delivered to residents of several local nursing homes as well as some of the Damascus Friends Church shut-ins. Twenty teens initiated a productive Scavenger Hunt. They traveled in vans, going door to door, collecting items on their lists to be donated to area charities. Twenty-six teens also traveled to Youngstown to help at a local charity warehouse by sorting clothing, food, and toys. Times of service were interspersed with fun times of fellowship including a talent show, games and bowling.

Their 30 hours concluded with a program of praise and worship during which the teens broke their fast with communion. The celebration concluded in the gym with a great meal of 15 large Pizza Hut pizzas (donated), 3 five foot long Subway subs, munchies, brownies, apples, and pop! (All gone in 15 minutes!)

Background: Over 600,000 teens across the nation participated in the 2004 Famine. The 30 Hour Famine is an international, hunger-fighting program which began in the U.S. in 1992 and is sponsored by World Vision. World Vision is one of the largest privately funded Christian nonprofit relief and development organizations in the world, serving more than 80 million people in nearly 100 countries. EFC-ER has often worked in cooperation with World Vision and supports this exciting, practical vision to inspire teens to serve Christ now.