Gary Wilkerson of World Challenge confronts the church with the following statistics…
Worldwide
- 6,571,497,332 people now live on earth
- 1,200,000,000 people live on 23 cents a day
- 2,000,000,000 people have no electricity
- 80% of all people live in substandard housing
- 1,000,000,000 people are without safe drinking water
- Every 16 seconds someone dies of hunger
- 57,000,000 people died in 2006
- 10,500,000 of these were children less than five years old
- 14,000,000 children were orphaned because of HIV/AIDS
- 2,000,000 children have died as a direct result of armed conflict during the last ten years.
Meanwhile
- $8,000,000,000.00 were spent on cosmetics in America in 2005
- $11,000,000,000.00 for ice cream in Europe
- $17,000,000,000.00 in the USA and Europe on pet food
- $105,000,000,000.00 for alcohol in Europe
These statistics are not meant to make you feel guilty; I want them to raise your awareness. We can make a difference in the world. Every third weekend is Missions Weekend at Christian Life. From the very beginning of our existence as a church, we have invested in building God’s Kingdom around the world. We refuse to turn a blind eye to the suffering and the lost around the world. We will continue, to the best of our ability, to share with likeminded ministries to see God’s will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. You and your gifts are helping to change the world!
Let’s keep up the good work. Pray about your gift today. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
