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How To Care for the Poor as Much as God Does

By Ronald J. Sider

1. Pray each day that the Holy Spirit will lead you to a needy person.

2. Read some of the hundreds of biblical texts on the poor and ask: Is there as much emphasis on the poor in my ministry as there is in the Bible? Then ask the Holy Spirit to show you what to do about it.

3. Invite persons in your congregation who would like to explore a new ministry of evangelism and social action with poor persons to join you for an exploratory discussion.

4. Read one book on poverty in America.

5. Contact Evangelicals for Social Action for their materials helping local congregations combine evangelism and social ministry (1-800-650-6600; www.esa-online.org; www.network935.org).

6. Get the most recent census data for your community (your local librarian can help you) and see how many people in your county live below the poverty level.

7. Preach 3-5 sermons on: "What Does the Bible Tell Us About the Poor?" (See Sider, Ron. For They Shall Be Fed. Nashville: W. Publishing Group, 1997.)

8. Encourage your congregation to give at least one-tenth of its budget to help to reduce poverty here and abroad. (The National Association of Evangelicals World Relief can help [tziemer@wr.org].)

9. Pray that God will lead you and your congregation into caring as much about the poor as the Bible says God does.

—Ronald Sider, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania