Matthew 25:33-40 says, “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
“For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee?
“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
From this passage of scripture it is clear that one of our missions in the church is to help those who are in need. The Bible makes it clear that when we show our love and concern for others, we are showing our love and concern for God. Our relationship with God has a lot to do with our relationship with those we see every day.
As many of you know, we are in a recession and need is increasing daily. Many are losing their jobs, making it difficult to pay bills and make ends meet. Many have to rely on their churches and other organizations in our community. One such organization that feeds the hungry is the Manna House. Whether you know it, the Manna House feeds hundreds of people monthly at its soup kitchen and through its food ministry. I know because I’m a Manna House board member.
However, during the past year, our ministry at the Manna House has increased while financial support has decreased. We are very grateful to those who regularly support the Manna House.
As I sat in our last meeting, examining our situation, I began to think about the passage of scripture from Matthew. I began to look at the churches that support the Manna House and I noticed that only a few churches in our community support the food pantry on regular basis.
I know many churches are doing an outstanding job of feeding the hungry, but we also get a lot of referrals from churches in this area. So the question in my mind is this: “Why don’t we have more churches supporting the Manna House?” There are more than 150 churches in Liberty County and if at least 50 churches each contributed $50 a month to the Manna House, we could continue the great service we do in this community.
The Manna House is an extension of the ministry we do in our churches. There are times when I have to refer people to the Manna House. Therefore, I support the Manna House monthly.
I encourage pastors to go by and talk to Pastor Katrina Deason, who runs the Manna House. Look at the work she and her team are doing there. You will discover that the Manna House meets a great need in our county.
I thank all the churches, businesses, citizens and organizations that support the Manna House, and I encourage others to help out. I don’t believe God would bring us this far and have us close our doors because of a lack of support. Reflect on what Matthew 25:33-40 says and consider supporting the Manna House. You will be blessed.

Jackson is the pastor of the St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance.