Broken Bread Poverty Meal at Montreat College
Nearly 50 Montreat College students and a dozen people from the Montreat Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) gathered in Gaither Fellowship Hall last night to participate in World Vision's Broken Bread Poverty Meal. Broken Bread is a national event sponsored by World Vision's Acting on AIDS.
Participants were invited to identify with those broken by the cycle of AIDS, poverty and hunger by partaking in a simple porridge meal, true-to-life stories, discussion, and a time of prayer.
Student leaders gathered early to prepare a large pot of porridge for the participants. It is the same food that is often distributed in Africa to combat starvation across the continent. Co-organizer Morgan Besares has had a taste of similar fare before - her parents are missionaries in Bolivia. Her bowl last night tasted better than her earlier experience: "It was good for the first few bites, but it was hard to finish a whole bowl," she said. "We feel like this is just the first step to taking the crisis more seriously and getting people to care more about these things and get involved." This porridge is often all someone will have to eat two or maybe three times a week in areas like Uganda.
Jessica Brown, a recent Montreat College graduate and current Assistant Director of Records and Registration Database Audits and Advising, presented a half-hour talk on her experience working with AIDS victims and the people of Uganda. Brown traveled there in the fall of 2006 for a semester of study at the Ugandan Christian University. She said, "Last night was really supposed to be something about awareness - we wanted to expose the reality of the situation in Africa, not try and pull on heartstrings."
Montreat College is a Christ-centered liberal arts institution with its main campus for four-year traditional students in Montreat. The accelerated School of Professional and Adult Studies program has campuses in Asheville, Charlotte, and Black Mountain, with courses being taught in Cherokee, Murphy and other NC locations.
Written By: Michael Dechane
Posted
By: Nathan King
Date
Posted: 2/8/2008
Number of
Views: 1254
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