Unplugged, for Poverty

By Helen Colwell Adams

Local church group part of media fast’ to raise money to aid the poor. Fighting fire with fire No cheating!

This Friday, Erik Ewing will watch the teenagers in his youth group at Chiques United Methodist Church drop their cell phones, iPods and video games into a big cardboard box.

Then he’ll duct-tape the box closed and hide it in the church – after adding his own gadgets to the pile.

Then all of them will face the prospect of a weekend without media.

No TV. No texting. No “Halo 3.” No iTunes.

Their weekend of electronic silence, though, could make some noise in the battle against poverty.

The youth group at Chiques is among local participants in “Sound Off for Poverty,” a “media fast” to raise money for national and local affiliates of the Christian aid group Love INC.

From Friday, Oct. 26, to Sunday, Oct. 28, teenagers around the country will “tune out the noise” and “tune in the poor,” as the Web site for the Sound Off says.

The first-time fundraiser will enable Love INC, a nationwide network that connects churches across denominational lines to meet the needs of the poor, to help more people, said Randy Smith, executive director of Lancaster County’s affiliate.

“It resounds with kids,” said Kim Forry, director of communication and promotion for Love INC, “to find we can help people who are in need.”

Organizers are promoting the media fast with media.

The local Love INC has posted a video about the Sound Off on YouTube. There’s a Web site, www.soundoffforpoverty.org.

Ewing, the youth ministry director at Chiques, noted that when he wanted to ask kids if they were interested in the Sound Off, he sent them text messages.

The YouTube video points out that 43,500 people in Lancaster County live in poverty. After listing statistics for how much a family of four has to spend for food, basic shelter, transportation and child care, which adds up to more than the poverty-line income, the narration asks: When you don’t have enough, what do you leave out?

“They’re tough choices,” Smith said. “Love INC can help people with some of those choices.”

Sound Off for Poverty is modeled on the 30-Hour Famine, an annual nationwide campaign that asks teenagers to fast from food for 30 hours to raise money for World Vision, the Christian aid and development agency.

Love INC, which started as an arm of World Vision before becoming independent, asked focus groups of kids what kind of fundraiser would motivate them to work for people living in poverty closer to home.

They came up with the idea of a media fast, Smith said – something even more challenging for American teenagers than not eating.

“I think this is definitely going to be harder” than the 30-Hour Famine, Ewing said.

“… I think this kind of hits them where they’re at. We’re just so trained to look at that little screen … it’s become a necessity to these kids,” like food or shelter.

Although the major focus for the Sound Off is the last weekend in October, youth groups can do the media fast any time. Five local churches are participating on the nationwide dates, Smith said, while two others are planning to do the fast in the spring.

Participating churches this month include Pequea Brethren in Christ, Grace United Methodist, Neffsville Mennonite, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ and Ephrata Church of the Brethren.

Some of the money raised stays in Lancaster County, and some goes to the national headquarters. There are 130 Love INC affiliates in 30 states, helping more than 1 million people a year through 200,000 volunteers.

Love INC acts as a clearinghouse, finding churches and agencies that can fulfill needs of people in poverty. In this county, it coordinates the Homes of Hope transitional housing program.

“We don’t duplicate any other ministries,” Smith said. “We partner with them.”

At Chiques UMC in Mount Joy, 30 to 35 teenagers will be surrendering their high-tech toys for a weekend.

“Giving up cell phones and iPods and Xboxes … it really just kind of struck a chord with them,” Ewing said.

Participants will spend Friday night at church and Saturday morning doing a service project at Water Street Rescue Mission in Lancaster.

The biggest test may come later Saturday, when kids go home and have to resist the urge to flick on the TV or power up the laptop.

Ewing thinks they’ll make it.

His youth group has done the Famine and other projects.

“They’ve never really taken ownership,” he said, “like they’ve taken ownership of Sound Off for Poverty.”

Groups interested in participating in Sound Off for Poverty can sign up online or by calling Love INC, 735-7540, ext. 102.

(c) 2007 Intelligencer Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.