Every Wednesday morning, rain or shine, public holiday or not, Albertville Church of the Nazarene in Johannesburg, South Africa, part of the Gauteng District, hosts a food distribution. The church provides an average of 80 meals each week to people in their community who live with food insecurity. Attendees are also given the opportunity to hear the Gospel and learn about the hope that only Jesus can provide.

In 2018, Aunty Molly Peacock, a retired textile worker and faithful church member, felt the Lord was asking her to start providing a meal to those who were waiting on local street corners, hoping to be hired for small jobs. Aunty Molly used her own retirement money to cook meals. Soon, the small congregation came alongside Aunty Molly and formalized the effort into a weekly ministry. The church (about 20 attendees at the time) prayed the distribution would meet the physical needs of their neighbors facing economic challenges.

Fast forward to today, and the Albertville church has regular attendance of 90 on Sunday mornings, and they continue with the vision to feed the community each Wednesday. So far this year, the church has prepared more than 2,400 meals.

“This is all about giving them a chance,” said Immanuel Govender, the local Nazarene Compassionate Ministry coordinator. "We prioritize treating [each person] with dignity.”

Recently, the church invited South African Home Affairs to come and help attendees attain birth certificates, identification documents, and other necessary paperwork needed to access government assistance or employment. In addition, the Johannesburg Development Agency has visited the church to help connect individuals struggling with addiction to rehabilitation services.

Pray for the Albertville Church of the Nazarene as they continue to partner with those in the community to reach out to those living with hunger. 

This story adapted from the original, first published here.