Bright Hope is a 50-year-old ministry helping poor churches in developing countries. They’ve come up with four action steps your church might consider to help those most affected by Covid 19.

  1. Pivot your thinking from disease prevention to food security. While COVID-19 is impacting the poor and putting healthcare systems at risk, far more of the poor are being impacted by the shutdowns and lack of income for food purchases.
      
  2. Help in-country churches survive and thrive. Many pastors in slums and remote villages have lost contact with their congregation, and therefore their weekly offerings. For churches in extremely poor places there is no online giving option. Pastors are struggling to support their families and it is difficult for them to visit needy members of their church without any resources to offer.
     
  3. Interview your missionaries or experts on how COVID-19 is impacting the world’s poorest communities. Chances are someone in your church has some expertise or a connection. 

Encourage connection between your church and indigenous poor churches. It is time to be creative. One church in rural Uganda began distributing soap to homes in their village. A simple bar of soap was such a blessing and is an important part of virus prevention. They were able to distribute 1,000 bars of soap!