Since Concordia Gospel Outreach launched its Food Bank Arch Book Program in 2024, it has truly come to life, now sending Christian children’s books to dozens of food banks and care programs to be distributed to families in need. Today, we’ll hear from one of our partner food banks—one based at a Lutheran church in Lake Worth Beach, Florida.
Sharing Good Food and Good News
Our Savior Lutheran Church is a 98-year-old LCMS congregation located on a full city block in the Palm Beach metro area. Each weekday, Our Savior hosts a food bank, offering much-needed food items to about 80 families each month. And now, in addition to the physical sustenance the food bank offers, Our Savior cares for the spiritual health of these families by sharing Christian Arch Books too!
The church receives hundreds of Arch Books every week and usually rotates through a selection of five to six books for families to choose from. Each week, church staff and volunteers are pleased to see plenty of Arch Books leave the food bank with families. Leftovers are shared with other congregations in the area.
Program Impact
When asked about the program’s response, Pastor Jake Roedsens shared:
[There has been a] very positive reception of the Arch Books, especially for the Spanish-speaking families. They use these books as both a faith-growing tool and an English-learning tool.
Guests at Our Savior’s food bank are from a low economic bracket and might not be able to afford Christian books on their own—the Food Bank Arch Book Program makes the Gospel accessible to them in a new way. Arch Books are received “with tremendous gratitude,” Pastor Roedsens said. “The visitors are working on making better lives for themselves, and these resources are a part of that.”
Our Work Isn’t Done
Just remember, this program came to fruition all because of a little girl named Wynnie in Phoenix who had a big idea: handing out Arch Books at the local food pantry where she and her mom volunteer.
For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)
How will God work through your time, talent, or treasure? Be like Wynnie and make a difference in your home, church, or community. Learn more or donate today so that even more families in need can see the light of the Gospel—a light that gives hope and forgiveness, even and especially amidst temporal hardships. After all, God works through mere “mustard seeds” of faith!
Scripture: ESV®.
We need your help to sustain and expand the Food Bank Arch Book Program. Give a gift today and make a difference!
