The Story

The Bless Richmond Story

In 2009, two committed followers of Jesus Christ and leaders of large Richmond businesses invited 30 area pastors to an informal breakfast. Their goal was to develop the relationships and friendships between these pastors. The group agreed to meet every three months to build their friendships and prepare to serve Jesus Christ together in the future. In February 2011, the pastors agreed to support each other’s initiatives rather than creating new ones.

Fueled by that idea, in May 2011, the group decided to organize a prayer gathering of the 30 congregations represented at the meetings. These congregations would then serve as catalysts to involve the other 600+ congregations in the greater Richmond area. The event would be a time to pray for God’s favor and success on each church’s initiatives to serve Christ. In addition, there would be a collection of food for the Central Virginia Food Bank. These plans, prayers, and hopes are rooted in the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 6:10-- for the Fathers’ kingdom to come in earth as in heaven.

The Heritage of Prayer Story

Continual prayer for our city has been going on for generations. Individuals and church groups have met year after year to pray for God’s Kingdom to come. Even more, there has been a continual call to come together across the dividing lines of the church and pray.

After the Civil War in 1866, Bishop McGill was broken over a war-torn Richmond and felt an urgent call to pray for the city. A convent was started, and prayer began. In the 1980's, as the convent outgrew their property, Rev. Ben Campbell and a band of believers re-energized the passion for cross-denominational prayer over Richmond. They purchased the old convent, named the grounds Richmond Hill, and ordained that it would continue to be a place of prayer for the city. Still to this day, believers from various denominations gather there and pray for our city.

Because of the continual prayers for Richmond, God has been doing an amazing work. Pastors and Christians leaders around the city are casting the vision for unity among believers, and on November 20th, the body of Christ in Richmond will be joined together in prayer like never before. Join us on this historic day we call on God to save this city!

The U-Turn Story

Committed to helping young people and their families to transform their lives through superior athletic training and sound bible guidance, U-Turn uses sport as an avenue to nurture values of teamwork, discipline, diversity, preparation, faith and love. Their ultimate goal is to empower young people to be successful on the court or the field of athletic endeavor and beyond by helping them grow into successful citizens in the community who make a meaningful difference in our society.

Visit www.u-turn.org to learn more.

The Central Virginia Food Bank Story

When Megan’s parents and the staff at her elementary school met to discuss her school performance, an unexpected problem caught the educators’ attention: the family was struggling to provide food and other basics for their daughter. School staff brainstormed ways to help, and one of the solutions—food from the Central Virginia Food Bank’s BackPack program--fit right into the child’s backpack to ensure that she had enough to eat over the weekends.

For Megan’s family and thousands of other local neighbors, food from the Central Virginia Food Bank makes a tremendous difference. The Food Bank acquires and distributes food and grocery products to our neighbors in 31 counties and five cities. By working in partnership with hundreds of local feeding partners, our Food Distribution Center distributed more than 19 million pounds in the last year alone.

The Food Bank also feeds local people in need by targeting prevalent gaps that they face in feeding themselves or their families. For many Central Virginians, financial troubles and crises lead to struggles putting food on the table. Those living in “food deserts”--communities lacking access to a grocery store, emergency food assistance, or food of good nutritional balance—also find few healthy food choices. The Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry program serves as an oasis of fresh food in these underserved areas, reaching more than 20,000 individuals in the past year.

Clearly, the Central Virginia Food Bank does more than feed a need; by ensuring a regular, reliable, and well-balanced source of nutrition, the Food Bank also brings opportunities to move beyond hunger to becoming thriving and contributing members of our community.

Visit www.feedmore.org for more information.