Addressing Parental Concerns

“I can’t do the Famine,” one of my active, never-miss-an-activity students informed me.

“How come?” I asked.

“My mom doesn’t want me to starve myself,” she said.

It’s something I’ve heard a lot over the years. For many students, fasting – the practice on which the 30 Hour Famine is based – is a barrier to participation.

Part of this is because for some people, fasting – the practice of abstaining from food for a limited period of time in order to draw closer to Jesus – is totally foreign. It’s not always a regularly practiced spiritual discipline in churches.

Even churches where fasting is regularly practiced may have parents who are uncomfortable with the idea of teens fasting. Parents fear teens will grow hungry (which they will) and that fasting will negatively impact their health (which it won’t).

For this reason, it’s important that when you begin promoting the 30 Hour Famine, you also address safety concerns head-on.

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