PRACTICE OF FASTING
For the entire year of 2026, we are focusing on the important Spiritual Practice of Fasting.
Our goal for this year is,
To reclaim the practice of fasting in order to offer our whole selves to God, grow in holiness, and to stand with the poor.
WAYS TO FAST
We are inviting our entire church to set aside Wednesdays as a day to fast together through one of three ways.
- A 24 hour fast which would be foregoing breakfast and lunch.
- A lunch time fast which would be foregoing lunch.
- For those who for health reasons cannot fast from food, consider setting something else aside as an alternative way to participate in this practice.
For our families with kids and students, our Next Gen has also created a guide to help explain the heart behind fasting, invite our kids and teens to participate in safe, age-appropriate ways and engage them in connecting to the spiritual purpose behind this practice.
TEACHING ON THE PRACTICE
We began this year with three weeks of teaching on the practice of fasting. If you would like to learn more about why we are spending this year investing in this ancient practice, you can watch those here.
FEED THE CITY OFFERING
As a tangible way of standing with the poor, in addition to our weekly fast, we will also be receiving a monthly Feed the City offering.
The idea behind this is nothing new. We find this direction offered from writings dating back to the second century.
“When you fast, estimate the cost of the food you would have eaten on that day and give that amount to a widow or orphan or someone in need.”
The dates we will be receiving this offering are listed below and we are encouraging every person to bring $10.
We want to feed others through our fasting and expect that through our shared sacrifice, above and beyond our normal giving to the ministry of our church, our goal is to give at least $10,000 a month to support food ministry and programs throughout our city through this offering.
Feb. 14/15 | Mar 28/29 | Apr 25/26 | May 30/31 | June 27/28 | July 25/26 | Aug 29/30 | Sept 26/27 Oct 24/25 | Nov 27/28 | Dec 27
LEARNING TO FAST
Here are a few words of encouragement from our Senior Pastor for those new to this practice.
SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
If you are new to fasting, starting small is encouraged. Fasting is meant to be challenging—that’s part of why it’s called a practice. Practice enables us to do tomorrow what we cannot do today.
Even if you would like to do a normal fast, it might be beneficial to start with a partial fast.
DON’T BE OVERLY LEGALISTIC
Let’s be honest. This is not the easiest thing for us to do, but keep in mind, the purpose of fasting is not to punish your body or beat yourself up.
So if you find yourself needing to break the fast, break the fast. If you accidentally break the fast (whoops, I wasn’t supposed to eat that chocolate!), be kind to yourself. Use that moment as an opportunity to share grace with yourself and give thanks for the grace that God has given to you.
DRINK PLENTY OF WATER
While you will not be eating food, it is important that you drink plenty of water during your fast.
PLAN TO DO LESS & SLOW DOWN
You should expect that your energy level may not be as high as normal. Being intentional about planning your day accordingly is important. A mid-day, rigorous workout is not recommended while fasting.
LISTEN & PRAY
You should expect to feel hungry. Your stomach may even audibly remind you that you have not eaten. Think of that hunger as a sign of the deeper hunger in your life for God.
You can use this breath prayer (a short phrase you can slowly repeat) to calm your mind and refocus on God throughout your time of fasting.
Jesus, Bread of Life, feed my hungry soul.
FIND A FRIEND
We intentionally chose a day of the week so that we might be mutually encouraged by the reminder that this is a practice we are doing together. Connecting with another person or a group of friends and checking in with one another throughout the day is another way we can empower one another to grow in this practice.