Dr. Elijah Brown presented Campbellsville University Leadership Award during chapel service

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Dr. Elijah Brown, center, receives the Campbellsville University Leadership Award from Dr. John Chowning, left, and Dr. Donna Hedgepath. (CU Photo by Emily Barth)

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (04/04/2019) (readMedia)-- "Hunger is a powerful force. It is a God-given characteristic," Dr. Elijah Brown, general secretary of Baptist World Alliance since 2018, said at Campbellsville University's Chapel March 27.

"Hunger is part of our DNA and is natural. It can also cause us to lash out and seek instant gratification."

Brown grew up in a town in Texas with 900 people in it. Brown is married to Amy Brown and is the father of Hudson, Sahara and Keziah.

Dr. John Chowning, executive assistant to Campbellsville University's president for government, community and constituent relations, presented Brown with the Campbellsville University Leadership Award "for having demonstrated years as a Christian servant leader."

During his message, Brown asked, "What was the single greatest miracle performed by Jesus, besides the resurrection? The feeding of the 5,000. It is the only one recorded in all four gospels, so it must have been one of the greatest."

"Poverty doesn't discriminate though discrimination does influence poverty," Brown said. "We neglect hunger at a great price, and children are the first victims of chronic hunger."

Brown said, "Hunger stalks failed states and failed neighborhoods. It can be weaponized. The wealthy overindulge while the cries of famine echoes from the corners of our world. Hunger is a powerful force, and it is one that Jesus directly addresses."

"Jesus is a king who provides for the needs of the world. Only a king can feed that many, and only a king can provide that generously," Brown said.

"The good news is that we are the children of that king. Our commission is that the people of the king work to feed the people of the world."

"The model of Jesus is to see the real needs of the community and to work to meet those real needs in the name of the kingdom God," he said. "When people in need show up, Jesus helps. Jesus saw the real needs and provided healing. Jesus welcomed them."

Brown said, "Jesus might have wanted a moment of privacy but when the needs of the community became clear, Jesus welcomed them. As people of faith, we are to welcome the needs of the world, and welcome into our lives those who are struggling."

"We all have a table and they might be different but we should follow the model of Jesus to invite them to eat at our table," Brown said. "People of the king work together to meet the needs of the world."

"You can make a real difference," he said. "He gives those in need what you have. It may feel like all we have is five fish and two loaves but let us give," Brown said. "It is estimated that 400 children starved in Venezuela, and 21 million live in low food deficit areas."

"The place where [change] begins is your table. It begins when we welcome our community in our home. Jesus' great solution to the hunger of this world is to invite people to your table," Brown said.

"He welcomed the hungry and we can do the same. The people of the kingdom work together to meet the needs of the people of the world," Brown said. Brown also delivered a Baptist Heritage lecture series March 26.

Campbellsville University is a widely-acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 13,000 students offering over 90 programs of study including Ph.D., master, baccalaureate, associate, pre-professional and certification programs. The university has off-campus centers in Kentucky cities Louisville, Harrodsburg, Somerset, Hodgenville and Liberty with instructional sites in Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Summersville, all in Kentucky, and one in Costa Mesa, Calif., and a full complement of online programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.

Campbellsville University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the status of Campbellsville University.