At the Ethnan Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church, the SNAP initiative is not a new program; it’s a rebrand of what the church members have been faithfully doing every week for years. SNAP — Sabbath Nourishment and Provision — was born out of conviction, not crisis.

Their playbook is simple. Christ didn’t draw a line between Sabbath and service, or between worship and work. He fed bodies while He healed hearts, and He ministered to the physical as much as the spiritual. When the disciples came to Him overwhelmed by the hungry crowd, His command was both clear and convicting: “You feed them” (Mark 6:37, NLT). That is a call to lead with compassion, even when the need feels bigger than the resources. And so, they took that call literally.

In 2025 alone, Ethnan Temple served 1,200 families with groceries, provided 2,350 hot meals, offered 101 hours of individual counseling, and sponsored three free eye clinics that gave dozens of residents free eye exams and glasses. Each statistic represents a soul touched, a family encouraged, and a reminder that God’s love is visible.

“SNAP Sabbath isn’t an interruption of worship — it’s an extension of it. It’s about taking Sabbath to the streets, setting the table for the hungry and showing that God’s rest still makes room for service,” says Jerome M. Hurst, senior pastor.

This article was originally published in the Columbia Union Visitor magazine: https://columbiaunionvisitor.com/2026/when-compassion-becomes-culture