Mission and Philosophy of Charlies's Lunch

Who We Are

Charlie's Lunch is a Christian, evangelical ministry aimed at ministering to the world's neediest children and their families. We are more than a relief organization. By expressing God’s eternal love and care in tangible, practical terms, Charlie’s Lunch offers hope and a future to children in hopeless situations. By addressing the real-life needs of children and their families, Charlie's Lunch gives people the opportunity to discover the life-changing difference Jesus can make.

Our Mission

The mission of Charlie's Lunch is to demonstrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ by loving, feeding, teaching, and empowering needy children so that they can become healthy and devoted followers of Christ.

What We Do

Charlie's Lunch partners with local churches to reach out to children and families in needy, underdeveloped communities. We sponsor meals, which include a time of teaching God's Word, prayer, singing, and a lot of love. We also provide support for pastors and church leaders to train, teach and encourage these children and their families. The pastors provide not only physical food and emergency aid, but also ongoing discipleship, school sponsorship, and family ministry.

Core Values

1. Christ Centered – We teach, in culturally meaningful, non-threatening ways, the life-changing Gospel to children and their families. Our goal is to honor Jesus Christ in all we do.

2. Church Based – We partner with the local church because, as a local group of believers, the church is in a position to partner with parents and the community to teach and mentor children. Our goal is to strengthen and add value to the ministry of local, Christ-centered churches.

3. Child Focused – We commit to affirm and protect the dignity of every child and adult we minister to. We seek to honor each child personally and individually, and we seek to rescue and protect children from exploitation of any kind. Our workers are trained to provide direct, specific assistance to children.

4. Family Oriented – We commit to strengthening families. We believe that effective ministry to children should include our best attempts to minister to their families as well. Consequently, our goal is to minister to the child by personally sharing God's love and God's ways with both the child and the family.

5. Integrity Driven – We commit to excellence and integrity to best benefit the children, families, and communities we serve. We want to "give the very best to those who have the least." We seek to give our best (not leftovers) to the children we serve. We will provide the training and oversight of our workers to ensure they are prepared to minister to the children with effectiveness and excellence.

Giving our best means we will go the extra mile to be above reproach in all of our financial and moral dealings. We take our role as stewards of resources very seriously, and we commit to use money only for the purpose for which it is raised. We will perform inspections to ensure that our programs are well managed and that funds are being properly disbursed and applied. We recognize the importance of communication, accountability and stewardship. And, while we will keep our administrative and fund raising costs as low as possible, we will in no way compromise the quality and integrity of the ministry.

6. Holistically Grounded – We commit to developing, spirits, minds, and bodies. We not only seek to provide relief from poverty, but freedom from the poverty cycle that grips so many lives. We will demonstrate our commitment to wholeness by seeing that every child who participates in a Charlie's Lunch program is given the opportunity to learn about Jesus and to develop a lasting relationship with God. We will seek to help children have the sponsorship needed to have access to educational opportunities. In addition to helping provide for nutritional development, we will seek to provide special funds for emergency medical needs.

7. Inclusively Minded – We commit to welcoming children from all religious and cultural backgrounds. As a nondenominational ministry, we are eager to work with the Christian community at large. Our goal is to unite and serve the Lord and the many expressions of His Body.

Statement of Faith

Charlie's Lunch adheres to the statement of faith established by the National Association of Evangelicals.

1. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

2. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

4. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

5. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

6. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

7. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.