About Us
Our meaning
Fast 58 is named after, and inspired by, a biblical passage in the book of Isaiah, chapter 58, a call for social justice spoken thousands of years ago, a call which modern society has yet to heed:
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"This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am." (Isaiah 58:6-9)
Our Story
Fast 58 was formed in October 2009, and was registered as a charity in September 2010, but it has a much longer history, with its members having been involved in street outreach for many years before.
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The outreach started in 1990 with a small group of family and friends who had recently came to faith in Christ. During a time of prayer, five members of the group had the same vision of a harvest field which seemed to be endless. After further prayer and bible study, the Lord showed us two key scriptures: Isaiah 58:6-12 and Matthew 25:34-43.
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This vision inspired us to step out of our comfort zones and reach out to homeless and needy people in the Waterloo area. At that time, we provided home-made sandwiches, hot tea, and words of faith and hope. Soon, the number of volunteers grew rapidly, and so did the number of lives that were being touched by the Lord's ministry.
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Over the next three years, new links will be formed with different external organisations with a focus on four main areas of ministry: youth, the elderly, the poor, and those with medical or health needs. Training days will be organised for members to raise their level of awareness and involvement with disadvantaged and marginalised groups. Other projects will be embarked on, addressing the needs of disadvantaged people in our communities.
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If you share our vision and Christian ethos we would love to hear from you!