Pastor camps out on fast food rooftop for African orphans

A pastor in New Mexico has started a week of living on the roof of a local restaurant to raise awareness and funds for children in need and orphans in Africa.

The Rev Dr Michael Hattabaugh started his camp out on top of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Albuquerque on Monday as part of the "Get Mike Down" project to remind people that millions of children need "a roof over their heads".

"It is hard to wrap your arms around 15 million orphans [in Africa]," said Hattabaugh, director of the National Day of Care. "That's bigger than a lot of states in the United States. That's like eight New Mexico's just full of orphans. It is just hard to grasp that.

"So I thought if I lived on a roof that is how people will get their arms wrapped around the idea," explained the founding pastor of Gathering Church in Farmington, New Mexico. "It is a good connection. People ask why are you doing this and I use it draw people's attention."

Hattabaugh's rooftop project was inspired by a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade he saw on TV a couple of years ago where one of the band member spent an afternoon on top of the band hall roof to raise funds for the band. He thought he could apply the same idea to raise funds for orphans and live for a longer period of time on the roof.

"Some crazy guy living on a roof waving at people will hopefully get people's attention long enough so we can convey the message," the New Mexico pastor said. "We have so much and it would take so little to really make a huge impact on the continent of Africa if we would just do a little bit."

For $3, a person can buy a mosquito net and save someone from malaria. It costs about $1,000-$1,500 to dig a well in a small community that could provide children at an orphanage with clean drinking water.

"It just takes so little. It is sort of like out-of-sight, out-of-mind and we just want to bring awareness," Hattabaugh said.

"15 million orphans on one continent has never ever happened before," he emphasised.

While on the roof, the National Day of Care director will live in a tent, use a chemical toilet, and possibly use a solar shower if weather permits. If it is too cold, Hattabaugh said he plans to use a lot of deodorant and change his clothes often instead of taking showers while on the roof. Chick-fil-A has offered to feed him.

A wireless security camera will be stationed on the roof where Chick-fil-A customers below can see what Hattabaugh is doing.

"We really encourage everyone reading this to get involved in some way through us or something they are already involved in or through their local church because it is really a cry of desperation and these kids really need to hear from us," Hattabaugh urged.

The goal is to raise $200,000 of which half will go to Carrie Tingley Hospital in Albuquerque - a pediatric orthopedic rehabilitation centre for children, adolescents and families. The other half will go to the National Day of Care.

God-willing, Hattabaugh will remain on the Chik-fil-A roof until November 18.

The National Day of Care is an annual observance promoted in the United States one day in February with the purpose of mobilising a response to global humanitarian crises.

The initial focus is to provide assistance to the over 15 million orphans and victims of Aids in Africa. The National Day of Care is also involved in assisting orphans, vulnerable children, and victims of Aids in the United States and around the world, as well as disaster relief. It also sponsors "Get Mike Down".

"It (Get Mike Down) is something everyone can get behind. It is cross-denomination, across places we might never agree, but on this we agree - that we must rise up as Christ commanded us to help widows and orphans and that is what true religion looks like."

This is the third time Hattabaugh has done a roof project in New Mexico.

The National Day of Care will be held in February 10, 2008.

On the Web: To hold a "Get Mike Down" in your community or for more information, visit www.getmikedown.com