Allow me to introduce myself. My name is David Creech and I am the new Director of Global Hunger Education at the ELCA Churchwide Office. I am just finishing up (hopefully) my PhD in Theology, with an emphasis in New Testament and early Christianity. I am excited to participate in that long stream of Christian tradition that looks out for widows and orphans, or, in our context, the most vulnerable people in our global village.
The Gospels tell us that Jesus came announcing that the kingdom of God had arrived. Its coming meant that the poor would hear the good news, the sick would be healed, and the hungry would be fed. Throughout his ministry Jesus invited his disciples to join him in living out the kingdom. The first followers of Jesus were notorious for their care of the orphan and the widow. Greek and Roman authors mercilessly ridiculed the early Christians for their naïve (and self-sacrificing) attention given to the most vulnerable persons in the Roman Empire. 2,000 years later the Church is still called to live out the kingdom of God by meeting the needs of those who are most desperate.
Today, the most vulnerable in our global village are the chronically hungry. Though the statistics may be familiar, they are worth repeating:
The numbers are staggering. They can be paralyzing. They call the Church to be and do what it has historically been and done. I am so thrilled to be a part of that mission and I look forward to conversations with all who want to see God’s kingdom here on earth.
The following was written by Emily Davila, Assistant Director, Lutheran Office for World Community.
I visited on of my heroes last Thursday. I had heard that Ken Peterson, from NE Minnesota, was being moved to hospice care, so I decided to make a pastoral call.
If you don’t know Ken, let me tell you a few things. He has been working for social justice since the mid-60’s. He once said that he felt the tug of the Spirit when he took a bus ride through the south and heard a young Black man talk about freedom and dreams. I will always think of Ken as a red (flannel shirt) liberal. Who would think you would find one in the woods of Northern Minnesota. Ken loves Jesus, the Bible, and the church, probably in that order. He has farmed his entire life on land that his grandfather homesteaded and that has never been tainted by human concocted chemicals. He is loved by his family, friends and nearly anyone who has ever met him. He is the salt of the earth.
Ken told me the best time he had working to end hunger was in the 1980’s touring Minnesota, city by city, in nearly revival style. His small group told the stories and encouraged stodgy Minnesotans to remember Jesus’ call to care for the poor. In that trip they met over 800 people who committed to helping the cause.
I spent about an hour with Ken laughing (he has not lost his humor), crying, telling stories and, for me, gaining more wisdom. I asked him what advice he might have for the rest of us, especially for someone who might be just entering justice oriented ministry. He thought for a moment and then said, “work for peace”. He went on to say that unless we can achieve peace we will never be able to fully conquer hunger. With his signature smile he said, “you know the peace I mean, the peace that passes all understanding!” I sense he was talking about peace within the minister (lay or ordained) as well as in the world.
He complained that his eyes keep watering alot, as where mine, and we prayed. I wish I had been able to spend more time with this hero of mine, both last week and through life. I cherish what I was given. I am now thinking that I need to find other heroes and be intentional in sitting in their presence. Keep Ken and his family in your prayers.
Rodger
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is currently running two ads on the Travel Channel. You can view them here. According to the ELCA News Service:
“‘We hope that through television, billboards and printmedia, members of the
ELCA will be equipped to own and tell this church’s story, the story of what God
is doing in us and through us for the sake of the world,’ Bangert said.”
We in ELCA World Hunger especially like these two ads because in addition to telling what it means to be Lutheran, they also demonstrate that there are many ways to approach the problem of hunger. Again, from the ELCA News Service:
“One television spot — “Hope” — shows a woman quizzing her daughter as they
walk along a road near Yeumbeul, Senegal. It highlights Senegal Lutheran
Mission, which teaches women how to start their own businesses.The other spot — “Dignity” — opens with workers setting tables in a fancy
restaurant. The “restaurant” is actually Trinity Lutheran Church, Bismarck,
N.D., and volunteers are preparing a banquet for homeless neighbors.”
I’ve written before about the importance of girls education to reducing poverty and hunger. Teaching women how to start their own businesses falls along the same lines and addresses the 3rd Millennium Development Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women. Poverty is disproportionately prevalent among female-headed households. In many places, patriarchal societies make it difficult for women to own property, find work, or participate in decisions that effect them. Thus marginalized, they lack the means to provide for themselves or their children.
On the other hand, women who are able to earn their own incomes have more choices and greater ability to lift themselves out of poverty. What’s more, this ability typically spills over to their children. Educated women are better positioned to tend to their children’s health and educational needs, thus raising a future generation that is also healthier and more skilled. Beyond education, women with their own income have greater access to resources, and more power in their communities. The work the ELCA is doing in Senegal and other places to help women start their own businesses is critically important to ending hunger.
The ad about serving a meal to homeless neighbors is another part of the fight to end hunger. Education is critically important, but when you’re hungry right now, simply eating is top priority. Without adequate food and nutrition, people are more vulnerable to illness, lack the calories to physically move through the day, and are less able to concentrate. Is it any wonder that hungry people are unable to work and, without work, unable to pay for shelter? In such cases, food aid is just as important as longer-term solutions like education. Again, the work of the ELCA is critically important to ending hunger.
It’s a lot to think about during that next commercial break.
-Nancy Michaelis