This statement was given by Rachel Birkedal, ELCA Churchwide Assembly voting member representing the North Carolina Synod. Rachel shared this message during discussion period at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly (#ELCAcwa) prior to the passage of the ELCA’s #AMMPARO strategy.

“I served as a Young Adults in Global Mission – ELCA in Mexico and later as a Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) member with a free legal service provider to asylum seekers in the upper Midwest. In Mexico, my fellow YAGM have served at migrant shelters throughout the transit routines in Mexico. We have felt fear as we have watched migrants and our friends travel through Mexico, as they approach the border and ask for asylum.

Upon returning to the U.S., I have worked primarily with woman and children fleeing violence in the northern triangle of Central America and the networks that support them. My co-workers and I have sat at the table and held the stories of those seeking asylum. We have held the life stories of woman escaping domestic violence, youth who are persecuted for being young and unwilling to join one of the ruling gangs in their country, and so much more. Time after time we heard horrific stories and time and time again we have seen resilience and a fight that some how got them to our country to ask for safety.

There are countless obstacles that this vulnerable population face in their home countries, in transit and once in the US. Those who are in the process of migration or seeking asylum in our immigration court system need the community and the Church to continue to tell them that they are human; that they are valued, that their lives have meaning and that we will not leave them alone in an immigration system that is almost impossible to navigate with out support.

The work is not new. It is already being done. Those who work with migrants and asylum seekers have been touched by the lives we have encountered and I hope that if you haven’t found a way to feel connected, that this strategy will implement programs and advocacy that will allow you to be affected by the lives of your neighbors as I have been, and that the spirit will move us together to continue to provide refuge and “amparo” for those who desperately need it. For these reasons and more, I support the AMMPARO strategy. Que dios les bendiga. Gracias.”

Learn more about how the ELCA is Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation, and Opportunities: www.ELCA.org/AMMPARO

Large, multinational corporations controlling prices and driving down wages, masses of people too poor to afford basic goods, an economy that favors the wealthy, politicians and church leaders at the mercy of banks….1517 was quite a year!  So much has changed, so much remains the same.

Many people remember Martin Luther’s sharp critique of the abusive practices of the church, but few of us are as familiar with Luther’s equally sharp critique of the abusive economy of his day, an economy that made a few people wealthy and a lot of people poor.

At the 2015 “Forgotten Luther” conference in Washington, DC, theologians and historians shared this little-known side of Luther’s teachings.  The presenters described Luther’s critique of monopolies, price gouging, and greed. They showed the clear economic teachings in Luther’s Catechisms and the political side of his theology. They also shared Luther’s insistence that the church be part of the solution to injustice, a heritage that can still be seen today in the many ways Lutherans respond to poverty and hunger 500 years later.

ELCA World Hunger is proud to offer for free videos of each presentation from this important conference, as well as video interviews with each of the presenters. You can find all of the videos on the ELCA’s Vimeo channel at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021. The presentations were also collected into a short book, complete with discussion questions and other contributions from the conference organizers. You can purchase the book for only $15 from Lutheran University Press at http://www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Forgotten_Luther.

Here on the ELCA World Hunger blog this month, we will feature some highlights from this collection of resources.

In this interview, Dr. Samuel Torvend of Pacific Lutheran University talks about justification and justice, the experiences that shaped his own perspective, and how to reconcile Luther’s conservative positions with the Reformer’s progressive call for economic justice. Find this video and more at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

AUGUST RECESS IN D.C.: It’s summer recess at the Capitol, which means members of Congress have returned to their states and districts until after Labor Day. ELCA Advocacy shared a resource informing advocates about ways to take action as lawmakers set up town halls, constituent coffees and other events. As political candidates prepare for the 2017 election, ELCA Advocacy will share additional #ELCAvotes mobilizing resources.

ADVOCACY AT THE CHURCHWIDE ASSEMBLY: ELCA Advocacy will be present in a number of ways at this year’s Churchwide Assembly. Engagement with young adult attendees will focus on the ELCAvotes initiative to encourage civic participation and action to ensure all citizens have the right to vote, as well as to discuss the intersections of voting rights with racial, gender and economic justice. ELCA Advocacy will provide leadership at the Grace Gathering during workshops on Care for Creation, Human Trafficking and AMMPARO and in two Grace in Action afternoon events.

HOUSING PRIORITIES PASS CONGRESS: ELCA Advocacy applauded Congress for passing the Housing Opportunities Through Modernization Act on July 14. It was a top housing legislative priority for ELCA Advocacy and will help expand the reach and access of U.S. housing programs to extremely low-income families in the most need of assistance. ELCA Advocacy will be working to prepare more engagement on affordable housing and homeless assistance advocacy for 2017 and in the near future.

AMMPARO ADVOCACY – NEW BILL ADDRESSING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN CENTRAL AMERICA: The Secure the Northern Triangle Act was introduced in the House and the Senate. The bill provides a regional approach to addressing the humanitarian crisis of children and families being forced to flee their communities in Central America. It includes needed reforms to the U.S. immigration system that receives unaccompanied children and families while also providing guidance on how the U.S. should invest in Central America. ELCA Advocacy supports the regional approach to the bill but is concerned about providing resources to law enforcement agencies that violate human rights. See the full statement here.

ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT IN CENTRAL AMERICA: Last month, the Department of State announced an expansion to its in-country refugee processing program for Central Americans. The program, which previously allowed lawfully present parents living in the U.S. to only request refugee status for their minor children living in the Northern Triangle, will allow these parents to apply for their adult children. In addition, parents and family caregivers of children will be able to be considered for the program. To increase protection, the U.S. government will have the ability to provide protection in Costa Rica for children and their families going through the process who have an immediate need to leave their community. This announcement is a welcome step toward ensuring the safety of children and families in Central America.

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Ohio welcomed the 2016 Republican National Convention last month. Ohio also experienced political activism from across the spectrum throughout July to raise awareness about a variety of important issues. Advocates from around the state descended on Cleveland to lift up their voices on the issues most important to them. In early July, faith leaders, joined by the Rev. William Barber, leader of the Moral Mondays movement, spoke and delivered a call to a higher moral ground.

Also on July 9, Bishop Abraham Allende of the Northeastern Ohio Synod and others joined a march for immigration justice, recognizing our biblical call to welcome and show hospitality to the stranger. Once the convention got underway, many advocates participated in further demonstrations to show their support for Black Lives Matter, immigration and economic justice. Sometimes in a democracy we need public tension to advance the cause of justice. The demonstrators and police of Cleveland all did a great job embracing the tension respectfully and helping advance justice. For further information: HungerNetOhio.org.

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Pennsylvania – Tracey DePasquale, Director

www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

Texas–Samuel D. Brannon, Texas Impact

texasimpact.org

On Sunday morning, July 10, the phone rang at the Lutherhill Ministries camp and retreat center. Texas Impact, the Lutheran state Public Policy Office in Texas, was calling with an urgent question: “Would you be able to accommodate a group of 60 Muslim college students for a weekend retreat … next weekend?”

The Lone Star Council of the Muslim Students Association had reserved space for their annual leadership retreat at a different camp and conference center earlier in the summer, only to be told less than a week before the start of the retreat that they couldn’t go to that camp after all – because they weren’t Christians. The students reached out to Texas Impact for help, and Texas Impact staff members called Lutherhill.

Lutherhill sprang into action. They had a few things already scheduled for the upcoming weekend, including a wedding and a staff training session, but they quickly committed to welcoming the Muslim students with open arms and moved things and people around to make it work. “Our staff enjoyed the Lone Star student group,” said Matt Kindsvatter, executive director of Lutherhill Ministries. “They were one of the nicest groups we’ve ever hosted.”

A little Lutheran welcome can go a long way. Thank you, Lutherhill Ministries!

____________________

Wisconsin – Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

www.loppw.org

CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION: The Wisconsin Climate Table met again in July to strategize further how to build grassroots efforts to tip Wisconsin toward a commitment to diminish carbon dioxide emissions.

A bill to have the Wisconsin Department of Justice create posters with the Polaris hotline displayed and to make the posters known in key areas was passed into law. Polaris takes calls to help victims of human trafficking 24 hours per day. On July 28, a press conference at the Capitol launched a campaign to publicize the posters. LOPPW supported the bill, helped add an amendment to it, and was named as one of the partners at the press conference. A lot of work is needed to make this campaign work.

LOPPW/Cherish All Children’s Northwest Synod team (on left) held its second half-day conference on human trafficking, this time at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Superior. At the Superior conference, Bishop Rick Hoyme led devotions and later blessed the letters participants wrote to their participants. Our next event will be in Madison on Sept. 14.

ELCA WORLD HUNGER: LOPPW’s director and volunteer, Eleanor Siebert, attended the ELCA World Hunger gathering.  LOPPW made contact with members of hunger teams from three synods in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the event.

____________________

Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org

Large, multinational corporations controlling prices and driving down wages, masses of people too poor to afford basic goods, an economy that favors the wealthy, politicians and church leaders at the mercy of banks….1517 was quite a year!  So much has changed, so much remains the same.

Many people remember Martin Luther’s sharp critique of the abusive practices of the church, but few of us are as familiar with Luther’s equally sharp critique of the abusive economy of his day, an economy that made a few people wealthy and a lot of people poor.

At the 2015 “Forgotten Luther” conference in Washington, DC, theologians and historians shared this little-known side of Luther’s teachings.  The presenters described Luther’s critique of monopolies, price gouging, and greed. They showed the clear economic teachings in Luther’s Catechisms and the political side of his theology. They also shared Luther’s insistence that the church be part of the solution to injustice, a heritage that can still be seen today in the many ways Lutherans respond to poverty and hunger 500 years later.

ELCA World Hunger is proud to offer for free videos of each presentation from this important conference, as well as video interviews with each of the presenters. You can find all of the videos on the ELCA’s Vimeo channel at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021. The presentations were also collected into a short book, complete with discussion questions and other contributions from the conference organizers. You can purchase the book from Lutheran University Press at http://www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Forgotten_Luther.

Here on the ELCA World Hunger blog, we will feature some highlights from this collection of resources.

This week, Dr. Carter Lindberg talks about the relationship between charity and justice and how congregations can start to engage questions about the economy. Dr. Lindberg challenges congregations to enrich their charity with justice. See the full interview at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

CHICAGO (July 18, 2016) – In a July 15 letter addressed to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined more than 90 national Christian leaders with the Circle of Protection asking to meet with the candidates to discuss “plans for offering help and opportunity to hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world.”

“We are leaders of Christian communions, organizations and schools who care deeply about hunger and poverty, and we are praying for a president who shares that concern,” the letter reads.

The leaders emphasized that steps toward ending hunger and poverty “will require action by all sectors of society and by all the nations of the world.”

The Circle of Protection is a coalition of diverse Christian leaders that advocates for hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world.

The letter is available at http://bit.ly/2agyixy.

– – –

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.7 million members in more than 9,300 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

Group listening to Jamal a local community member and friend of Alton Sterling.

The recent shootings, arrests, custody and deaths of African American people by majority white law enforcement has become all too familiar. On any given day, a viral video becomes the breaking news story. Just days after the shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana a young African American man named Philando Castile took his last breaths live streamed on Facebook. The video footage captured by Castile’s fiancée, shows him fatally shot during a routine traffic stop.   A recent report compiled by a group of experts stated that too often people of African descent “experience discrimination in accessing justice, and face alarmingly high rates of police violence.” The shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile are not just about them alone. It is about the continuous lived experience of racial inequities inherent throughout the entire criminal justice system. It is about the communities of color that continue to cry out to be heard, set ablaze when they feel invalidated and march in protest as a sign of racial solidarity. City by city, the names may change (Tamir Rice, Sean Bell, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Grey and so many others) but the stories and the outpouring of despair from African American communities remain the same.

When it comes to racial and socioeconomic segregation, Baton Rouge is not unlike any other major U.S. city. Just pick a city… any city. Racial segregation driven by social, economic and political underpinnings have carved up American cities along racial lines. As a southern city, Baton Rouge, has a historical past of overt racial injustices put in place during the Jim Crow era of segregated laws. During the civil rights era, Baton Rogue’s black citizens staged the nation’s first bus boycott in 1953. In 1963 black residents attempted to integrate the city’s public park swimming pool. Their actions were met with so much resistance that the white establishment filled the pool with cement to deny access to blacks. Today the city still remains racially and socioeconomically divided. The racial composition of Baton Rouge is 55% black and 40% white. Florida Avenue, is the city’s main thoroughfare–it serves as a physical boundary between of racial and socioeconomic segregation. North of Florida Avenue is represented by the predominantly African American community. North of Florida avenue is the community of Alton Sterling. The homes aren’t as big. Employment scarce for many of the residents.   South of Florida Ave is primarily wealthy, white and suburban–the median income is $30,000 higher than that of the neighboring north of Florida avenue community.

In 2016, People of African descent globally, are still considered the most marginalized among racial groups. Limited access to quality education, health services, housing, social security and experiences of mass incarceration are a common reality. Statistically, African American males are six times more likely to experience incarceration than white males. Racial disparities exist within every aspect of the criminal justice system through racial profiling, biased enforcement, length and terms of sentencing and the option of treatment. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is called to be church together for the sake of the world. We have confessed and committed to confront racism in the social statement Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity & Culture adopted by the 1993 ELCA Churchwide assembly and The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries social statement adopted at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide assembly. The ELCA has confessed that racism (structures of power and privilege that favor whites as a whole and disproportionately causes harm to people and communities of color) pervasively infects and affects all aspects of U.S. society. The ELCA has confessed that “persistent inequalities based on race, ethnicity, gender and class, frequently challenge the [criminal] justice system’s implementation of –and perhaps even its commitment to basic principles of justice.”

In response to the shooting of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, this church of three expressions, (churches, synods & Churchwide organization) heard the call to be a ministry of presence in community during this time of trial in our nation. A delegation from the Churchwide organization traveled to Baton Rouge to meet with synodical and congregational leaders on the ground. Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast synod Bishop Michael Rhinehart, Rev. Blair Lundborg, Assistant to the Bishop, Rev. Chris Markert Director for Evangelical Mission, Pastor Robin McCullough-Bade, Executive Director of the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rogue, Rev. Mike Button of St Paul Lutheran in Baton Rouge, Rev. Kim Little-Brooks, Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Baton Rouge. Rev. Nancy Andrews, conference dean and interim pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in New Orleans. From the Churhwide office, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Rev. Dr. Stephen Bouman, Domestic Mission Unit Executive, Rev. Albert Starr, Director for Multicultural Ministries/African Descent Ministries, Rev. Brenda Smith, Program Director for Faith Practices and the Book of Faith & Judith Roberts, Program Director for Racial Justice.

We gathered together as a church of three expressions to respond to a national crisis that has rocked the city of Baton Rouge and rippled across this country. The first response from the Chuchwide office was to support synod leadership on the ground through prayer and conversation in Baton Rogue. The shooting of Alton Sterling, is not the first time synod Bishop Michael Rhinehart has responded to headline news story involving a person of color and violent encounters with law enforcement. On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old African American woman was arrested, detained and found dead three days later in a jail cell in Waller, Texas after a routine traffic stop. The Bland family and so many voices across the country continue to grieve, seek answers and accountability in her death. Bishop Rhinehart remains present in community prayer vigils in remembrance of Sandra Bland.

We believed that as a church sent for the sake of the world–the ministry of presence is about showing up in the community. Presence is also about accompaniment; we came to listen to voices and stories from the community. The third step is to discern where and how God is calling the church to respond. Domestic Mission Unit Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Stephen Bouman knows about the need for the church to respond. Bouman served as Bishop of Metro N.Y synod during the attacks on the World Trade Center. “I learned the importance of the ministry of presence after the towers fell in New York. Two things happen by instinct. We wanted to pray and ritualize.  We didn’t want to be alone. To have caring human beings show up and the share the heat of the day is a deep spiritual gift. Incarnation means the real God takes on real flesh in the real world. The message of presence is that God is there. The message of persistent presence is that God will not leave until healing begins.” said Bouman.

Our first stop in Baton Rouge, was at the Triple S convenience store at the site of the shooting of Alton Sterling. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a young man named Jamal. He appeared to be in his mid-30’s— close in age to Alton Sterling. Jamal has been holding vigil at the site since the shooting on July 5, 2016. We experience his heartfelt welcome. It is evident that this isn’t his first conversation with strangers. He recounts the events of that day in great detail. Two large murals in the image of Alton Sterling have been spray painted on the Triple S convenience store exterior. A table adorned with flower, photos and mementos replace the music Cd’s that Alton Sterling once sold. Soon, we are greeted by other African American men ranging in age from teenagers to older adults.   Full time, gainful employment seems scarce for many adult black males’ north of Florida avenue. The men stop and talk with us about the day of the shooting, relationships with local law enforcement and the feelings of despair within the community. Rev. Brenda Smith reflects that, “Going to Baton Rouge reinforced that sometimes—all people need to know is that you are listening. Whether that is in sharing pain or what they think should happen next…. or reflecting on the past experiences of racism. People need an outlet. The situation may not change immediately but you can sense the feeling of relief.”

Our day on the ground in Baton Rouge continued with a meeting with Bishop Robert W. Muench of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, followed by an ecumenical gathering with local clergy. Our experiences ranged from prayers that were offered to conversations about racial reconciliation. Bishop Rhinehart thanked the team for traveling to Baton Rouge. He said, “It was a blessing to be accompanied by and feel the support of Bishop Eaton and members of the Churchwide Organization. We felt the presence of the whole church with us.”

A few short days following our trip to Baton Rouge, our experience would be overshadowed by the killing of 3 Baton Rouge police officers on a Sunday morning by a lone African American male shooter. Again the city was confronted with violence, law enforcement and race once again. News of the Baton Rouge, shooting came on the heels of a sniper attack in Dallas, TX that killed 5 officers and left several wounded just days earlier. Again, bringing the nation to confront race relations, violence and law enforcement. On Saturday, July 23, 2016—the ELCA in all three expressions, in the ministry of presence joined the people of Dallas, TX for a prayer vigil service in honor of the slain officers.

These last few days and weeks, have been trying times in this nation. Lately the pain and images of death and violence have become all to consuming for too many of us. Yet in this time of grief, frustration and confusion, I am reminded even more of the power of presence and the witness of the church. The words were spoken clearly from a street preacher at the Triple S convenience store in Baton Rouge. He said, “The church must be present in the streets. It cannot simply protect buildings and watch over offering plates.” The power of a ministry of presence isn’t just about going to transform it is also about being transformed through relationships guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jamal at the Triple S Convenience Store. T-shirt reads “Brothers Throw Down Your Guns!
Jesus Died For Us All. His Blood Was Enough.”

Please welcome Ruth Ivory-Moore to ELCA Advocacy! Ruth has joined our team as Program Director for Environment and Energy Policy! Ruth brings a background and careers in chemical engineering, and as a corporate legal counsel. Her legal specialties including climate change, commercial, contracts, environmental, and antitrust law. Ruth believes that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose…” (NKJV Romans 8:28).   She feels that serving in the Environment and Energy Policy position is a blessing from God allowing her to use her diverse background to address critical issues.

As I walk down the sidewalk to find a place to eat lunch not far from the steps of the Capitol, I notice a squirrel that is leisurely sitting on the back of one of the benches. As I pass within three feet of him, he does not flinch or attempt to flee. Our eyes meet. He looks very content, as if to say “join me if you like, but I am here to stay.” I elect to walk passed my animal friend to another bench that is well positioned under majestic shade trees. The temperature must be approaching 100^oF, but there is a nice breeze that makes one forget the sweltering heat.

I begin to eat my lunch, and I notice black and gray colored birds scampering around and flying between trees. They seem to be at peace and happy. For a moment, I forget about the headline news: unrest across the waters; turmoil in our communities; and racial tensions that continue to exist. I marvel at God’s creations (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16). I marvel at the synchronization; the synergy; and the beauty.

But then reality hits. I am reminded that this squirrel and those birds are so content; the trees are providing shade; the wind provides cooling; all in nature working in harmony. They have no concern about the damage that climate change is doing to the environment. I am who needs to be concerned.

God calls on us to care for and protect all of creation. Should we not embrace this responsibility?

Nowhere is this calling more important than in our work toward eliminating the causes of, mitigating the impact of, and implementing adaption measures for addressing climate change. While resolving to address climate change impacts on creation is not hard, the path toward a solution appears monumental. This is a challenge not seen by humankind before. A few recent news items help to shed some light on the complexity of the challenges our country faces in trying to develop innovations that will also address climate change:

Last year, Hawaii pledged to convert to 100 percent renewable power by 2045. The path to accomplishing this has not been mapped out. One major obstacle identified is the current power grid. Renewables will produce excess power and the grid was not designed to handle this excess energy.  How is this excess power to be stored for later use?

The current Administration is attempting to make it financially easier to purchase zero emissions vehicles, that is, electric cars. But how does one really get to zero emissions? The electricity used to power these vehicles is produced by generators that are predominately fueled by fossil fuels. Renewable fuels account for only about 13% of the electricity generated.

Other areas to consider not in the news include:

What does global travel look like in a renewables world? How are passenger airplanes to be fueled? The fuel cell needed would be too heavy.

What alternatives are needed to transition the use of everyday things made from hydrocarbons derived from fossil fuels that go into making items such as cosmetics, clothing, and medical supplies; food items such as artificial ripening of fruit; and food grade polymers for chewing gum base?

How is the displaced worker and the community whose livelihood (existence) depends on fossil fuels to survive? How do we help them to transition to other technologies?

These are only a few items to consider, which makes the task at hand daunting. But we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to God’s purpose (Romans 8:28). In carrying out God’s mandate to be stewards we must take care of all creation, not leaving anyone or anything behind. Now is a time for action that entails us using our God given intelligence and skills to devise solutions to address climate change from every angle.

This blog originally appeared on the Huffington Post Impact site: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ryan-p-cumming/end-hunger-the-single-mos_b_11136672.html.

A few years ago, I was at the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa, for the Borlaug Dialogues, an annual international conference on food security, agriculture, and food science. Representatives from NGOs, businesses, local communities, and national governments offered their solutions to hunger around the world, from encouraging young agri-entrepreneurs to shipping fish heads to Africa. There was no end to creative (and, at times, dubious) solutions to world hunger.

What is the right answer? Maybe, like many at the Borlaug Dialogues argued, the solution is to increase agricultural output, since we have too many people and not enough food. On the other hand, some argue that we already produce more than enough for everyone, so food waste is the real issue. Maybe the answer lies in the science of GMOs that can “save the world from hunger, if we let them.” Perhaps the solution is more straightforward—give hungry people peanut butter. Or, it could involve transforming economic opportunity through social enterprise, the “only” solution to global poverty according to the author of that article. And so on and so on.

About the only thing most folks seem to agree on is that the answer isn’t more relief but more development. Figuring out which path toward development to take, though, is another matter. Even the best routes aren’t perfect. Increasing agricultural output doesn’t address rampant food waste. Developing more GMO seeds doesn’t address lack of clean water or lack of jobs. Microlending can provide huge benefits, but it doesn’t work everywhere and doesn’t work everywhere in the same way.

But there is a single step we can take to end hunger for good around the world and in our own communities: listening to one another. Too often, the “solutions” to hunger and poverty come down from the “top,” rather than rising up from the ground. Those of us in developed countries are moved by the problems we see in developing nations and bring our own solutions to bear in communities that are not our own. At its worst, this feeds the sort of “savior complex” on prominent display recently in the controversy over Louise Linton’s new memoir. At its best, this top-down model proffers solutions that simply don’t work.

The kind of meaningful listening that builds relationships between and within communities helps solutions arise that are effective and sustainable. This model “challenges one-sided, top-down, and donor-recipient approaches…and emphasizes the need for developing mutual relationships in which all are considered teachers and learners,” says Rev. Dr. Philip Knutson, the regional representative of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Southern Africa. Knutson warns that without cultivating relationships through listening, development projects can lose sight of context and “may be short-sighted, benefiting some but excluding others.”

Fyness Phiri of Chithope Village

When listening is authentic, though, programs can respond to a host of needs, including practical needs for economic empowerment and personal needs like recognition of self-dignity. In Malawi, the Evangelical Lutheran Development Service (ELDS), supported in part by the ELCA through ELCA World Hunger, is working with women and men to build community and overcome the challenges of hunger and poverty. (ELDS is the diaconate arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi, led by Bishop Joseph Bvumbwe.) Fyness Phiri, one of the participants in the “Livelihoods Improvement and Empowerment Project,” recalls, “I was one of the poorest people in the village…before ELDS introduced this project.” Fyness used to ask her neighbors for money to buy food for herself, her husband, and their four children.

At a community meeting in 2013, Fyness joined other women to start a village savings and loan group. After some training and community-building meetings with ELDS, the group gave out its first loans. Fyness and the other women were able to start small businesses and purchase seeds and fertilizers for their farms. Eventually, the start-up money helped Fyness produce enough food to feed her family, pay back her loan, and sell some of her surplus at market. “Since I joined the project,” she says, “my life has completely changed. I have food in my house, and I’m able to send my children to school. Because of the knowledge [I’ve gained], I will be able to continue and help others even if the project phases out.” Because ELDS invested in the community and the relationships formed among the women, the impact is not only sustainable but replicable.

Extension worker Chesterman Kumwenda demonstrates how to use a treadle pump.

Microlending worked wonders for the women in Fyness’ village, but for Charles Chikwatu’s community, the problem was not access to funds but lack of water for their fields. Charles and other participants worked together to learn how to use efficient treadle pumps to increase the land they could tend for maize and tomatoes. The benefits of the new method are huge, Charles says: “I easily find money through sale of my crops [and] I have managed using the money from irrigation to send my children to secondary school. I have also started a grocery with the money from this farming.”

New irrigation systems wouldn’t help Fyness, who didn’t even have money for seeds. A village savings and loan wouldn’t have helped Charles’ community address lack of access to water. But by listening closely, ELDS helped Fyness, Charles, and their communities transform their own situations.

And because of this, the benefits extend far beyond the immediate needs for food, according to Knutson. “[C]ollaboration between individual members in a community has enabled the individuals and the community to gain in knowledge and confidence to leverage other benefits enabling them to start new business and advocate for government support for local clinics and other rural development projects,” he says.

New, creative solutions to hunger and poverty abound, and many offer much promise. When these are employed in the context of relationships where participants become leaders and vision is built from the ground up, effective action can take root and grow. Sometimes, the answer is reducing waste. In some places, the answer is increased production. With some groups, the answer is enterprise. But in every time, place, and case, the best response is to listen.

Photos: Gazeli Phiri and Dickens Mtonga, courtesy of ELDS

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is program director of hunger education with ELCA World Hunger.  He can be reached at Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

This summer, interns with the ELCA churchwide organization had an opportunity to visit Cross Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The interns were welcome by Pastor Michelle Townsend de Lopez who highlighted Cross’s history and the congregation’s diverse ministries. One of the ministries that Pastor Michelle highlighted was Cross’s “Bread of Healing Empowerment Ministry.” Through this ministry, a weekly food pantry is held at Cross, where 200 bags of perishable goods are distributed to those living in poverty. In addition, every Wednesday at Cross, 300 people receive hot meals. We happened to be there for the meal and got an opportunity to be present with community members. It was humbling to see the church and the community come together. Cross Lutheran Church does not just feed people physically, but they offer the opportunity for guests to be fed spiritually through a weekly Bible study. Through Bible study, people share testimonies, sing and encourage one another.

Another ministry that Pastor Michelle highlighted was Cross Lutheran’s jobs program (featured in the video mentioned above.) This ministry is supported in part through ELCA World Hunger’s Domestic Hunger Grants program. Through their job ministries, Cross Lutheran Church addresses the problem of unemployment in the community by helping individuals discover their own strengths in the midst of personal and economic challenges.. For some, this means transcending challenging circumstances and learning various skills through job training. They are then accompanied as they find employment. The story of one participant, Kenneth, was featured in a recent video from ELCA World Hunger and is a perfect example of how your gifts are supporting our neighbors in Milwaukee as they become food secure.

Visiting Cross Lutheran Church was a great experience for us to see the important work ELCA World Hunger supports here in the United States. What is more, it also helped put into perspective the ways people of faith can respond to large challenges like unemployment by supporting our neighbors as they steer their own development and regain a strong sense of self-worth.

Shubira Bocko is an intern with ELCA World Hunger, working with the Hunger Education team.

ELCA Advocacy is encouraged by provisions in “Secure the Northern Triangle Act”

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Advocacy Office (ELCA Advocacy) is encouraged by the regional protection focus on migration in the Secure the Northern Triangle Act (S. 3106/H.R. 5850). The bill, introduced in the Senate by Senator Harry Reid (NV) with a companion legislation introduced in the House of Representatives by U.S. Reps. Zoe Lofgren (CA) and Eliot L. Engel (NY), acknowledges that children and families from Central America are in need of humanitarian protection and outlines steps for U.S. and Central American governments to improve the systems put in place to protect vulnerable populations. The bill also conditions U.S. financial support to Central American governments on progress made to improve their efforts to protect human rights.

Thanks to the expertise of organizations and churches that the ELCA accompanies throughout the region, we know that U.S. funding can have a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable communities when it involves their voices and honors their concerns.

ELCA Advocacy remains concerned about providing U.S. resources to enforcement agencies that have not demonstrated an increased focus on human rights and humanitarian protection. Our partners in Central America continue to report grave human rights violations by representatives of the same agencies to whom this bill would provide training and resources. More broadly, we are troubled by the lack of wide civil society involvement in the Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle mentioned in the bill.

Testimonies from our partners who describe the immense humanitarian gap in Mexico are sobering. Migrants, especially women and children, face incredible violence perpetrated by multiple actors, including law enforcement agents.  We would welcome stronger human rights conditions for funding to Mexico.

The ELCA affirms that “earthly peace is built on the recognition of the unity and goodness of created existence, the oneness of humanity, and the dignity of every person” (ELCA social statement, “For Peace in God’s World”). Through the relationships we have built while accompanying organizations and churches in Central America and Mexico, we know that the only way to effectively address the displacement of children and families is by protecting those displaced while simultaneously seeking to address the issues driving people to flee their communities. We are pleased that this bill addresses both issues and look forward to working with Congress to bring our faithful perspective to legislation affecting children and families from Central America.