The headlines about rising food prices around the globe are sobering. The World Bank reports that wheat prices are up 200% since 2000 and overall food prices are up 75%. The increases are causing difficulty as people spend an ever-larger portion of their income on food. As usual, the poorest are hit the hardest. Meager incomes never went far, and when the cost of bread doubles, they can buy even less. In some places, people are protesting in the streets, as demonstrated by recent riots in Indonesia and Burkina Faso.

There are several converging reasons behind the increase of world food prices, including greater global demand, adverse weather affecting crop production, and the diversion of grain from food to biofuel. I recently ran across a nice explanation of these factors and their consequences. Check out the BBC Food Series. There are four video clips covering food supply stories in different parts of the world, and the top right of the page has links to several other related articles. (The link to the Chicago video clip is misdirected but you can get to it here.) If you’re wanting an quick education or need to explain the situation to others, this is a great place to start!

Looking for something you can do to help the planet and make a statement about resource consumption? Turn off all of your lights on March 29 from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. It’s Earth Hour!

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, where residents and businesses (including the iconic Opera House) turned off their lights for one hour. According to the Earth Hour web site, the result was the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year!

This year the effort is going global. There are thousands of people from all over the world who have signed up to turn off their lights. Won’t you join me?

Several conversations in the past few days have left me thinking about this word: accompaniment. I use that word a lot, because it is the term we use to describe the model through which the ELCA partners with our neighbors around the world who are engaged in efforts to fight hunger and end extreme poverty. To me, it means acknowledging that no one knows better about the root causes of poverty than the person experiencing it him- or herself. It means letting go of a “take it or leave it” attitude, and embracing an attitude of service in a very real way. It means that I’m not “the decider” when it comes to how my gifts for God’s work will be used, but that those whose lives will be changed through the work ought to be leading and shaping it. It means that those gifts were not really mine to begin with…but they rightfully belong to God. Isn’t there a saying along those lines? Letting go and letting God…

P.S. The next time you have 38 minutes free, check out the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla’s comments on accompaniment – there’s a video available here (you need to have RealPlayer installed)…it’s kinda long, but good info.

The following statistics caught my attention this weekend:

• The World Health Organization says a person needs 50 liters of water each day to meet basic human needs.
• The average person in the U.S. uses 300 to 378 liters per day.

If I had a little pie chart of my own use, I’m guessing the shower would account for the biggest slice. I do love a steamy shower in the winter! The kitchen sink and the toilet are probably next, except on laundry days. I wonder how many other uses would be in that chart. And I wonder just how much bigger the shower slice would be. I wonder how egregiously clean I am.

I’m working on the Pentecost 2008 edition of Congregation Connections, the 12-page biannual resource that links ELCA World Hunger, worship and congregational life. A two-page spread in this edition looks at ways to help congregations, families, and individuals make plans in the summer in order to enjoy a simpler and more meaningful Advent and Christmas. This will morph into a summer article for Seeds for the Parish.

A big part of that planning centers on Christmas giving viz-a-viz Christmas presents. Please share your alternative-giving ideas, suggestions, and experience with me by commenting here or e-mailing hunger@elca.org

Here are snippets from the Congregation Connections for a start. The sentences in bold signal where I’m especially looking for comments. Rest assured that ELCA Good Gifts (World Hunger and beyond) and LWR Fair Trade Projects are lifted up as key alternative-giving strategies.
God bless us, everyone! Sue

UNWRAP YOUR PRESENT THINKING
Help participants initiate conversations about Christmas giving and share their plans with family and friends.

• Think about Christmas-present giving. What do participants feel is “expected” of them? What was their all-time favorite gift? What gifting strategies have they employed in their family (e.g., drawing names)?
• Brainstorm alternatives to store-bought presents. Strategize antidotes to “too much.”
• Make a pact to give up mall and mega-mart shopping during Advent.
• Encourage participants to let family and friends know what they are giving this Christmas (e.g., prayer, gift-donations, gifts of time or food). It is also respectful to share ideas about what you’d like to receive. “Don’t give me anything,” for example, is not as helpful as “Please don’t give me a thing…I’d much rather receive a gift-donation, the gift of your time, or a hand-written letter.” Consider sending an ELCA Good Gifts catalog to folks who want to remember you at Christmas.

“I WANT SOMETHING TO WRAP*” GIFT IDEAS (Please share your alternative gift ideas…whether they can be wrapped or not.)
Light a candle and say a prayer for your gift recipient(s), then wrap up the candle and a copy of the prayer.
For ELCA Good Gifts, wrap up a representative stuffed animal for the youngest member of the family to receive your gift donation to God’s Global Barnyard. Likewise, wrap small-and-useful representations of other gift donations (e.g., a dust pan for a gift donation to ELCA Disaster Response).
Box and wrap a card or hand-written letter to announce your gift donation.
Wrap up consumables, something that can be readily eaten or used (e.g., Fair Trade chocolate and coffee, homemade treats, postage stamps).
Give pre-owned or no-buy gifts: share a gift from your home (e.g., dish, photo, ornament); personalize free calendars with important dates; wrap up garage-sale finds.

Thanks! Sue-s

Passing on this important information from our friends at Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Sue

Lutheran Volunteer Corps Now Seeking Applications for 2008-2009!

Application deadlines for the 2008-2009 program year are right around the corner! Applications are received on a rolling basis with the following deadlines: March 14 and May 1. Download an application today from www.LutheranVolunteerCorps.org/Volunteers.htm. Please contact Kelly Shinn, Recruitment Coordinator, at 202-387-3222 or Recruitment@LutheranVolunteerCorps.org with questions or for more information.

Lutheran Volunteer Corps is a full-time program that offers people a one-year opportunity for spiritual and personal exploration while working for social justice, living in intentional community and simplifying their lifestyles.
Volunteers are matched with non-profit organizations in Baltimore, MD; Wilmington, DE; Washington, DC; Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN; Seattle and Tacoma, WA; and the SF Bay Area, CA.
Volunteers receive health insurance, time off for retreats and vacation, and a stipend to cover basic living and personal expenses. Most positions also qualify for student loan deferment and a $4,725 AmeriCorps Education Grant.
Members of Lutheran Volunteer Corps unite their time and talents with the time and talents of society’s marginalized people. LVC volunteers work in such areas as AIDS/HIV, addiction and recovery, anti-racism, children and youth, community development, education, employment, the environment, food and hunger, GLBT rights, health care, housing and homelessness, immigration and refugees, international solidarity, legal assistance, and peace.
Most positions are entry level, requiring little or no previous experience except flexibility, a passion for social justice, and a sense of humor!
Finally, LVC is on a Journey to an Inclusive Community, forming and strengthening alliances among people of many cultures and communities, and intentionally dismantling racism within LVC, the church, and society. As a Reconciling in Christ organization, LVC welcomes and encourages the participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people in all aspects of LVC. LVC volunteers come from a wide variety of faith backgrounds, and do not need to be Lutheran to serve. Married and committed partners are welcome to apply. While there is no upper age limit, volunteers should be at least 21 to participate.

The Gospel text for Sunday, March 8, “The Raising of Lazarus,” is found in John 11:1–45. This has been one of my favorite texts for years, ever since I edited an LWT article. The author* wrote something along the lines of “Jesus saved Lazarus from premature death. Unlike Jesus, Lazarus will die again. As followers of Jesus, that’s our challenge, too…to save our neighbors from premature death.

Until that day, this text spoke to me about what Jesus could do (raise people from the dead) and what Jesus was about to do (head to Jerusalem and the cross). Now, when I hear this passage of Scripture I also hear a reminder of what I can do. I am response-able for helping to save my neighbor from premature death.

Premature death: One child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes. The average life expectancy of a female in Zimbabwe is 37 years; the average life expectancy of a female in the United States is 80 years.**

Life-saving difference: Literacy programs teach parents how to read, and scholarship programs help their children attend graduate from primary school and beyond; wells and reservoirs bring life-giving water to whole communities; animal and agriculture projects help families put food on the table and money in the bank. ELCA domestic hunger grants help congregations, organizations, and ministries help neighbors close to home meet today’s needs and build a better future.

Response-able: We can give generously to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. We can send advocacy e-mails. We can donate our time and volunteer. Throughout the year we can link our congregations to ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Response.

With God’s grace and spirit: Our eyes open to the needs around us. Our arms open to embrace neighbors we’ll never meet. Our hearts open to care about the people behind the statistics. Our imaginations open to see the possibilities of God. Our hands open in service and generosity.

*I believe the author to be the Rev. Phyllis Kersten, but my sources are unavailable for confirmation.
**The appendices at the back of Bread for the World Institute’s annual reports are a great source for statistical information.

How fun! Visit the link the link below to see how St. Luke’s Lutheran in Muskegon, Michigan has “webbified” the ELCA World Hunger 40-day plus calendar for congregational use during Lent. Thanks to Phil O. for passing this information on; feedback on resources is very helpful! Share what’s working (or not working) in your congregation by posting a comment here or sending an e-mail to hunger@elca.org Blessings! Sue-s

This Lent we are using the 40 day plus calendar with the offering banks. We are using the recommended table prayers at our church meals each week and have incorporated it into our website (http://www.stlukesnortonshores.com/html/40_days_world_hunger.html) It has been well received and a great tool.
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church
Muskegon, Michigan

I’m in Wausau, Wisconsin where I’ve had the great pleasure of hearing Pastor Lisandro Orlov speak today. Pastor Lisandro is from Argentina and is the Latin American regional coordinator for the Lutheran World Federation HIV/AIDS campaign. He said a lot of intriguing and challenging things about the relationship between the church and those in the world who are stigmatized and excluded. A few statements, in particular, really stood out for me. These aren’t exact quotes, but they are close:

• Be more than the boundary established in your culture.
• My job each Sunday is to scandalize my parish.
• Be a sanctuary for the dignity of all people.

Pastor Lisandro was emphasizing that living the Gospel is not easy. It can mean walking with people and in places that are unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and sometimes unacceptable to people around you. But it’s also incredibly important, enriching, and ultimately just.

I love these ideas and how they relate to our work in World Hunger. Building relationships with those who live in poverty is not particularly comfortable to many of us who live in relative wealth. But our lives are enriched through such relationships. And a mutual, real understanding of each other is critical for building the trust and structures and processes necessary for ending poverty. We also need to get more people involved. To get the attention and support we need to make real changes, we often have to push others out of their comfort zones, too. Sometimes, we must speak truth to power, which is not easy or safe. But in doing these difficult things, what if we, by our actions, become a sanctuary for the dignity of all people? Picture that: sanctuary for the dignity of all people. I can’t imagine a better legacy for a life, or a better display of the divine.