ELCA World Hunger

Ryan P. Cumming

Whew, what a week! Even for the time, the second week of August 1965 was a whirlwind. On August 6, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act that protected suffrage for Americans of every race. The Act was the result of months of activism, including the actions in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. But even the joy of the moment could not mask that trouble was brewing out west. A few days later, on August 11, riots erupted in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. As Selma was celebrating, Watts was burning.

Fresh off success in the South, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., headed to California and was shocked by what he witnessed. Many folks today are surprised to learn that King’s reception in Watts was less than enthusiastic. When he spoke, he was greeted with jeers: “Get out of here Dr. King! We don’t want you!” As theologian James Cone has pointed out, not even the Jim Crow South could prepare King for the depth of economic and social racism of Watts.

The trip marked a turning point for King. His message shifted; he started talking less about segregation and more about economic opportunity. What did it matter if a lunch counter served both blacks and whites, if blacks couldn’t afford to eat there? When he was assassinated, you might recall, he was in Memphis, Tenn., campaigning with striking sanitation workers for fair pay, the right to organize, and safer job conditions. King lived fighting racial injustice and died fighting economic injustice, learning in 1965, as his counterpart Malcolm X has pointed out before his death, just how closely the two were connected.

Whew, what a week! As we close in on the 50^th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act and the Watts uprising, black churches are burning, videos of racial violence are flooding the airwaves, and a Lutheran racist murdered nine African Americans as they studied the bible in church. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

And yet, the times have changed. Supporters of a racially inclusive vision of the country (and that should be all of us, by the way) eagerly anticipate the (official) removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina statehouse following the murders in Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Supporters of marriage equality celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to protect the right to marry in every state.

You’ve come a long way, baby. But, man, there’s still a long way to go.

Removing a flag is an important step, but it’s just a step. In another Supreme Court decision this past week, the justices upheld a key part of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that allows advocates to bring claims of discrimination when the effects of a practice are discriminatory. What this means is that discrimination means much more than intent; when practices and policies disproportionately affect racial groups negatively, they are discriminatory.

This may help to address some of the more complex and challenging aspects of racism in the United States.

Even when they had similar credit scores, people of color are more likely to receive subprime mortgages with prepayment penalties than white borrowers.

Borrowers of color are also more likely to get turned down for mortgages than white borrowers with similar credit scores.

The median net worth of white households is nearly 20 times that of black households, due largely to massive disparities in home ownership. (For a very good explanation of how this came to be the case, see here.)

Young white men with felony convictions are more likely to get called back for job interviews than black men with no criminal history.

In 2013, more than 25% of African American households and 24 percent of Latino households were food insecure. By contrast, only 11 percent of white, non-Hispanic households were food insecure.

Death-dealing racism wears many faces. Sometimes it looks like a white Lutheran (and, yes, we have to admit this) and sometimes it wears the more subtle but no less destructive mask of economic disenfranchisement and poverty.

The Supreme Court decision protecting rights to marriage will have far-reaching economic effects, protecting (for the first time, in many states) the right of spouses to receive much-needed Social Security benefits and protecting their right to shared assets if one spouse passes away. These are significant consequences that should be celebrated. But the decision leaves much work to be done. Gay and lesbian partners can now legally marry in all 50 states. They can alsolegally be fired because of their sexual orientation in 28 states. In more than half the states in the US, you can legally be evicted or denied housing if you are gay or lesbian.

The situation is even worse for transgender persons. Even fewer states offer workplace and housing protections for those who are transgender. An estimated 20% of transgender persons have unstable housing or are at risk for homelessness. When they do seek help from a shelter, they are often discriminated against, even at shelters that are open to diverse sexual orientations. Gender identity is still stigmatized – at home, in workplaces, in churches, in shelters, and on the streets, where many LGBTQ youth find themselves.

Race, sexual orientation and gender identity intersect with policies and practices at critical points, and hunger and poverty can often be the results.

On June 18, 2015, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton issued a call to a day of repentance and mourning in the wake of the Charleston church murders. After this day, she wrote, “then we need to get to work.” She urged ELCA Lutherans to be involved: “We need to talk and we need to listen, but we also need to act.”

We do all of this with hope in the resurrected God and awareness of the crucified Christ. Lowering a flag does not enliven a dead body. Ensuring the right to marry for all people does not protect the rights to employment, housing or public accommodations for everyone. We live in the tension of the reign of God that is “already” here but “not yet” here fully. Too often, we get an appetizer of the “already” and gorge ourselves on the “not yet.”

This isn’t about building a perfect world. As Lutherans, we know that the fullness of God’s reign is God’s doing. Nor is this about saving ourselves, as if our works can make us or our world righteous apart from God.

It is not works-righteousness to strive for justice and peace in the world. It is works-righteousness to sit back contented and believe we have done enough. Striving for justice and peace in all the world is part of our baptismal calling. Believing we have striven enough, that lowering a flag or protecting one set of rights has cleared us from addressing the deeper, more entrenched symptoms of sin, is works-righteousness and threatens to undermine our baptismal vocation. God invites us into God’s work of building a community of justice and peace here, now. God is already in the process of inaugurating God’s perfect reign. We have been called to be workers in the vineyard.

There is some to celebrate, there is much to mourn and there is much to do. Addressing the root causes of hunger, a commitment our church has made through ELCA World Hunger, demands the kind of honesty Bishop Eaton asks of us. Despite where we land on various spectrums of politics and faith, we are all invited to share in God’s work of crafting a world in which “justice roll[s] down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).

Regardless of which way we might answer the latest, greatest CNN/Fox News/NBC/Whatever-you-like-media poll, we can at least unite around this as a confession of faith in the Gracious Creator: no one should go hungry in a world of God’s abundance. As our namesake, Martin Luther, once wrote, “we are bound to each other in such a way that no one may forsake the other in his distress but is obliged to assist and help him as he himself would like to be helped” (Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague, 1527).

We do this work not because we can make our world perfect, nor because we are compelled to obey a demanding God. We enter into the hard work of eradicating hunger because we seek God. And when there is suffering – from the direct violence of a shooter or the indirect violence of discriminatory economic practices – I can’t help but recall the response to an execution in Elie Wiesel’s Night: “Where is God? He is there, hanging from the gallows.” We find God on the cross at Calvary, and we find God on the cross today, with those who have been excluded, marginalized and victimized. To fight hunger – authentically, Lutheran-ly – is to feed others and be fed ourselves, by the presence of God among our neighbors.

What Can We Do?

So what do we, as people of God called to anti-hunger ministries do, practically? There will be other suggestions (and I hope they are shared widely), but one step is to listen, as Bishop Eaton urges us. Start a listening campaign in your hunger ministry. If you are unsettled by the racism in Charleston, start listening for subtle and overt signs of racism in your ministry. More than that, listen for ways that your hunger ministry can be anti-racist and part of the broader solution. (For a great article on this, see Rachel Slocum’s article, “Anti-racist Practice and the Work of Community Food Organizations.” If you don’t have a license, the article is still worth the purchase price. Or ask a college student to look it up on a library database.)

Ask the right questions to the right people, too. Many ELCA members are unsupportive of the protection of marriage for all people, yet profess love for LGBTQ neighbors. How is this exemplified in our other ministries? For those who do support marriage equality, what other ways are you allying with the LGBTQ communities to address economic and social inequity?We may be one church under a big tent, but it is a tent in which ALL ought to be fed.

Here are some other questions to ask:

Are our relief ministries welcoming and inclusive?
Do my congregation’s or synod’s hunger education programs include education about the intersections of hunger and racism, sexism and heterosexism?
Are our sustainable development programs – tutoring, job placement and assistance, community gardens, etc. – affirming of persons from diverse backgrounds?
Does my advocacy include demands for protection of rights to employment, housing and public services for all people, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation and ethnicity?
In our community organizing, are we listening to and affirming voices that have been often marginalized and silenced in our communities?
Is our ministry’s leadership diverse? Is there intentional space for a variety of voices to be heard?
Are our communications not only sensitive to but affirming of diverse identities?

ELCA World Hunger – from the team at the Churchwide organization to the local pantry in a congregation – can be part of the work God is inviting us into by listening and being open to what we hear. The challenges can seem so large, the issues so complex, but anti-hunger ministry is already an entrypoint to doing our part in God’s work of reconciliation and renewal. I hope that we, as a Church “gathered and shaped by the Holy Spirit to be a serving and liberating presence in the world,”take advantage of the opportunity we have to be the community we are called to be.

Maybe this is where we begin as ELCA World Hunger, with a season of listening for ways our Church’s hunger ministries can be enriched by addressing discriminatory practices and policies not as “race problems” or “sex problems” but as what they are – root causes of hunger that create scarcity when there is abundance and exclusion when there is more than enough room at the table.

“Each of us and all of us need to examine ourselves, our church and our communities. We

need to be honest about the reality of racism within us and around us. We need to talk and we

need to listen, but we also need to act. No stereotype or racial slur is justified. Speak out against

inequity. Look with newly opened eyes at the many subtle and overt ways that we and our

communities see people of color as being of less worth. Above all pray – for insight, for

forgiveness, for courage. Kyrie Eleison.” – Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

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

Ryan P. Cumming

May 21, 2015

In this series of posts, we will take a closer look at some of the areas of work ELCA World Hunger supports domestically and internationally. Previously, we looked at relief and education. This week, our focus is on “advocacy.”

The Work We Do: Advocacy

What Is Advocacy?

Speak up!

Advocacy is a public witness to the gospel of Christ where the church speaks with and on behalf of others in need. It is the work the church does when it speaks up and out, lending its voice to support, to vindicate, and to challenge. One of the most visible forms of advocacy is public policy advocacy. This includes listening to the experiences of community members, lifting up these experiences during conversations with policymakers, and educating Lutherans about current priorities in government. It also includes working for change in public policy based on priorities drawn from ELCA social statements, Lutheran ministries, programs and projects around the world. Our public policy advocacy colleagues at the state, national and international levels are often in deep conversation with Lutherans in the ELCA and with our ecumenical partners about the impact of policies on hunger.

Advocacy doesn’t just happen in the halls of government, though. Any time we bring our voices to bear on issues of justice, we are advocating in the spirit of the church’s calling to be advocates of justice and mercy (ELCA, “Church in Society,” [1991], p. 6.) This can be something as seemingly small as writing a letter to the editor of a local newspaper to inform readers of the realities of hunger and poverty. Or, it can be correcting colleagues at work or friends at school whose prejudices disparage people facing hunger. Speaking up, being advocates, is central to the work we do together.

Many Lutherans do this often. When misinformation and xenophobia galvanized opposition to unaccompanied children crossing the border from Mexico this summer, Bishop Michael Rinehart (Gulf Coast Synod) used his blog to speak the truth and give voice to the realities many of these children face. In September 2014, hundreds of ELCA members joined others in the People’s Climate March in New York to bring attention to issues related to climate change. There are countless other examples.

ELCA World Hunger supports staff dedicated to public policy advocacy. The Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) in New York City is an office of the ELCA, but it also represents the Lutheran World Federation. The staff of LOWC advocate for peace, human rights, justice and better standards of living for all people. It monitors the United Nations on behalf of the ELCA and on behalf of the 72 million Christians represented by the LWF. Our ELCA Advocacy staff in Washington, DC, advocates with US policymakers on issues ranging from the Farm Bill to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act. And our eleven State Public Policy Offices (SPPOs) across the country are voices for change on issues like minimum wage, school breakfasts, and access to clean water.

Roots of Advocacy

Biblically, many people trace the roots of public policy advocacy to the Prophets. When Amos cries out for “justice in the gate” (5:15), he’s demanding just and fair court practices. And even modern-day political rhetoric hardly approaches the vitriol expressed by the prophet Isaiah: “How the faithful city has become a whore! She that was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her – but now murderers!…Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves!” (1:21-23a).

There are some limits to applying the prophets to public policy in the here-and-now, most notably the fact that we in the US don’t live in a theocracy, so purely religious arguments have little traction in the public square. But this is precisely where Lutheran theology steps in, providing a path for bringing faith to bear on public life in a way that doesn’t demand that a government be Christian in order to be good.

We have a name for this theology: two kingdoms. (I know, I know. Commence groaning.) The common name might not be the best to describe what is going on in this theology. A better phrase might be “God’s two ways of governing.” On the one hand, God “governs” the world through the gospel. This is the foundation of God’s reign in the perfect kingdom. Here, mercy, love and forgiveness are the guiding principles.

Of course, with sin, this doesn’t always work in the “real world.” Here, today, people suffer. People cheat. Greed runs rampant. Is there no grace to be found in our daily lives? Is our faith merely a matter of waiting for Heaven? No! Sin hasn’t left us to our own devices apart from God. Indeed, God graciously provides for us in another way as we await the fullness of God’s perfect reign. Here, God has established other structures and principles to help us live meaningful lives now: justice, peace, equity.

Human communities may not be perfect communities of love and mercy. But they can be communities of justice and peace, and this can give us a taste of what perfect justice and perfect peace might be like in God’s full reign. They can be communities in which the dignity of each person is protected and in which every person has an equal shot at a life lived without fear, without hunger, without oppression.

In baptism, Lutherans are called to build this kind of community – “to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.” Doing so is so central to who we are as the people of God that, according to the bible, we cannot be an authentic worshipping community without being a justice-seeking community:

In Isaiah’s words:

Yet day after day they seek me

and delight to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness

and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;

they ask of me righteous judgments,

they delight to draw near to God.

‘Why do we fast, but you do not see?

Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?’

Look, you serve your own interest on your fast-day,

and oppress all your workers.

Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight

and to strike with a wicked fist.

Such fasting as you do today

will not make your voice heard on high.

Is such the fast that I choose,

a day to humble oneself?

Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,

and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?

Will you call this a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I choose:

to loose the bonds of injustice,

to undo the thongs of the yoke,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:2-6)

Or again, from Micah:

“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

Advocacy – being voices of justice in an unjust world, voices of peace in the midst of conflict, and voices of solidarity amid marginalization – is central to who we are as church and central to our work to end hunger. As Lutherans, we believe God has ordained that we have governments, churches, families, and communities not so that some profit while others hunger but so that all may be fed. Our work as policy advocates and public advocates in other areas of our life is a key part of our role in God’s establishment of a world worth living in and, if the health outcomes of hunger are any indication, a world that is possible to live in.

Examples of Advocacy

In December 2014, ELCA Advocacy urged followers to support the ABLE Act, which passed in the US House of Representatives by a 404-17 vote. The ABLE Act would allow people with disabilities to set up savings accounts for housing, transportation, educational opportunities, and other expenses without jeopardizing their eligibility for Medicaid and Social Security benefits. The act was signed into law by President Barack Obama in January 2015.

Also in December 2014, the Secure Choice Savings Program Act was approved by the General Assembly of Illinois, with support from Lutheran Advocacy-Illinois. This act will give millions of private sector workers in Illinois the opportunity to save their own money for retirement by expanding access to employment-based retirement savings accounts, a benefit more than 2.5 million workers do not have. With food insecurity affecting nearly 15% of seniors in Illinois, this act could be a significant step in reducing hunger among retirees.

The Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry in New Jersey is currently in the midst of working toward passage of a state-wide earned sick days bill in the Assembly. The bill has passed the Assembly Labor and Budget committees and is awaiting a full floor vote. It is a model earned-sick-days law that covers nearly all 1.2 million workers in the state who lack earned sick days. The majority of those who will benefit are low-wage workers earning less than $10 an hour. The bill allows workers to use earned sick days to care for themselves as well as all immediate family members when sick and to use earned sick days to deal with, relocate or find safe accommodations due to circumstances resulting from being a victim of domestic or sexual violence.

Learn more about ELCA Advocacy at the ELCA Advocacy blog: http://www.elca.org/blogs/advocacy

Ryan P. Cumming, PH.D., is program director of hunger education for ELCA World Hunger. You can reach him at Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

Ryan P. Cumming

In this series of posts, we will take a closer look at some of the areas of work ELCA World Hunger supports domestically and internationally. Previously, we looked at relief. This week, our focus is on “education.”

What Is Education?

Well, the short answer here is “learning stuff.” But, of course, education is much more than that.

There’s two ways ELCA World Hunger supports education. First, we provide programming for individuals, congregations, and other groups to learn more about the root causes of hunger and what the church can do to address hunger and poverty. Second, we also support education toward sustainable development, as in programs in communities that provide basic education and job training. In this post, we are looking at the first kind of education.

What causes hunger? What is the difference between hunger and food insecurity? How can communities respond to hunger together? How does our faith call us to respond to all needs, including hunger? These are just a few of the questions Hunger Education explores – and at least attempts to answer. On the one hand, this means keeping up with current research. For example, did you know that the once-popular term “food deserts” might not be the best way to describe the relationship between food availability and obesity? Based on a USDA report, many people are turning to the term “food swamps” instead. Keeping up with changes like this can be time-consuming. But if we are going to respond to hunger effectively, we have to know what factors are involved.

Education is about more than facts, though. Paraphrasing Paolo Friere, good education is “the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” Ultimately, the goal of Hunger Education is to equip and inspire Lutherans to respond to need – their own need and the needs of neighbors – in their communities and around the world. As Lutherans, we know that this is God’s world, that God is active in it, and that all people are invited to participate in this transformative work. Discerning the kind of people God calls us to be is part of the work of Hunger Education.

On a practical level, the Hunger Education team produces resources and programs for ELCA Lutherans and other people of goodwill to help with this. In addition, ELCA World Hunger Education grants are available for congregations, synods, and ELCA-related organizations to lead their own education projects in their areas.

Roots of Education

Lutheran theology is very practical. The grace by which we are saved isn’t merely about waiting around for an afterlife with God. It frees us to live here and now, to love and to serve each other. Love is not just sentimental, though. Loving well, for Lutherans, means loving wisely. Wisdom – whether it appears as scientific knowledge, economic knowledge, or some other form – is a gift from God. It helps us better understand the world God has created and the most faithful ways we can live in it. By learning what hunger is, why it is present in so many communities, and what can be done to end it, we can more faithfully and effectively be part of the “salt and light” Christ calls our church to be.

Hunger education is also part of the formation the ELCA provides for people of faith. By exploring questions of faith and service together, we can help each other better discern what God is doing in the world and how we are called to be part of it. By being “formed” to see the world through Lutheran eyes – to see it as a place filled with wonder and tragedy – we can be ready to respond to need without ignoring it and to find the grace that exists in every community.

Examples of Education

ELCA World Hunger’s education resources are free and easy-to-use. On the ELCA World Hunger resources page, you can find everything from Lenten meals with stories of ELCA-supported ministries around the world to Act 2Day 4 Tomorrow, an overnight program for youth. There are toolkits with fun activities for all ages, our Road Map to Food Drives, VBS programs, and much more!

Hunger Education supports congregations, synods, and other organizations in their efforts to help Lutherans learn more about hunger through our Hunger Education grants. In 2014, the Western States Youth Gathering invited ELCA World Hunger to be part of their massive event in Thousand Oaks, California, where youth and adults were trained in service learning and learned more about hunger in the US and around the world. The attendees spent a day immersed in ministries in the Los Angeles area, getting a deeper experience of the ways communities in California are responding to hunger.

Also in 2014, members of First English Lutheran Church (Columbus, Ohio), with the support of a Hunger Education grant, conducted all-day anti-hunger and anti-poverty trainings in ten congregations in the Central Ohio area. They also made presentations in classes at Capital University and Columbus State University. The presentation at Capital led to a service-learning course there in which students studied housing access in the Columbus area.

In 2015, youth from St. John’s Lutheran Church in Little Suamico, Wisconsin, put the ELCA World Hunger resource Road Map to Food Drives in action! The youth coordinated the drive, promoted it around town, and led each other in activities to learn more about hunger. Together, they collected more than 800 pounds of food for a local pantry while using their leadership skills to build relationships and serve their community.

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is the program director of Hunger Education for ELCA World Hunger. He can be reached atRyan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

Ryan P. Cumming

Exploring: Relief

In this series of posts, we will take a closer look at some of the areas of work ELCA World Hunger supports domestically and internationally. This week, our focus is on “relief.”

What Is Relief?

Relief is any response to immediate needs. When someone comes to the door hungry, they are fed. When someone is hurt, they are treated. Relief might not look toward long-term solutions, but it is the most immediate response we can offer when we encounter someone in need. Occasionally, relief can also be the best response to the needs of people who might never be able to reliably meet their own needs. For example, someone who is unable to work due to a very serious injury might never be able to earn enough income to feed themselves. Relief ministries can step in and fill this gap.

It is very important, though, to remember that RELIEF IS NOT THE SAME AS RESCUE. Whether someone volunteers at a food pantry, receives a hot meal at a church, or packs backpacks of food for children on the weekend, relief should always be thought of first and foremost as work we do together – whether we are receiving food or providing it. Relief done well creates a table at which ALL can be fed.

As Lutherans, we recognize that hunger takes many forms – physical hunger for food, emotional hunger for support or intimacy, spiritual hunger for fulfillment and so on. Relief ministries aren’t simply a way for struggling families to be fed with food; they are opportunities for those serving to be fed spiritually, socially and emotionally, by being invited to share in the meaningful relationships that can be created when God draws together people who might otherwise not encounter one another at work, school, or home. Seeing our mutual need as both recipients and providers can be an important first step in helping our ministry be guided by the dignity of the people involved on every side.

Roots of Relief

One of the clearest places we see relief in our scripture and tradition is in the miracle stories of the Bible. In the Old Testament, we hear of God providing manna to the wandering Hebrews. After they left Egypt, the people roamed through the wilderness, seeking the land God had promised them. This story gives us some helpful tips for what relief ought to look like.

First, God isn’t just an outside “hero” who rescues Israel. Rather, God is walking with them, accompanying them as they make their way to Canaan. Because God is traveling with them, God knows their need, and God provides.

Second, God’s relief is given during a time when the Hebrews simply could not support themselves. Without land, these agriculturalists would have been hard-pressed to provide for their families. God’s relief is given in response to the expressed needs of the people and with an eye toward their future well-being and livelihood. The goal isn’t to provide just enough of one kind of relief (manna) so that the Hebrews remain dependent. Nor is it given to assert God’s worth over and above the worth of each human being. It is given in love and hope, to support the Hebrews on the journey to a new life that they will build in cooperation with God.

Third, the Hebrews aren’t just passive recipients; they are part of a relationship with God and important actors in the progress of God’s plan for Israel. There is no covenant without God, and there is no covenant without people.

Finally, and this seems almost to go without saying, Moses isn’t God. No human leader, no human participant in the community is so elevated that they become replacements or substitutes for God. God’s way of relating gives all of us an ideal picture of what relationships can look like, but there is a big difference between helping our community meet its needs and being the Creator and Sustainer of all existence. In the wilderness, God uses the people’s gifts – Moses’ gift of leadership, Miriam’s gift of music, Jethro’s gift of counsel. Each gift counts, each person matters. There is a measure of equality among the members of the community; once they are confronted by the majestic powers of God, any minor distinctions between individual humans pale in comparison.

In the New Testament, Jesus provides excellent examples of relief in the stories of healing. On the surface, this relief seems pretty straightforward. Someone has a disease or disability; he or she asks Jesus for help; Jesus provides immediate help. End of story, right? Not quite.

As biblical scholars have pointed out, to have a disease like leprosy or a disability like blindness in Jesus’ time meant something very different than it does today. To have leprosy was to be an outcast, someone who could never be “clean” enough to dine with others or to go to synagogue. To have a permanent disability like blindness was thought to be a sign that a person was cursed by God for some failing. Jesus, by healing people around him – indeed, even by touching them – was turning both of these notions on their heads. People with disabilities weren’t cursed by God; they were loved by God – so much so, in fact, that Jesus is willing to break the law by healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:16; Luke 13:10-17.)

Jesus wasn’t just healing people; he was subverting social mores that tossed justice and compassion out the window. Relief ministries of today, when done faithfully, are important witnesses against a society that believes people’s suffering is ordained by God or that people who have real needs will somehow “taint” the community. (If you don’t believe this happens today, I would invite you to read this fine article on recent laws passed to keep homeless people out of public spaces.)

Everyone Jesus meets is in need of healing, not just those who different physical abilities or illnesses. Providing immediate relief to people who hunger for food, for companionship, for fulfillment – when done in love, in solidarity, and with an eye toward future well-being – can be a powerful testimony to the worth and dignity of every human being, including those who have been invited to serve. And often, such a ministry can create a cycle, with clients of a ministry often using their talents and skills as volunteers or employees.

Examples of Relief

Relief ministries are some of the most vital ministries ELCA World Hunger supports. Here are some examples:

Peace Lutheran Fellowship in Port Ludlow, Washington, provides an average of 20 backpacks of food to children who are food insecure in their community. By working closely with the local school, they can identify children who might not have enough to eat during the weekends, when they are not receiving food at school.

Churches United of the Quad Cities Area is an ecumenical group of Iowa churches that maintains a network of 24 food pantries and 3 hot-meal sites. Together, they are committed to serving all who are hungry, without discrimination. Almost half of the people who receive free suppers at their hot meal sites are under 18, and all are food-insecure. By working together and with support in part from ELCA World Hunger, they are able to serve meals to over 29,000 people each year.

Lutheran World Federation’s Kakuma Refugee Camp Assistance Program helps provide humanitarian assistance and protection for people fleeing violence and persecution in other parts of Africa, especially Sudan most recently. When refugees arrive at the camp in Kenya, they are given food rations and referred to other agencies for psychosocial needs. This year, LWF expects to assist 13,000 new refugees, including many asylum seekers, at the camp. LWF supports these new asylum seekers and helps them get connected with other agencies like the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Each of the refugees will be given immediate assistance until long-term solutions can be found for their protection and well-being. In addition, the project helps improve educational opportunities for children, including providing accommodations for children with disabilities and has a program specifically for unaccompanied minors.

Ryan P. Cumminig

A new United Nations-supported report offers tragic insight into the effects of the conflict in Syria. Since the conflict broke out four years ago, rates of poverty and hunger have skyrocketed, life expectancy has fallen by nearly 20 years, and nearly 10 million people (more than half of the population) have fled their homes in search of safety. At the end of last year, 82.5% of people in Syria were living in poverty, an increase from 64.7% in 2013. Perhaps more startling, at the end of 2014, 30% of families and individuals were living in what the report calls “abject poverty,” meaning that they could not afford even their most basic food needs.

There are a lot of reasons for such deep and broad poverty in Syria:

Violence and the threat of violence have forced workers to flee their homes and jobs;
Destruction of land and irrigation systems has made farming very difficult;
Rising food prices have made it challenging for many people to afford their basic needs;
Crop production was hit hard by both the conflict and the long drought in Syria. Wheat and barley production, for example, was down 25% just from 2013 to 2014;
Even in places not affected as much by the drought, armed conflict has made it dangerous for farmers to return to their land or to take their products to markets.

We’ve known for a long time that war is a major cause of hunger and poverty. Threats to safety, the closing of markets, destruction of land and buildings – these sorts of things can have a long-lasting impact on the ability of people to feed themselves and their families. While we are not currently supporting projects in Syria, ELCA World Hunger is involved in other projects that help to reduce conflict and foster peacemaking.

One ongoing project is focused on equipping youth to be leaders for peace. With support from ELCA World Hunger, theWorld Student Christian Federation (WSCF) took twelve participants to Palestine in 2014, where they met with members of the Palestine Youth Ecumenical Movement to learn more about the realities of life in the midst of conflict there. At a larger meeting in Jordan with other members of WSCF, the group heard from youth from other countries in the Middle East and reflected on ways to promote justice and peace throughout the region. As one participant put it, the youth in attendance were “deeply transformed through the combination of friendship, solidarity, faith, and thinking together and are motivated to spread their voice and to take action.” In 2015, the group is gearing up for a General Assembly and is ready to “make a bigger impact for justice and peace in the world, motivated by God’s love.”

Sometimes, ending hunger means providing a community meal or helping people facing hunger get access to training and education. At other times, though, our work takes us to a different level, to a new root cause of hunger. Here, among the tangles of causes, the church’s call to end hunger intersects with other vocations of people of faith – to be peacemakers, to be reconciled and reconciling, and to be passionate seekers of justice. With faith and with each other, we, too, can “make a bigger impact” for justice, peace, and a world in which all are fed.

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is Program Director of Hunger Education for ELCA World Hunger. He can be reached atRyan.Cumming@elca.org.

Ryan P. Cumming

A lot of folks know how stressful it can be to switch schools. Imagine not just going to a different school in a new neighborhood but in a whole new region! For children displaced from rural areas to the cities in the Latin American country of Bolivia, this is a real challenge.

We know the strain instability can have on children in school. Research indicates that when families move, children often have difficulty adjusting to their new communities and new schools. When they are already vulnerable to economic instability, the challenges can be especially tough. When education is so central to reducing vulnerability to poverty and hunger, this is a serious issue.

In Bolivia, displaced families have found the support they need to meet some of these challenges. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bolivia (Iglesia Evangélica Luterana Boliviana – IELB), with support from ELCA World Hunger, has welcomed displaced families to take part in the Escuela Biblica Apoyo Escolar after-school program. This program provides a space of support to at-risk children and youth. At the program, children learn about tolerance and equality and get help they need to build their math, spelling, and reading skills. During breaks from school, the center still runs, offering in 2014 not only tutoring in regular classes, but also workshops on peace and nonviolence relating those to Christian values.

Together, IELB and ELCA World Hunger are actively accompanying children and families in Bolivia as the church lives out its calling to serve the whole person. This is work we are called to do as Church, and it is also work the IELB is empowered to do as Church. As one representative wrote, families involved in the program are starting to see “the congregation as a new social service place, both for the youth and…for the families. Much of this confidence originates in the trust [the congregation has] from having this church program.”

As Lutherans, we recognize the role of both Law and Grace. Under the Law, we are commanded to be servants of God and neighbor in the world. By Grace, we are invited and empowered to do this work. For the IELB’s after-school program,the grace which inspires the church to be a place of welcome and trust is the very grace that empowers them to be part of the community, to walk alongside children and families as they gain the skills they need to feed themselves and their neighbors for years to come.

The ELCA has been invited to be part of IELB’s ministry by supporting this program for at least three years, during which many more families will be able to take part in this impactful ministry. Because of gifts to ELCA World Hunger, our church has been able to say “YES!”

Ryan P. Cumming

WH_4_color_Small_Website CKP_Logo-Black

Anyone familiar with a college or university knows that there is a LOT happening on campuses these days! More and more students are becoming involved in service and activism, on campus and off. The leadership, creativity and passion for justice among college students are amazing, and we are happy to announce a new opportunity for students to fight hunger in their communities!

Through an ELCA World Hunger Education grant, ELCA World Hunger and the Campus Kitchens Project (CKP) have launched a new opportunity for ELCA colleges and universities and Lutheran Campus Ministries on public and private campuses. With this partnership between ELCA World Hunger and CKP, students that are eager to start or to deepen their anti-hunger work will have access to funding and support to launch a Campus Kitchen at their school!

This year, ELCA World Hunger will provide up to $5,000 each to two campuses to launch Campus Kitchens at their schools! This start-up funding will help new kitchens build support and meet the needs for a successful launch. In addition, CKP and ELCA World Hunger will help provide assistance and support during the launch, including helping link campuses with community partners.

The Campus Kitchens Project is a national non-profit that empowers student leaders to create innovative and sustainable solutions to hunger. Campus Kitchen students rescue food that would have gone to waste from a variety of sources, primarily their on-campus dining hall cafeterias, but also from local restaurants, supermarkets, food banks, and farms and use that food to prepare and serve balanced nutritious meals food insecure residents in their communities. Students involved in Campus Kitchens learn to see wasted resources as a sustainable solution to community issues and gain valuable service learning and leadership experiences, which build upon and enhance their work in the classroom.

The model CKP provides has had a tremendous impact in communities. In the 2013-2014 school year alone, more than 19,000 student volunteers dedicated nearly 75,000 hours to recover 939,034 pounds of food for 8,509 clients! What is more, 95% of students involved with CKP report that they have acquired skills that make them more likely to find a job, and 90% say they are more likely to address food insecurity in their own communities after graduation.

As readers of this blog know, ELCA World Hunger is dedicated to addressing the root causes of hunger, to be sure that families and individuals can feed themselves in the long-term. Both the ELCA and CKP share this focus. As folks from CKP will say, “We can’t feed ourselves out of hunger.” Ending hunger requires a complex, multi-pronged approach based in relationships with neighbors. For students involved with CKP, the relationships built through programs at their Campus Kitchens are the most energizing part of their work. And it is these relationships built through sharing food that give students and partners a way to go deeper into hunger, providing nutritional education, SNAP outreach, and a variety of other programs to address the many-layered causes of hunger in their communities.

We had our first webinar yesterday to showcase this opportunity, and you can check it out below! You can also find a recording of it here. To learn more about the grant and how to apply, visit www.campuskitchens.org/elca or email ELCA World Hunger Education at Ryan.Cumming@elca.org. To learn more about Campus Kitchens that are already up and running, check out Augsburg College’s Campus Kitchen or the Campus Kitchen at Minnesota State University, Mankato!

Ryan P. Cumming

As many as 140,000 people in Colombia are living with HIV/AIDS, according to the United Nations. The challenges they face are significant. Because of the disease’s association with sexuality, many people who are HIV-positive face prejudice, fear and discrimination. The stigma of HIV/AIDS in Colombia carries legal and medical consequences, as well. Individuals can be denied disability benefits, scorned by employers or denied medical care for their disease.

Knowing the harsh reality of stigma and the consequences it carries, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Colombia (IELCO) is committed to supporting HIV/AIDS-positive Colombians. In addition to educating Lutherans about the disease, the Asivida ministry of IELCO supports Caminando Juntos (“walking together”), a group of HIV/AIDS-positive men and women who support each other emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and legally. With the help of Rosemary Rincon, a social psychologist on staff with IELCO, Caminando Juntos has successfully advocated for the right to disability benefits and medical care for its members.

The ELCA accompanies its companion churches in many ways. One important form of accompaniment is support for vital ministries within local communities. Asivida – with its education, outreach, and support of Caminando Juntos – is just a part of the many ministries of IELCO, supported in part by gifts to ELCA World Hunger. Together, we can be part of IELCO’s powerful witness and action in Colombia!

Watch the video below to hear Rosemary’s powerful story! (A transcript of the video is below for readers who do not speak Spanish.)

TRANSCRIPT:

My name is Rosemary Rincon. I’m a mom.

I’m a psychologist.

I’m a good daughter, a good friend, a good employee.

I’m a woman, I’m happy and I live with HIV.

We usually think, “It can’t happen to me. This may happen to others, it happens to other people, but not to me.” First off, I’m a housewife; I only have one sex partner. My boyfriend of eight years was my one and only boyfriend, my sole sex partner in my whole life… and I married him. It may affect loose women, sex workers, homosexuals, people who lead an immoral life, and the like, but not me…

And I entrusted my sexuality and my health to my husband, my partner. Perhaps my love for him prevented me from seeing myself in risk.

…I’ve been living with it for 14 years and it hasn’t tainted my life. Instead, I think you live with more intensity, with dreams. In my opinion, living with the virus is not disabling, quite the contrary. It’s a decision that changes your life but it should change it for the best.

We have an individual role to play in society. But we need to take the initiative and not just stay there like some people do.

Obviously, the easiest approach is to say, “I’ll die.” Then you also see that time passes by, because nowadays this is a chronic, treatable disease.

So, how much time will I have to spend waiting for death? It could be 10, 15 years… by the way, it’s the same time I’ve had it so far: 14 years. Had I taken a different approach, I wouldn’t be alive today and wouldn’t be enjoying the privileges and opportunities I’ve given myself and that life has also granted me.

I think that, in a certain way, God, and even the universe have placed the right people and provided me with the means to help me move forward. And I think he does this for all of us. We may live in the last corner of the world, but if we face life with a positive outlook and our dreams overpower our circumstances…

You should also start your own research, give yourself the opportunity…. that the virus is not transmitted by casual contact, that we need to take some precautions, that we need to be responsible, but also, the fact that being HIV positive does not restrict my entitlement to maternity, to love and be loved, and many other dreams. The means and the appropriate conditions already exist, see?

I gave myself the opportunity, just as any other woman with HIV could; the opportunity of becoming a mother… obviously educating myself…

There’s the support from the interdisciplinary team. They provided me with integral care and all the appropriate conditions… and here’s the result, my daughter. She’s now three and totally HIV free… and we keep striving just like any other family in our country.

Whether or not we are HIV positive, we are women in essence… and I think that this is what makes us valuable. It’s that difference.

It works the same for guys. But we make a perfect team, men and women. And we need to respect each other and love each other in spite of the differences.

Women with HIV or without HIV, we’re equally valuable.

VISUAL TEXT

I’m a mom

I’m a psychologist

I’m a good daughter, a good friend, a good employee…

I’m a woman, I’m happy and I live with HIV

“It can’t happen to me”

“I only had one sex partner”

“It happens to people who lead an immoral life”

“My love for him prevented me from seeing myself in risk”

Rosemary has lived with the HIV virus for 14 years. Her husband and only sex partner caused her to become infected…

“You live with more intensity, with dreams”

“Living with the HIV virus is not disabling”

“The easiest approach is to say, ‘I’ll die'”

“Life has given me privileges and opportunities”

“We have to give ourselves the opportunity”

“I can love, be loved, live”

“I gave myself the opportunity”

“My daughter is HIV negative”

LIVING POSITIVELY

Teri Mueller

Imagine a world where you cannot afford to put food on the table. Imagine a world where hungry children look up at you with pleading eyes as you stare at an empty pantry that you cannot afford to stock. Imagine not being able to provide for the basic nutritional needs of yourself and those you love. Imagine having to make the choice between paying for heat in the dead of winter or purchasing nutritious food.

Many people in America do not need to imagine the above scenarios. For them, the frustration of poverty is a daily reality. Many wage workers all across the country struggle to get by. These workers’ wages are at or slightly above minimum hourly wage of $7.25. Chapter 2 of the 2014 Bread for the World Hunger Report focuses on the problems of poverty and hunger that many hourly workers face. Statistics reveal the harsh reality that 28% of American workers earned poverty-level wages in 2012. While many people believe that teenagers make up the majority of low wage workers, in actuality, 80% of minimum wage earners are at least 20 years old. Poverty does not just affect the jobless, as 10 million families with at least one person employed still fall below the poverty line. Furthermore, a report issued in 2013 by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted that “Among SNAP households with at least one working-age, non-disabled adult, more than half work while receiving SNAP — and more than 80 percent work in the year prior to or the year after receiving SNAP. The rates are even higher for families with children — more than 60 percent work while receiving SNAP, and almost 90 percent work in the prior or subsequent year.”

Raising the minimum wage is a very controversial topic but one that has increasingly come up in recent months. A 2014 report from Oxfam International supports a minimum wage increase from the present $7.25/hour to $10.10/hour over the next few years. The report states that 25 million workers would be affected, one-third of whom have dependent children. Additionally, over 20% of women would benefit from a minimum wage increase as women tend to work in minimum-wage jobs more often than men. Oxfam emphasizes the growing income inequality in the United States as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Specifically, the report notes that “in 2013 the CEO-to-average-worker pay ratio was 331 to 1; 30 years ago, it was just 40 to 1. Today, the CEO-to-minimum-wage-worker pay ratio is 774 to 1.”

Despite the millions of people that would be positively affected by an increase of the minimum wage, controversy abounds because of possible adverse effects on the overall American economy. The cost-benefit ratio of an increase is rather unclear. Oxfam claims that economic growth and development would occur because better-paid workers would spend more money and contribute more in taxes. However, some business owners and federations are strongly against a minimum-wage increase because they say it will kill jobs and force employers to cut back employees and raise prices. ACNNMoney article from early May explains the strong opposition of some companies to the proposed $10.10/hour minimum wage.

The contentious nature of minimum wage issues can easily overshadow the people behind the debate. Regardless of political views, we must remember the thousands of people in the US who are struggling to get by and provide adequate nutrition for themselves and their families. There are plenty of resources in our world, and we are called to seek a sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all. We have the responsibility to consider our neighbors and family and to not solely maximize our own interests. Support for a livable wage is necessary as we strive to walk along side wage workers. Because of these convictions, the ELCA supports an increase in the federal minimum wage. Visit the advocacy statement on raising the minimum wage to learn more about the pressing nature of the issue and the views of the church.

Teri Mueller is an intern with ELCA World Hunger.

Henry Martinez

Before we get too far into this, it’s worth pointing out that Zacchaeus is not asked the question “How much do you give?” or anything like it, and yet his story can’t be told without considering how entangled his identity is with this concern. It is an uncomfortable question that typically doesn’t make its way into our conversations, but before we bristle too much we should ask Zacchaeus what wealth meant to him.

Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) presents a curious case for Luke, who offers chief tax collector and rich man as primary descriptions. The former implicates him, by default, in a system of corruption and on the margins of acceptance according to religious authorities (see the Pharisees’ reaction to Levi in Luke 5:30). The latter places him in a group that stands out in this gospel for its unwillingness to give to the poor. Biblical scholars observe that the name Zacchaeus means “pure” or “innocent,” neither of which fit Luke’s descriptions. But what makes Zacchaeus all the more curious is that in Luke’s gospel we don’t expect a man of his reputation to be so intrigued by Jesus or even responsive to his mission, “to bring good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18).

Luke’s uses both teaching parables and narrative interactions to portray the rich. The most notable parables are of the rich man who decides to have bigger barns built for himself so that he can retire and enjoy life (12:13-21) and the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31). The first encounter we see between Jesus and a rich man ends with the rich man feeling sad after learning that he would have to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor in order to have eternal life (18:18-30). From these stories we get the sense that wealth leads one to a tragic end. But just when it looks like the rich are out of hope, Jesus hints there is another way of looking at things: a way that is possible only for God.

In addition to the unexpected announcement of Jesus’ visit, Zacchaeus hears the grumbling crowd. At the heart of their grumbling is an accusation that is just as much against Zacchaeus as Jesus. This prompts the first words we hear from Zacchaeus, who addresses the concerns about his character by offering an explanation of his charitable contributions and financial intentions, which is not unreasonable given the assumptions regarding his reputation. He says:

“Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” (NRSV; emphasis mine)

It is worth noting that some translate his words to “I will give,” and “I will pay back” suggesting a future plan that he has not yet enacted (NRSV, CEV). Other translations chose the present tense for both verbs, suggesting actions that he is currently doing and plans to continue (NIV, RSV, The Message). Both are possible translations of the Greek verbs, but regardless of which we opt for, the power in this statement is the challenge of the common assumptions about identity and wealth. No one expects this rich man, let alone tax-collector to say that he gives or will give to the poor. Biblical scholar David Tiede finds similarities between the Zacchaeus story and a healing story, where it is not a physical condition which he suffers, but a spiritual one.[1] However, the spiritual condition is not just a personal one.

In this context, the healing comes in the form of Jesus’ announcement that Zacchaeus is a “son of Abraham” (no longer just a “tax collector”) and salvation has come to his household. The declaration of salvation is not just a personal experience, but indicates wholeness and healing in a broader sense. Theologian Fred Craddock observes that salvation has personal, domestic, social and economic dimensions.[2] Knowledge of the social implications of his wealth distinguishes Zacchaeus from the other rich men in Luke. He recognizes that wealth is a dangerous thing, and he uses his wealth to make up for social and economic disparities.

In an overview of how wealth is presented in Luke and Acts, scholar Joel B. Green finds that wealth is certainly used as an economic measure, but that it is also woven into issues of status, power, and social privilege. He writes of the significance of Zacchaeus’ decision, “According to the cultural script of Luke’s world, Zacchaeus behaves toward those who make their lodging at society’s margins as if they were his friends, his neighbors, his kin.”[3] If numerous other factors are involved in wealth, implicit in the question of how much should we give is the issue of how we relate to others. Zacchaeus shows us that wealth is a central matter for our spiritual health, identity and personal relationships. It is a dangerous thing to be sure, but one that can’t be ignored.

Henry Martinez is an education associate for ELCA World Hunger.

[1] David Tiede, Luke, (Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament), 320.

[2] Fred Craddock, Luke, (Interpretation), 220.

[3] Joel B. Green, “Wealthy…Who? Me? Surprising Perspectives on Faith and Wealth from Luke-Acts,” The Living Pulpit(2003), 18-19.

Charleston, SCOTUS and Hunger: What a Week!

Exploring: Advocacy

Exploring: Education

Exploring: Relief

Fight Hunger, Work for Peace

Changing Schools, Changing Lives: God at Work in Bolivia

Announcing a New Partnership and Grant Opportunity: ELCA World Hunger and the Campus Kitchens Project!

Advocacy, Accompaniment, and HIV/AIDS in Colombia

Hunger, Poverty and the Minimum Wage

“How much should I give?” – A lesson from Zacchaeus