It’s no exaggeration to say that observing the festivals and commemorations of saints is an uncommon practice in Lutheran churches. Indeed, a simple Google search for “Lutheran AND saints” returns a wide spread of opinions, ranging from blog posts honoring particular exemplars of faith to lengthy diatribes railing against “the cult of saints.” Commemorations are sometimes controversial in Lutheranism, though, really, they ought not to be. Lutherans believe that we can honor saints by giving thanks for them and by imitating the example they have set in both faith and life.[1] Lutherans may not pray to saints or ask saints to intercede for us, but we still lift them up as examples of what it means to be a person of faith in the world.

I mention this because this month, we commemorate two particularly inspirational Catholic saints, Martin de Porres on November 3, and Elizabeth of Hungary[2] on November 17, who each exemplified “faith active in love” in important ways. What might we learn from these important leaders?

Martin de Porres

Martin and Elizabeth lived 300 years – and a world – apart. Martin was born in Lima, Peru, in 1579. His parents, a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave from Panama, were never married, and Martin’s father abandoned the family when Martin and his sister were still young. Some accounts claim that his father’s decision was due to the fact that their mother was black, and he feared the stigmatization that he and his mixed-race children would face.

Potrait of Martin de Porres from the 17th century.

The children were raised by their mother, who worked to support her children by taking in laundry. The work did not pay well, and the family grew up in poverty. At some point when he was young, Martin had to leave school and worked with a surgeon-barber in Lima, where he learned to cut hair and provide medical treatment to customers.

Martin was deeply religious and committed to helping others. Even amid his own poverty as a child, he would often give what little he had to people begging in the streets of Lima. When he was a young teenager (some sources say at the age of 15), Martin was taken in as a servant by the Dominican religious order. During his early years there, he earned a good amount of money begging, using the money to support the charitable work of the Dominicans among people who were poor or sick.

Despite his diligent work as a servant and supporter of the religious order’s charitable endeavors, many accounts state that Martin faced ridicule and discrimination because of his racial heritage. In fact, he was initially prevented from fully joining the Dominicans because, being black, he was not allowed to do so.

Eventually, this was changed, and Martin took his vows. He was assigned to the order’s infirmary, and he became widely known for the care and concern he showed for everyone in the community, regardless of their economic situation or race. In one story of Martin, there was an epidemic in Lima that sickened several of the friars in his monastery. To prevent the spread of disease, the friars were locked away in a separate part of the building. Martin violated the rules of his order by breaking into the quarantined area to minister to the ill men. When he was caught, he asked for forgiveness , saying that he did not know that obedience took precedence over charity. After that, he was allowed to continue ministering to them.

Martin continued his work in service of people facing poverty and poor health throughout his life, including by establishing an orphanage and school in Lima. He died in 1639.

Elizabeth of Hungary

Elsheimer, Adam; Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Bringing Food for the Inmates of a Hospital

While Martin’s experiences growing up poor may have motivated his charity, this wasn’t the case for Elizabeth of Hungary. Elizabeth was born in wealth, to the king and queen of Hungary, in 1207. Like Martin, Elizabeth showed deep concern for neighbors in need and an authentic spirit of generosity from an early age. She married Louis, the landgrave of Thuringia, when she was 14, and together, the couple was known for sharing their royal wealth with people facing poverty throughout the region.

Louis died in 1227, leaving Elizabeth a widow. Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, Elizabeth became a lay associate of the Franciscans and continued her charitable work, against the protests of her husband’s surviving family. She refused to remarry, despite the political benefits that might be gained, and used her dowry to continue supporting people in need. Her charitable actions were driven by her faith in God and in memory of her late husband, who was her partner in this work prior to his death.

Like Martin, Elizabeth devoted herself to caring for people who were sick. During a famine and epidemic in 1226, she sold her jewels and opened the royal storehouses of grain to provide for people in need. Toward the end of her life, she established the Franciscan hospital in Marburg, Germany, in 1228, and she could often be found tending to the patients at the hospital alongside the other nurses and caregivers. Elizabeth died in 1231 at the age of 24.

We don’t need to venerate Martin or Elizabeth to recognize them as exemplars of the kind of faith that moves the people of God to act in the world. Their work in caring for neighbors, particularly neighbors facing health crises, has deep roots in the work of the church, from Jesus’ loving care of people suffering from hemorrhages, injuries or leprosy, to the church’s continued support of hospitals, maternal and child health care, and clinics today.

The commemorations of Martin de Porres (November 3) and Elizabeth of Hungary (November 17) are opportunities to lift up the important role the church plays in providing health care in communities. Recognizing this aspect of who we are as people of God can help us see the work of ELCA World Hunger as part of this rich heritage.

So, this month, as we mark the memory of Martin de Porres and Elizabeth of Hungary, we pray for the many ways this work continues. Whether it is through the support of hospitals, ministries among people living with HIV and AIDS, malaria prevention projects, maternal and child health care clinics, vaccination programs or advocacy for health care support in the US and internationally, the church lives out its faith in God’s promise of health and healing for body and soul.

We may not need saints like Martin and Elizabeth to intercede for us in prayer. We may not even canonize them as “saints.” But we can still learn from their memory – from a Peruvian man who refused to let racial discrimination or poverty prevent him from caring for others, and a Hungarian widow who refused to let the comfort of wealth dampen her concern for people who were sick – about what it means to be the kind of people today who can share in the transformation God is enacting in the world.

During this month, particularly on Sundays following November 3 and 17, consider honoring the memory of Martin de Porres, Elizabeth of Hungary and all those who continue the important work of providing health care by praying together:

Gracious God, we give you thanks for the many ways you sustain your creation – for the richness of healthy food, the wisdom to treat and heal, and the workers through whose hands you care for those who are sick. We give you thanks for nurses, doctors, emergency personnel, clinic workers, community educators, therapists and all those whom you have called to the healing arts. Guide them and protect them, Lord, that they may be blessed in their work. We give you thanks for those who have devoted their lives throughout the history of your church to be examples of loving care and concern for their neighbors, especially for Martin de Porres and Elizabeth of Hungary. Let us be guided by their example, that our faith in you may move us to acts of love for others. In your holy name, we pray, Amen.

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is the program director of hunger education with ELCA World Hunger.

[1] Augsburg Confession, Article XXI. See also “Apology of the Augsburg Confession,” Article XXI.

[2] Some writers have suggested that Elizabeth might more accurately be referred to as Elizabeth of Thuringia, but here, we use her more common name.

Supported in part by ELCA World Hunger, the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) in Japan is a nine-month service leadership training program that draws people from around the world, allowing them to live and work together as they learn agricultural skills they can take back to their home communities. ARI also invites guest lecturers from Japan and abroad to teach sustainable development, organic farming and more. 

Through this model, ARI empowers leaders from around the world to build community, embrace diversity, value rural life, see the dignity of labor, promote food sovereignty and live in harmony with nature. Graduates return to their home countries equipped to work in sustainable development, build relationships with local leaders and transform their communities. Participants also receive ongoing support from ARI in identifying funding and leadership opportunities.  

As the impact of COVID-19 began to ripple around the world this spring, countries closed their borders and airports and flights were changed or canceled. Out of 26 students who’d planned to participate in ARI this year, only seven arrived in Japan; the others encountered travel restrictions and other challenges.  

Four ARI participants from Sierra Leone were at the closest Japanese consulate — in Accra, Ghana — applying for visas to enter Japan when Sierra Leone closed its borders and the government in Ghana ordered a nationwide lockdown. The participants obtained their Japanese visas, but the airports and borders were closed, so they couldn’t leave the country.  

This is when ARI reached out to its graduates in Ghana for help. John Yeboah, a 2018 graduate, answered the call, providing safety, food and lodging for the travelers. He escorted them from Accra to Kumasi by bus and took care of their needs while they awaited travel news.

Modeling what he had experienced during his training in Japan, John even worked with ARI to start the participants’ training right where they were. He led them in morning exercise, time-management techniques, leadership training and coaching, and discussion and reflection sessions.  

John Yeboah (second from left), a graduate of the Asian Rural Institute in Japan, is pictured with the four students from Sierra Leone and two local farmers at a pig farm in Kumasi, Ghana.

For the first few weeks, COVID-19 restrictions prevented Ghanaians from traveling to their fields. Eventually, restrictions were loosened, allowing the group to begin the agricultural portion of their unexpected training program. Following the ARI curriculum, they practiced growing crops such as cabbage, beets, carrots, chili peppers, okra, lettuce, spring onion, mint, spinach and cucumber on John’s organic farm

ARI staff have called John’s work a testament to the impact of the ARI training program on a community. With his display of servant leadership and his ability to adjust in a time of crisis, John turned a challenging and stressful situation into an unexpected time of learning and bonding for the Sierra Leone participants. Despite the difficult year, John and people like him around the world are demonstrating adaptability, ingenuity and Christ’s love for the neighbor.

Because of the work of God bringing people together across borders and through challenges, a farmer from Ghana guided students from Sierra Leone in a training program established by an institute in Japan, with funding from congregations and individuals in the US. Truly, John’s story, made possible in part because of gifts to ELCA World Hunger, reflects ARI’s motto: “That they may live together,” no matter the distances that keep us apart.

This story was originally published in the Winter 2020 edition of Boundless. View the full publication here. 

Hi everyone, my name is Roselle Tenorio, and I am joining ELCA World Hunger as the Domestic Grants Manager. Previously, I was the Grants and Programs Manager at Texas Women’s Foundation. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies from Grinnell College.

I have a long and varied relationship with food justice and its intersections, starting at a young age volunteering with my family and community in Dallas, Texas, to researching food pantry systems while in college. I chose the nonprofit career field after a rewarding experience writing a grant for a new mobile food pantry program in rural Iowa. After graduating college, I joined AmeriCorps VISTA and served in Savannah, Georgia, at a nonprofit working on poverty alleviation.

Currently, I serve on the board of Abide Women’s Health Services, a grassroots, Black-led nonprofit organization that improves birth outcomes in communities with the lowest quality of care. I also volunteer on the Board of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Junior Players Young Professionals Committee as a Junior League Dallas Member and as a Community Centric Fundraising (CCF) Texas Organizer.

Outside of working and volunteering, in my free time, I can be found wandering the arboretum or an art gallery, hiking and enjoying the outdoors, scoping out delicious local vegan cuisine, or curling up with a new book. I am a seventh generation Tejana, currently living in Dallas with my partner, Devin, who is from Chicago, and our cat, Xochitl. I am honored to be a part of this community and look forward to creating a just world where all are fed. 

Please join us in welcoming Roselle to the team!

The application period for 2021 ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grants is now closed.

Hunger Education and Networking Grants are one of the ways ELCA World Hunger accompanies congregations, synods, organizations, partners and local teams throughout the US and the Caribbean. We know that learning about the root causes of hunger and effective responses is key to ending hunger locally and globally. That’s why we are excited to share that our application for ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grants is now open!

ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grants support work that

• educates and engages ELCA congregations, groups, and/or synods;
• provides leadership development for people passionate about ending hunger;
• builds relationships locally, regionally and nationally; and
• equips ELCA members and neighbors to work toward a just world where all are fed.

Previous grantees have included:

• synod-wide bike rides to promote hunger awareness;
• service learning events for youth and young adults;
• online and in-person workshops;
• community organizing training;
• creation of new resources to help participants learn about hunger; and
• local research projects to help others learn more about hunger, health and housing in their community.

The work of grantees in the past has focused on a wide variety of areas, including climate change and sustainability, housing security, racial justice, worker justice, reducing food waste and economic justice.

To be eligible for an ELCA World Hunger Education and Networking Grant, proposals must be:

• received through the ELCA’s online Grantmaker portal;
• submitted by a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization;
• focused on education, engagement and networking toward a just world where all are fed; and
• consistent with ELCA World Hunger’s values and priorities (https://elca.org/domestichungergrants).

If you are interested in applying, you can pre-register on ELCA GrantMaker to access the grant application. Approval of registration may take up to ten business days, so register now at ELCA.org/grants, and submit your application by December 1, 2021.

If you have any questions, please email Ryan Cumming, program director for hunger education, at Ryan.Cumming@elca.org.

Survey data consistently paint a strange picture when it comes to the US budget. Americans in general believe that the US gives about 25% of its budget to international aid and that the portion should be closer to 10% of the federal budget. In reality, the US sends about 1% of its budget overseas. If Americans are confused about the amount of international aid, we may be even more unclear on the how and, importantly, the why of international aid. Where does the money go? What role do businesses and other organizations play? And why is international aid even more important in the age of COVID-19?

In this episode of ELCA World Hunger’s Hunger Policy Podcast, Patricia Kisare, international policy advisor for the ELCA, and Kaari Reierson, the ELCA’s associate for corporate social responsibility, join Ryan Cumming, the program director for hunger education, to break down some of the myths and realities about US aid and the church’s witness when it comes to this part of the federal budget. Patricia and Kaari also share a new resource they have put together to help congregations learn more about international aid.

So, watch the video below, listen to the audio or read the transcript to learn more about this important part of public policy.

Download the new resource on International Aid here. Find other helpful resources on public policy and advocacy at the ELCA Advocacy resource page and on the ELCA World Hunger resource page.

Want to subscribe to the ELCA World Hunger blog? Use the widget on our homepage to sign up!

https://youtu.be/ZCLHcuzaMsE

Prefer to read the interview? Follow this link to access a transcript of the conversation. Closed captioning is also available in the video above and when the video is watched on YouTube.

Want to share the video? Here’s a link you can pass along: https://youtu.be/ZCLHcuzaMsE.

We know that hunger is about more than food. Understanding hunger – and working to end it – means seeing the many ways hunger and poverty intersect with so many other issues, including climate change, food production, access to housing, racial justice, gender justice and more. In “Hunger at the Crossroads,” a webinar series hosted by ELCA World Hunger, we will explore these intersections and the ways we can be part of God’s promise of a just world where all are fed.

New webinar sessions will be posted below. Participants do need to register beforehand, so check back and register to attend!

Who

The webinars are open to anyone passionate about ending hunger and eager to learn more. In each session, we will dive deeply into the topic, with presentations from ELCA World Hunger staff and partners and time for questions and conversation.

Upcoming Webinars

“Conflict and Hunger” – November 3, 2022, at 1:00pm Central time

Violent conflict is one of the most significant drivers of hunger around the world. From wars between nations to ethnic and tribal violence, conflicts affect farms, markets, jobs, housing, trade and more. In this webinar, we will hear from ELCA staff from around the world, who will help us dive more deeply into the tragic and significant ways violent conflict impacts hunger.

“Health and Hunger” – December 1, 2022, at 6:00pm Central time

Hunger and health are related in complex ways. Hunger and under-nourishment can both contribute to long-term health problems, while health challenges can increase the risk of hunger through lost wages and expensive medical bills. In this webinar, we will be joined by experts from both the United States and overseas to learn more. We will also hear from leaders working to improve health in their communities and learn some effective steps that can be taken toward a just world where all are fed – and where all are healthy.

Register

Registration for both “Conflict and Hunger” and “Health and Hunger” is now open through one form! Visit https://forms.office.com/r/N1XnPD3r9D to register. You can register for one or both of the upcoming webinars through this form.  Follow ELCA World Hunger on Facebook and Twitter to get up-to-date information, including dates and links for registration for future webinars. Questions about “Hunger at the Crossroads” can be sent to hunger@elca.org.

Previous Webinars

“Sexuality, Gender Identity and Hunger” with Rev. Heidi Neumark (Trinity Lutheran Church, New York, New York) and Rev. Joe Larson (Fargo, North Dakota) – August 12, 2021

“Climate Change and Hunger” with Ryan Cumming and Brooke De Jong (ELCA World Hunger) – October 27th, 2021

“Hunger and Poverty by the Numbers: Where Are We at Now?” with Ryan Cumming (ELCA World Hunger) – December 9, 2021

“Housing and Hunger” with Brooke De Jong (ELCA World Hunger) and featuring a NEW! resource on housing – June 29, 2022

Watch the recordings of previous “Hunger at the Crossroads” webinars here: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8758461.

We hope to see you “at the Crossroads”!

We know that hunger is not just a matter of food but a matter of policy. Public policies impact where our food comes from, the kinds of food we eat, how we acquire food – and what our options are when we don’t have enough. In this conversation for the ELCA World Hunger blog, John Johnson, director of domestic policy for the ELCA, joins Ryan Cumming, program director for hunger education with ELCA World Hunger, to talk about the expanded Child Tax Credit, a huge step forward in addressing child poverty in the US this year.

https://youtu.be/DqDjclrR6no

Links that were shared during the recording:

• CTC website: childtaxcredit.gov
• IRS CTC landing page: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021
• CTC Non-Filer Sign-up Tool: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool
• IRS FAQs: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/2021-child-tax-credit-and-advance-child-tax-credit-payments-frequently-asked-questions

Correction: In the recording, a July webinar on the Child Tax Credit is mentioned. This updated date for this is July 7. Join partners of the ELCA and White House officials, including Mr. Gene Sperling, for this national webinar to learn about the tax credit’s historic expansion and to hear from experts on the need to make the expansion permanent. Registration information will be available soon. Follow the social media links below to get updates.

Follow the ELCA’s Witness in Society team on social media for updates about the Child Tax Credit and other important public policy issues:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELCAAdvocacy/

Twitter: @ELCAAdvocacy

Instagram: @ELCAAdvocacy

And follow ELCA World Hunger for up-to-date information on hunger and poverty in the US and around the world, including the creative ways our church is responding by walking with neighbors, partners and companions toward a just world where all are fed:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ELCAworldhunger/

Twitter: @ELCAWorldHunger

Instagram: @ELCAWorldHunger

Interested in more conversations like this about hunger and policy? Are there specific public policy issues you’d like to hear about? Let us know! Email Ryan.Cumming@elca.org to share your feedback and ideas.

Subscribe to the ELCA World Hunger blog, and sign up to join the ELCA’s network of advocates.

(If you are one of our regular subscribers to the ELCA World Hunger blog and reading this via email, the audio and video files may not show up. Just click on the title of the post to head over to the main blog webpage to listen in.)

We know that hunger is not just a matter of food but a matter of policy. Public policies impact where our food comes from, the kinds of food we eat, how we acquire food – and what our options are when we don’t have enough. In this new kind of post for the ELCA World Hunger blog, John Johnson, director of domestic policy for the ELCA, joins Ryan Cumming, program director for hunger education with ELCA World Hunger, for a conversation about hunger and policy, including important public policies that could impact people experiencing hunger and poverty in the United States. Links to both the audio and the video are below.

https://youtu.be/ZufOAqbl9NM

Interested in more conversations like this about hunger and policy? Are there specific public policy issues you’d like to hear about? Let us know! Email Ryan.Cumming@elca.org to share your feedback and ideas.

Subscribe to the ELCA World Hunger blog, and sign up to join the ELCA’s network of advocates.

(If you are one of our regular subscribers to the ELCA World Hunger blog and reading this via email, the audio and video files may not show up. Just click on the title of the post to head over to the main blog webpage to listen in.)

What Is “Building Resilient Communities”?

ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response are ministries deeply rooted in the identity of the ELCA, and the mission to which God calls this Church. Together, for decades, these ministries have accompanied communities where God is at work through congregations, synods, social ministry organizations, companions and other partners building a just world where all are fed and bringing  hope, healing and renewal to people whose lives have been disrupted by disasters.

This collaboration arises from what we know about both disasters and hunger. Disasters can exacerbate some of the same vulnerabilities and challenges that ELCA World Hunger seeks to address. By accompanying communities through recovery from a disaster, Lutheran Disaster Response helps reduce these vulnerabilities for the long-term health and stability of communities. And some of the surest steps in reducing vulnerability to the effects of disaster are the very things ELCA World Hunger accompanies our neighbors toward – sustainable food systems, sufficient housing, stable income and accessible health care. Whether we look at best practices for meeting human needs or the faith that calls us to walk with our neighbors toward the bright future God promises, the work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response are closely connected.

So, we are happy to share with you that these two ministries are now joined together on a single team within the Service and Justice home area of the ELCA churchwide organization: the Building Resilient Communities Team!

“Building Resilient Communities” expresses the deepest commitments of both ministries, which will remain distinct and yet related in this new configuration. Both Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger support work that meets the immediate needs of our neighbors while also working and walking with congregations, partners and companions toward long-term, transformative change. We know that the work to which God calls our church is the work of ensuring that we and our neighbors can thrive today and tomorrow.

For ELCA World Hunger, this has meant supporting the work of job creation, health care, stable housing, access to clean, safe water and more, as well as the critical work of food pantries and emergency feeding programs. Lutheran Disaster Response helps meet the immediate and long-term needs of communities and supports proactive measures to ensure that the next time a disaster strikes, our neighbors will be better equipped to respond and less vulnerable to the worst effects. That resilience – founded on addressing the roots of injustice that create vulnerability – is key to the work supported by both ministries, and now it is central to who we are as a team together.

The Building Resilient Communities Team (BRC) includes staff responsible for both the domestic and international work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response. As one team, BRC brings together both Lutheran Disaster Response and ELCA World Hunger, as well as the domestic and international components of both ministries’ work. And, of course, we continue to work closely with colleagues throughout the churchwide organization, synods, companion churches, congregations and partners.

As we introduce this new structure within the churchwide organization of the ELCA, we are excited to introduce, too, the members of BRC!

Interested in joining the Building Resilient Communities team? The ELCA is hiring! Follow the links to learn more about openings for a domestic grants manager and for a social ministry organization engagement manager.

Rebecca Duerst – Senior Director, BRC

Greetings! My name is Rebecca Duerst, and I am honored to serve as senior director, Building Resilient Communities (BRC) in the Service and Justice Home Area of the churchwide organization of the ELCA. In this role I lead the BRC team, a group of incredible colleagues you will meet here, who together serve as leaders for the programming of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response both domestically and around the world. I’ve been working with the ELCA for about 10 years, most recently as director for Diakonia and, earlier, as program director for global health in the Global Mission unit, and prior to that, in Global Service with one of the Lutheran churches in Namibia. I’m originally from Wisconsin and grew up in a family of six sisters. I have a strong love of learning and am grateful to have had access to a variety of educational opportunities, including majoring in Art, Biology, and Chemistry at St. Olaf College (Um Yah Yah!), and earning a M.A. in Education, a M.P.H. in Global Health, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. I’m excited to be taking on this new role leading the BRC team that brings together the domestic and international work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response in an integrated way, particularly to explore how we, together with ELCA congregations, synods, social ministry organizations, global companion churches, and Lutheran and ecumenical partners, can more holistically seek to address root causes of oppression and injustice and work toward transformation and liberation.

Katy Ajer – Program Director, World Hunger-International

Hello! My name is Katy Ajer, and I am the Program Director, World Hunger International. I work on stewarding ELCA World Hunger funds to companion churches and organizations outside of the ELCA in their efforts to improve sustainable development, education, health, and peace, justice, and reconciliation around the world. I also work alongside other churchwide organization staff to facilitate learning events for and by other companions. I am honored to be able to work alongside these passionate and skilled local leaders and to help share their contexts and realities with ELCA members.

I am the daughter of an ELCA pastor and deacon, who carries a strong faith but decided earlier on that I was not a person to work in the church J. Before coming to the ELCA I worked in social services as a case manager in homeless shelters, a health coordinator at an Early Head Start, board member for a free clinic, and a researcher at a hospital, eventually earning a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health. Public Health called to me because of its combination of the biological mechanisms that our physical and mental health reflect and the complex social realities (and inequities) that play such a strong role in the biological response. It allows us to see things at a macro level of the policies or structural inequalities that cause different health outcomes between different groups and at the micro level of an individual. This year, I’m looking forward to learning more about the domestic work of ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response.

Juliana Glassco – Director, ELCA World Hunger-Domestic

I’m Juliana Glassco, and I am the Director for ELCA World Hunger – Domestic. In this role, I lead the team supporting ELCA World Hunger’s domestic partnerships – a network of individuals, synods, congregations and their partners learning and taking action together toward a just world where all are fed. My passion for building vibrant, healthy communities began with a year of service in Lutheran Volunteer Corps. Since then, I have worked with communities both domestically and internationally to strengthen community identity and engagement through the built and natural environment, interfaith collaboration, and shared ministry toward ending hunger. I started working with ELCA World Hunger in 2018, managing domestic grants. As part of the new Building Resilient Communities team, I’m over the moon about the opportunity to explore relationships and strategies for impact with our international and Lutheran Disaster Response colleagues and partners.

John Pyron – Program Director, Lutheran Disaster Response-US

Hello! My name is John Pyron, and I serve as the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response-US (LDR-US). LDR-US is a national, interconnected network of Lutheran synods, social service organizations, congregations, and external partners that is responsive to the needs of people and communities impacted by disasters and is proactive in addressing community and household disaster risk and vulnerability. LDR-US recognizes that all disasters are local and builds capacity by accompanying local partners in disaster relief, recovery and resilience efforts. LDR-US engages by convening partners for mutual learning, mentorship and support; educates through online, in-person and experiential learning opportunities; equips with relief, recovery and resilience grants; and empowers by utilizing a model of active accompaniment, providing opportunities for people to live out their faith in meaningful ways.

I began my journey in disaster work as a volunteer chainsaw and debris removal team leader in Mobile, Alabama after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Since then, I have served in various roles including construction and volunteer coordination, disaster case management, and long-term recovery group coordination, supporting numerous relief and recovery efforts across the country. Prior to joining the ELCA staff in June 2020, I served with two Lutheran Social Service agencies: Lutheran Family and Children’s Services of Missouri and Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio. I am an avid guitar player, runner, cyclist and a lover of all things outdoor. My partner, Katie, and I live in Louisville, Kentucky, with our two sons, Henry and William.

Marie Ann Sliwinski – Program Director, Lutheran Disaster Response-International

My name is Marie Anne Sliwinski, and I am the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response-International at the ELCA. I have been working in the non-profit sector for close to 20 years, 14 of which are dedicated in international humanitarian and development programs. I currently oversee the Lutheran Disaster Response International portfolio, which supports immediate relief and recovery needs of families affected by disasters. I hold a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago. I currently reside in the Chicago suburbs with my husband and two children. This year, I look forward to getting to know the new team and to learn how we can further integrate the work of LDR US and International because as all disasters may be local, the impact is global.

Joseph Chu – Program Manager, Lutheran Disaster Response

I am Joseph Chu, Program Manager of Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). It is a privilege to serve both LDR International and LDR US under the leadership of Marie Anne and John. In some ways, this new position will help me integrate learnings from my work in both Global Mission and Domestic Mission, two former units within the churchwide organization. Between 2004 and the end of 2009, I was a member of the Asia Pacific Team in Global Mission. And from September 2012 to January 31, 2021, I served on the Lutheran Disaster Response – U.S. team in Domestic Mission.

Meeting with and listening to disaster survivors, participants of community development projects, professional colleagues and volunteers who have given their all for the sake of building a new home, a new community and a more just and equitable community around the world are among the most gratifying experiences I have ever had. In my new role, I will be following up with projects after their respective grant cycle has started. My responsibilities will include monitoring the project, particularly reviewing project reports in collaboration with other team members and my supervisors. I know there are many experts in these areas among our churchwide colleagues, and I look forward to learning from them. In addition to this work, I am an ordained clergy who have served congregations in California and Illinois. I have also worked in the field of non-profit fund development, social work and teaching. My wife and I have a daughter and a son in their early 20s.

Ryan P. Cumming – Program Director, Hunger Education

Greetings! I am the program director for hunger education with ELCA World Hunger. In this role, I direct the development of ELCA World Hunger’s educational resources, research trends in hunger and poverty, and help with communications with partners and congregations. In addition to this work with the ELCA, I have served as a consultant and presenter on pedagogy, active learning, and instructional design, and I continue to teach undergraduate courses at both Loyola University Chicago and Central Michigan University. I graduated from Capital University in Ohio before heading over to the Jesuit side of higher ed, earning my MA and Ph.D. in Theology, with a focus on Christian Ethics. When wearing my academic hat, I have presented research on ethics, religion, and neuropsychology at conferences in the United States and abroad and have been fortunate enough to even get published a few times. I am the author of The African American Challenge to Just War Theory (Palgrave, 2013), and contributor to and an editor of the three-volume Forgotten Luther series available from Fortress Press. Before working with ELCA World Hunger, I was interim editor of the Journal of Lutheran Ethics and a member of the ELCA’s task force on criminal justice. Before that, I was a bartender, fishmonger, truck driver, bricklayer and factory worker. Before that… Well, needless to say, I am looking forward to what comes next on the horizon with this great group of colleagues on the Building Resilient Communities team.

Brooke De Jong – Program Assistant, Hunger Education

I am Brooke De Jong, and I serve ELCA World Hunger as the Program Assistant for Hunger Education. I have a passion for faith formation that is culturally sensitive, socially responsive and aimed at creating lifelong, engaged faith leaders. I work with the ELCA World Hunger team to create resources that foster faith that is active in love and seeks justice. I am looking forward to deeper collaboration with my colleagues to see what new and innovative resources we can create for the network.

Previous to my work with ELCA World Hunger, I worked on the observance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation for the ELCA, served as a youth director and served as a HUD grants administrator. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and German with a minor in Ancient Languages from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. I am currently working on my Master of Divinity and in the process of becoming a deacon in the ELCA. When I am not in the office, I can often be found powerlifting, hiking, backpacking or biking. My last hiking trip was to the Superstition Wilderness in Arizona. My last backpacking trip was an 80-mile loop in the Sawtooth Mountains (see photo).

Angela Galbraith – Grants and Reporting Coordinator

My name is Angela Galbraith, and I am the Grants and Reporting Coordinator for Building Resilient Communities. I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but I’m excited to call Chicago home soon. I have a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with minors in Music, German, and Justice, Law & Public Policy from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. I have over five years of experience in nonprofit leadership focused on food insecurity and chronic malnutrition. Most recently, I served in the Peace Corps as an HIV/AIDS and Adolescent Health Educator in Lesotho. As Coordinator, I will continue supporting our partners in ministry through the granting process and assist the team in data management and comprehensive impact reporting. I am looking forward to growing both personally and professionally as I learn more about Lutheran Disaster Response and World Hunger-International.

Christine Moolo – Manager, ELCA World Hunger

Hi! My name is Christine Moolo, and I serve as the Manager for ELCA World Hunger. In this role, I have the opportunity to engage with the grant processes for both our domestic and international work, support companions and partners in their engagement with our ELCA Grantmaker system, and communicate stories and learnings of ELCA World Hunger-supported ministries to the broader ELCA community. My background is in International Development, and I have served in Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, the United States and other locations to promote the work of global and domestic partners in sustainable development and disaster response initiatives. I have been active in racial equity trainings and am an Intercultural Development Inventory Qualified Assessor. I am passionate about partners in sustainable development having the resources they need to adequately take on the systemic and social barriers that prevent their communities from thriving. I live in the Chicagoland area, and I am honored to work alongside my talented, extremely hard-working and passionate Service and Justice colleagues.

Petra Rickertsen – Networks Manager, Building Resilient Communities

I serve as Networks Manager with the Building Resilient Communities team, supporting both the Hunger Leader and Lutheran Disaster Response networks. My passion for working toward a just world where all are fed began as a camp counselor and grew as a Hunger Leader on the Southwest California Synod Hunger team. I am elated everyday in this role to learn how leaders across both networks creatively build relationships with our global neighbors in addressing hunger and its root causes and disasters and preparedness and support them in achieving their courageous solutions. Though hesitant to trade the roar of the ocean, desert four-wheeling and rock-climbing adventures for snow, I am enjoying the new adventures that Midwest seasons offer.

Roselle Tenorio – Domestic Grants Manager

Hi everyone, my name is Roselle Tenorio, and I am joining ELCA World Hunger as the Domestic Grants Manager. Previously, I was the Grants and Programs Manager at Texas Women’s Foundation. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies from Grinnell College. I have a long and varied relationship with food justice and its intersections, starting at a young age volunteering with my family and community in Dallas, Texas, to researching food pantry systems while in college. I chose the nonprofit career field after a rewarding experience writing a grant for a new mobile food pantry program in rural Iowa. After graduating college, I joined AmeriCorps VISTA and served in Savannah, Georgia, at a nonprofit working on poverty alleviation. Currently, I serve on the board of Abide Women’s Health Services, a grassroots, Black-led nonprofit organization that improves birth outcomes in communities with the lowest quality of care. I also volunteer on the Board of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, Junior Players Young Professionals Committee as a Junior League Dallas Member and as a Community Centric Fundraising (CCF) Texas Organizer. Outside of working and volunteering, in my free time, I can be found wandering the arboretum or an art gallery, hiking and enjoying the outdoors, scoping out delicious local vegan cuisine, or curling up with a new book. I am a seventh generation Tejana, currently living in Dallas with my partner, Devin, who is from Chicago, and our cat, Xochitl. I am honored to be a part of this community and look forward to creating a just world where all are fed.

Educación Popular en Salud, or Popular Education in Health, (EPES) was founded by Karen Anderson, ELCA mission personnel, as a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile in the early 1980s. In 2002, EPES became an independent foundation, continuing and expanding its support of communities in the Latin American country of Chile. This important work is supported in part by gifts to ELCA World Hunger. We are grateful to our partners at EPES for the update and video below, showcasing some of the amazing work that is happening in the El Bosque community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Check it out!

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPES Foundation initiated a project with community health promoters and nutrition teams to cultivate home gardens. In five months, the women transformed the patios and balconies of their homes into small vegetable gardens. The enthusiasm for what was learned and harvested during the months of strict quarantine was so great that the women decided to create a community garden at the end of that year. The Auco community center in the Oscar Bonilla neighborhood of El Bosque, where the David Werner health team has met for more than 25 years, was chosen as the place for the community garden.

Since the beginning the project has had the technical advice and collaboration of Valeria Rodriguez from the Santa Isabel community garden.

In this video, the women share their experiences related to creating the garden, highlighting the satisfaction of growing their own food, connecting with nature, promoting community participation in health and food sovereignty, and contributing to the environment by reducing organic waste. In addition, they report how this collective learning process has helped them to better face the pandemic, strengthening ties between women, sowing hope and cultivating solidarity.

Video Production and Editing: Claudia Macchiavello

Original Music: Martín Formento