Another blog post from ELCA World Hunger Education Intern Aml Mohamed. In this blog, she continues to seek answers to the three questions posed in her first blog. This blog is a response to her second question: “Why would I care as a practicing Muslim to work at a Lutheran faith-based institution?” 

In July, I participated in the ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During one of the skill-building sessions, participants and staff members had the chance to practice one-to-one conversations. I had a beautiful chance to discuss faith and how it plays a part in our personal and professional life with a colleague.

I wear my faith on my head. By choosing to wear the Hijab, a hair covering, it is noted by some that I am likely a Muslim. In various settings this is the first thing they notice about me, especially in a large gathering like the ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering. Sometimes, I do not think about it much, as it is part of me. However, I welcome those reflective questions about being of a different faith and my work. When the questions are asked properly, they do not reflect bad intentions– they reflect curiosity. They make me reflect on my own experience. I was about to respond to a participant’s question about my experience at the ELCA as a Muslim person, but they soon interrupted me. They said: “I am sure there are common things in our religions that support and encourage community work and care for hunger.” I nodded with a smile. I was happy to see that this was the assumption for why I do the work I do. But, is that enough?

To answer this question, I will return to the conversation about faith I had with my colleague and reflect on this question: do we do the work we do because of our community-driven personalities or because of our faiths?

It is not one answer or the other. I never thought of my religion as the source of my passion to work on community development. I mean, I am just a regular college student who is passionate about making a change in a small way. At the ELCA, the Lutheran faith that shapes the work is clear in many ways, such as praying before a meal or the start of the event. Is that what makes a faith-based organization different? The prayers? During the conference, it was often mentioned that God is a God of abundance. God created so much that there is more than enough to feed everyone on earth, yet there is hunger. I was confused. How can God be a God of abundance and allow hunger in the world? I soon realized in my conversation with my colleague that their work is driven by their faith grounded in hope. I realized that there is energy in people that have hope while their feet are on the ground. They know that there is too much to do, however, there is something that can be done.

I am not an Islamic scholar or a researcher, but when I heard the phrase God created abundantly, I reflected on this verse in Surat Hud 11:6 in the Quran: “And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision.” Allah is the Arabic word for God, and it is used by Arabic-speakers of all Abrahamic faiths, including Christians and Jews. This is the English translation of the verse, but the Arabic word for Provision is Rizq. Rizq means so many things, which is the beauty of Arabic. Rizq means livelihood, sustenance, nourishment, daily bread, blessings and more. So, God says that every creature, not just humans, is provided for. God did not even limit the provision meaning to food or wealth, but it takes many shapes.

My personal belief that there are enough resources, ideas and energy is what pushes me to think that is possible to develop and sustain communities. It is not simple or easy to access those resources for many reasons in our world today. But, faith is my source of hope and energy. I know that there is unlimited human energy that should be invested wisely to make positive change. Working with ELCA World Hunger made me realize that faith grounded in hope points us towards change that can be done. This where I found my common ground. I saw that a faith-based organization like ELCA World Hunger achieves so much by reaching out to the community of active and caring individuals and ministries to work together. The source of hope to push and continue working on problems comes from faith in a God who provides abundantly – or for me, faith that one’s rizq is provided by God.

At the beginning of the summer I asked myself as a practicing Muslim, would I care about working at a Lutheran Church? Now, at the end of the summer, I look back, and I see how much I learned about my faith, even while immersed in Lutheran faith. I learned that caring for social change is not an impossible mission if people find common ground in their faith and worldviews to work together.

This summer ELCA World Hunger welcomes two interns to the team. We are excited to have them share their gifts and talents with us. Learn more about them below!

Aml Mohamed, ELCA World Hunger Education Summer Intern

My name is Aml Mohamed, and I will be working as the ELCA World Hunger Education Summer Intern. ‘Aml’ means ‘hope’ in Arabic, which is the first language that I speak in my home country of Egypt. I am a student at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and I am designing an individual major which is titled International Youth Development. The major captures my passion to return home and pursue a career in youth development.

Before going to college, I completed a two-year pre-university program at the African Leadership Academy (ALA) in South Africa, whose mission is to prepare the next generation of African leaders. My experience at ALA motivated me to develop an educational initiative in my home city, Luxor, Egypt, called the “Step by Step Initiative.” The initiative aims to increase young people’s self-efficacy through providing them with life skills such as problem-solving, communication, teamwork and presentation skills. We were able to reach eighty students during the summer of 2018 and hope to continue in the future.

This is my first time in Chicago. While I am here, I hope to explore and learn about the history and the culture of the city. I will use some of my free time to pack my reflective thoughts and luggage, before I go on a St. Olaf College faculty-led study abroad program. The program is called Global Semester, and its theme is Education in a Global Context. During the program, we will visit six countries: France, Egypt, Tanzania, India, China and Argentina.

I am excited for the projects that we will be working on as the ELCA World Hunger Education team, and thankful for the learning opportunities that will come with it.

Joshua Meribole, Community Granting and Community Engagement Summer Intern

The building is tall. The work is important. The learning is endless.

Hello, my name is Joshua Meribole, and I am a Summer Intern at the ELCA in Chicago. I will be working as the Community Granting and Community Engagement Intern with ELCA World Hunger. I am from Nigeria and came to the U.S. to study community development and journalism at Dordt University in Iowa. I will officially finish college at the end of the summer.

In college, I studied the different community development practices that organizations around the world have done to help impoverished communities. I am looking forward to learning how the ELCA works alongside its partners to help communities tackle the multiple and interconnected layers of world hunger.

My work for this summer ranges from organizing events to writing blogs and articles to reviewing documents. With each of the tasks that I will be doing, I am excited to learn and to gain new experiences and skills that will add to my dream and vision to work with community members in the countries I grew up in.

In my free time, I like to read, watch TV shows and video tutorials, and talk to people. However, living in Chicago for the first time, I have had to put visiting iconic landmarks and going to festivals to my list of hobbies. So far, I have enjoyed meeting new people, expanding my taste buds and walking around the city.

After talking to people within the ELCA and hearing about their experiences and projects, I am looking forward to being part of the family.

Hello! I’m Brooke De Jong, and I am very excited to join the ELCA World Hunger team as the Program Assistant for Hunger Education and share my diverse work background with the team. I can’t wait to see what new things we can do together. Most recently, I served as the Director for Youth, Family and Community Outreach at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wilmette, Ill. Prior to my work at St. John’s, I worked as a chaplain on an adolescent behavioral health unit, a grant writer for Heartland Alliance Health and as the ELCA’s Coordinator for the Observance of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. 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.

I have a passion for faith formation that is culturally sensitive, socially responsive and aimed at creating lifelong, engaged members of the ELCA. I am looking forward to assisting the ELCA World Hunger team in creating resources that foster the growth of a faith that is active in love and seeks justice. I also look forward to hearing from you about how you are using ELCA World Hunger education resources and what your hopes are for the future of these resources.

When I am not in the office, I can often be found doing CrossFit, hiking, backpacking or biking. My last hiking trip was to the Grand Canyon (see photo). The last backpacking trip I took was to Colorado, where I did the Marron Bells Four Pass Loop. I traversed four mountain passes in five days! I am looking forward to exploring Zion National Park or more of the Rocky Mountains next.

Are you daydreaming about summer as much as we are? Around the country, ELCA congregations are already making plans for next year’s Vacation Bible School, and ELCA World Hunger is thrilled to invite you to explore our new VBS curriculum for 2019, “Who is My Neighbor?” This curriculum is a free resource that is now available to order and download!

“Who is My Neighbor?” invites children and youth to re-imagine what it means to be neighbors in Christ. Based on the Good Samaritan story, this full, five-day program contains skits, games, crafts, snacks and intentional activities for children to enjoy and learn how our faith calls us out into the world to love and serve our neighbors.

The skits for each day introduce a new character in the Good Samaritan story, starting with the lawyer who asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Each skit shares an important lesson that directly relates to the theme and theme verse, which groups will practice at the start and end of each day.

Themes for each day:

Day One – God loves us (1 John 4:19)

Day Two – Let your light shine (Isaiah 58:10)

Day Three – No fear (1 John 4:18a)

Day Four – God loves everyone (Acts 10:34b-35)

Day Five – Building God’s neighborhood (Romans 15:2)

Based on your feedback, we’ve made “Who is My Neighbor?” more user-friendly for VBS planning teams by organizing each section by activity categories, rather than by days of the week. Organizing the sections in this way allows everyone on the team to be able to flip to the activities that they are assigned so that all of your leaders can find the materials and directions for their roles in one section. The program is organized in the following sections:

Each day begins with a large group opening, including a skit to introduce the daily theme and a new character within “The Good Samaritan” story. This is followed by “family time” – small group sessions to dig deeper into the theme and bible verse. Then, participants travel through five rotations: crafts, games, snacks, storytelling and a “simulation station” – an interactive and engaging activity to learn more about hunger and how our faith calls us to respond. The stories for each day are based on real stories from projects supported by your gifts to ELCA World Hunger. Not only will children, youth and adults hear about the work this church is doing around the world, but through “Who Is My Neighbor?” they will be part of the response!

Leaders will find schedule templates, theme song suggestions and options for younger (K-2nd grade) and older (3rd grade and above) participants so that you can adapt to the needs of your group! Each lesson is rooted in Lutheran theology, drawing on our church’s strong tradition of theology and practice in the world.

The VBS program is also flexible, so you can adapt it to fit your needs. Already have a VBS for this summer? “Who is My Neighbor?” can also be used for Sunday School, family faith formation, and children’s sermons throughout the year.

How can I get my whole congregation involved?

A month or two prior to your VBS, create your own “Who Is My Neighbor?” campaign! Set a goal for your congregation to meet before the VBS starts and raise funds for your neighbors here in the United States and around the world through ELCA World Hunger.

Look for free posters, certificates and additional pictures accompanying the Storytime section coming soon!

If you have any questions about “Who is My Neighbor?” or ELCA World Hunger’s educational resources, please contact Ryan Cumming, program director of hunger education, at Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

Learn

Click on the image below to download “Who Is My Neighbor?” To see some of ELCA World Hunger’s other congregational resources, including confirmation lessons, interactive immersion experiences, stories and videos, visit www.elca.org/Resources/ELCA-World-Hunger.

Share

We want to hear from you! Share the story of your Vacation Bible School on social media, or email us directly at hunger@elca.org.

Give

Gifts to ELCA World Hunger are acts of love towards our neighbors living with hunger and poverty both here and around the world. Together, we are creatively and courageously working toward a just world where all are fed.

Give now

As Reformation Sunday approaches and the winter months ensue, do you find yourself already daydreaming about summer? ELCA World Hunger would like to encourage that habit by offering a sneak peek into ELCA World Hunger’s newest VBS program, “Who is My Neighbor?”

Based on the Good Samaritan story, “Who is My Neighbor?” engages participants in a week of fun, laughter and play while learning about how we are called by God to love and care for our neighbors within our communities and around the world.

Each day focuses on a different character from the Good Samaritan story, with Day 1 introducing the main character—the lawyer who asks Jesus the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

This full, five-day curriculum will be free and available in print or through download. You’ll find skits, family time, games, snacks, crafts and stories that will help participants explore what it means to be a neighbor in Christ by learning about neighbors in six parts of the globe!

Please enjoy this Day 1 sample and be on the lookout for the full “Who is My Neighbor?” VBS curriculum to be available in mid-November!

We pray that the children in your VBS will see the ways God has blessed them and their neighbors—and the role they can play in God’s promise of a just world where all are fed.

Learn

If you’d like to learn more about other resources that ELCA World Hunger offers to congregations,  please visit www.elca.org/Resources/ELCA-World-Hunger.

Give

Gifts to ELCA World Hunger are acts of love towards our neighbors living with hunger and poverty both here and around the world. Together, we are creatively and courageously working toward a just world where all are fed.

Give now

Connect

Sign up here and receive news, information and the latest resources from ELCA World Hunger.

Youth and adults from across the ELCA joined together in Houston this summer to celebrate Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and to state boldly, “This Changes Everything!”

At the ELCA Youth Gathering this year, we had the chance to be part of that change in the lives of smallholder farmers through ELCA World Hunger’s Global Farm Challenge. Together, our church raised more than $1.1 million to provide animals, seeds, tools, training and more to our farming neighbors around the world. Thank you!

ELCA World Hunger’s Global Farm Challenge Field Experience track gave youth and adults the chance to walk through one season with smallholder farmers and to learn about the challenges – and opportunities – they face.

Now, you can share this experience with your congregation.

The guide has everything you need to lead your own track. It has instructions for each of the stations on the track, tips from ELCA World Hunger staff and printable copies of the signs you’ll need to host your own “Field Experience.” The guide is available for download for free at ELCA.org/hunger/resources.

Farming communities face a lot of challenges, but farmers also have a lot of opportunities. Together, we can learn from our farming neighbors and be part of what God is doing to end hunger for good.

Want to stay in touch with ELCA World Hunger? Sign up here and receive news, information and the latest resources from ELCA World Hunger.

Teen pregnancy is both a personal and a social issue, and teenage mothers often must face personal, psychological effects as well as social stigma.  In the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, managed in part by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), most of the teenage mothers have experienced familial rejection and sexual- and gender-based violence. In the long term, many may also face depression, forced marriage and social rejection.

The LWF child protection department plays a major role in minimizing the factors that lead to teen pregnancy and in working to ensure the well-being of teenage mothers and their children.  The intervention and psychosocial support LWF provides is critical to their safety, health, and wellness. This program at Kakuma is supported in part by ELCA World Hunger.

Nyamok was only three years old when she and her siblings fled violence in South Sudan in 2002. They eventually made their way to Kakuma. Nyamok’s older sister, Nyaduk, cared for her until 2014, when Nyaduk left the camp to return to South Sudan.

In 2013, when she was 14, Nyamok was impregnated by a 25-year-old man from her tribe at the camp.  The man ran away after learning about the pregnancy, despite attempts by the community to arrest him. Nyamok faced both the personal effects of sexual violence and the social stigma of teenage pregnancy.  Shortly after finding out she was pregnant, Nyamok dropped out of Unity Primary School in Kakuma, losing hope of ever being able to finish her education.

Nyamok received counseling support from LWF Child Protection and enrolled in a support group for teenage mothers. This support helped her feel encouraged enough to return to school in 2015, one year after her daughter was born. Returning to school was not an easy choice. According to Nyamok’s cultural traditions, once a girl is pregnant, she is expected to marry. Nyamok did not marry, though, and faced stigma and isolation from other students her age. Still, she remained determined to continue her education.

In 2016, Nyamok sat for examinations for her Kenya certificate of Primary Education and did excellently, scoring in the top two percent of students. She is now trying to enroll in secondary school to pursue her dream of protecting girls and women as a lawyer.

Because of the support she received, Nyamok can now see a bright future for herself and her daughter. “God has a plan for each one of us,” she says. “I can tell that one’s attitude toward education is an important factor to success.” Her message to other child parents is hopeful: “Many people have gone through many hardships, but they have accomplished in life. You, too, can do that.”

Despite the challenges that refugees like Nyamok face, their resilience and hard work and the support of LWF make it possible for them to thrive. Through the LWF child protection department, ELCA World Hunger continues to accompany Nyamok and other teenage mothers as they pursue their dreams at Kakuma.

Photos: Lutheran World Federation

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

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

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

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

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

In this interview, Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary talks about her personal journey as an advocate for justice and the importance of seeing the well-being of the neighbor, including economic well-being, as a matter of faith. Find this video and more at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

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

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

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

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

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

In this interview, Dr. Tim Huffman, now retired from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, describes the importance of advocacy, action, and building relationships toward a more just world, including within our own church. Find this video and more at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

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

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

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

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

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

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