{"id":2886,"date":"2012-06-29T06:00:40","date_gmt":"2012-06-29T11:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/hungerrumblings\/?p=2886"},"modified":"2012-06-29T06:00:40","modified_gmt":"2012-06-29T11:00:40","slug":"pentecost-the-fire-for-just-participation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worldhunger\/pentecost-the-fire-for-just-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentecost: The Fire for Just Participation"},"content":{"rendered":"

1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. <\/em><\/p>\n

–Acts 2: 1-4<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I feel a bit fiery today\u2026<\/strong>No, it\u2019s not the blazing wildfires out west\u2014though our thoughts and prayers are with you. No, it\u2019s not the 100+ degree temperature here in Chicago. I\u2019m burning up internally over the issue of just participation.<\/p>\n

First, something you know about me. I am a student of political science. I studied political science, because I believe that people should be able to understand, access, participate in and change the systems that govern their lives and communities.<\/p>\n

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Second, something you may not know about me. If I could be any super heroine, I would be \u201cPentecost Flame\u201d– or something that sounds cooler. I would be able to speak and understand any language.<\/p>\n

But what does that have to do with anything?<\/p>\n

I was blessed to spend 17 days in Bogot\u00e1, Colombia with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council.<\/strong> I sit as one of five members from North America with this international group. This time around, I also had the great joy and privilege of chairing the \u201cAdvocacy and Public Voice\u201d committee. The main mandate of that group is to discuss and work on the statements and resolutions the LWF Council will make.<\/p>\n

During this meeting, we worked diligently on three statements and three resolutions:<\/p>\n