{"id":3809,"date":"2017-02-24T14:17:25","date_gmt":"2017-02-24T20:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worldhunger\/?p=3809"},"modified":"2017-02-24T14:17:25","modified_gmt":"2017-02-24T20:17:25","slug":"vocation-time-famine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worldhunger\/vocation-time-famine\/","title":{"rendered":"Vocation in a Time of Famine"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

Mikka McCracken<\/em><\/p>\n

On February 20, 2017, the United Nations formally declared a famine in South Sudan. According to the UN<\/a>, 4.9 million people, more than 40 percent of the country\u2019s population, are in need of urgent food, agriculture and nutrition assistance. By July, at the height of the lean season, this number could grow to 5.5 million people or about 47 percent of the national population. One million children are already acutely malnourished.<\/p>\n

The declaration of famine means people have already started to die from hunger.<\/h4>\n

In addition to South Sudan, the UN is warning of looming famine in three other countries, as well: Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a>

CNN\/IPC Global Partners<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

This famine brings up memories of famine seasons past and is interconnected with other challenges in the region. Just last week, the UN warned of the greatest refugee crisis<\/a> in Africa, the 1.5 million people fleeing the increasing conflict in South Sudan bound for Uganda, which will triple Uganda\u2019s refugee population in just six months.<\/p>\n

This weekend, I\u2019m headed to the Sierra Pacific Synod\u2019s high school youth event under the theme verse Psalm 27:14 –\u00a0 \u201cWait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!\u201d<\/p>\n

As people of faith, we can take comfort and refuge in this familiar psalm, and yet, we see the ever-present reality of bodily and spiritual hunger. So what are people of faith to do in the \u201cin-between times?\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Martin Luther\u2019s many Reformation contributions was to redefine \u201cvocation\u201d as more than just a 9-to-5 occupation. For Luther, according to Swedish theologian Gustaf Wingren, \u201cvocation belongs to our situation between baptism and the final resurrection.\u201d<\/strong> American theologian Frederick Buechner further defines vocation as \u201cwhere your greatest gifts meet the world\u2019s deepest needs.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friends of ELCA World Hunger, what is our vocational call in the face of despair and famine? How might our greatest gifts come to bear to meet the world\u2019s deepest needs? Let us gather, pray, break bread and go out to serve in the many ways God has gifted us — for such a task as this and time as ending hunger.<\/p>\n

Mikka McCracken is Director of Planning and Engagement for ELCA World Hunger. This post originally appeared in ELCA World Hunger’s “Go and Do News,” a monthly publication for ELCA World Hunger Leaders.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Mikka McCracken On February 20, 2017, the United Nations formally declared a famine in South Sudan. According to the UN, 4.9 million people, more than 40 percent of the country\u2019s population, are in need of urgent food, agriculture and nutrition assistance. By July, at the height of the lean season, this number could grow […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[69,17532,5373],"class_list":["post-3809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-elca-world-hunger","tag-famine","tag-south-sudan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nVocation in a Time of Famine - ELCA World Hunger<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This week, the United Nations formally declared a famine in South Sudan. 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