{"id":8,"date":"2015-01-28T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elca.org\/News-and-Events\/blogs\/ELCAWorldHunger\/643"},"modified":"2015-06-16T10:10:14","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T16:10:14","slug":"the-church-i-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/worldhunger\/the-church-i-see\/","title":{"rendered":"The Church I See"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When was the last time you were proud to be Christian?\u00a0 When was the last time you felt good about calling yourself a Lutheran?<\/p>\n

Articles, blogs, surveys, statements, and so on keep telling us that the Church is in crisis, that mainstream denominations are bleeding members and funds, that churches are trading vitality for gimmicks to stem the flow out the doors.\u00a0 Too often, the public face of Christianity in the U.S. seems to be a culture of “no” \u2013 no to diverse sexualities, no to religious diversity, no to science, no, no, no.\u00a0 Flocks of young people, with worldviews distant from generations past, are hastening away from a religion whose presence in the news is often a portrait of stodginess, of anachronisms, or \u2013 at its worst \u2013 of simply hate in action.\u00a0 The pseudo-Christianity that holds sway in media portrayals of faith communities makes it difficult for many of us to identify as Christians \u2013 and as Evangelical Lutherans \u2013 with pride in our church.<\/p>\n

But there are times when that vision of the church wafts away like the thin, untenable shell that it is.\u00a0 This happens a lot in the work that I am blessed to do.\u00a0 If I may, let me tell you about the church that I see.<\/p>\n

Last year, I was at a summit hosted by the Alliance to End Hunger in Washington, DC.\u00a0 For the opening panel, I sat at a random table, a nobody among leaders and representatives of some of the most prominent anti-hunger organizations in the country.\u00a0 Across from me was a man representing a food bank out west.\u00a0 He shook my hand and thanked me.\u00a0 His food bank was supported by a Domestic Hunger Grant from ELCA World Hunger.\u00a0 Next to him was a woman representing a meal delivery program in the South.\u00a0 She likewise extended her gratitude; her program, too, was supported by ELCA World Hunger.\u00a0 To my immediate left?\u00a0 The father of a young woman who co-wrote a resource on food drives for us, herself “raised and retained” ELCA.\u00a0 Where was his daughter?\u00a0 On the stage, about to present to this diverse group and, unbeknownst to her, about to receive a scholarship for her anti-hunger work.<\/p>\n

The ELCA is a member of the Alliance, but far beyond that, we are THERE in many profound ways.<\/p>\n

I have had the chance to travel to many states and to Latin America in my work with ELCA World Hunger.\u00a0 And the overwhelming impression I have taken from the conversations I have had and the things I have heard has been how well-respected our Church is among ecumenical partners, local communities, and companion churches.\u00a0 Our commitment to accompanying our partners and companions opens up vital spaces in which we can learn and share with one another and engage in vibrant ministries in communities around the world.<\/p>\n

While in Colombia with colleagues from the Global Mission unit of the ELCA and representatives of our companion church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Colombia (IELCO), we had the unique opportunity to meet with three men from Caminando Juntos<\/em> (“Walking Together”), an advocacy, activism, and support group for people infected with HIV\/AIDS that is part of IELCO’s ministry in Colombia.\u00a0 We heard stories of the group’s successes in accompanying newly diagnosed members, in helping to secure medication, and in raising awareness of HIV\/AIDS throughout the church.\u00a0 This was the first time members of the group had met with people outside the group.<\/p>\n

This is a ministry supported by grants from ELCA World Hunger to IELCO’s Diakonia ministry.\u00a0 We have been invited to be part of this work with our support, and our Church has said “YES.”\u00a0 And we have been enriched as Church because of it.<\/p>\n

On that same trip, w\"2014-05-04<\/a>e climbed up a mountain in northern Colombia to visit with the Christian Kogui Community, an indigenous community facing significant challenges in defending their rights to education, health care, and religious freedom.\u00a0 When they converted to Christianity years ago, they lost their protected status as “indigenous peoples,” which led to eviction from their traditional lands, lack of access to subsidized health care, and reduced opportunities for education.\u00a0 Through IELCO, ELCA World Hunger helped some of the families in this community purchase land, including farms that provide food to Kogui families.<\/p>\n

Our support for IELCO, in part, helps to provide the Kogui community with partners in their struggle to advocate for themselves.\u00a0 We have been invited to be part of this work with our support and to learn from it by our presence, and our Church has said “YES.”\u00a0 And we have been enriched as Church because of it.<\/p>\n

Backpack programs in Iowa, shelters for homeless youth in New York and Texas, re-entry programs for men released from prison in California, community gardens and nutritional education in Wisconsin, hospitals in the Holy Land, refugee camps in Jordan and Kenya, improved sanitation programs in Myanmar \u2013 we have been invited to be part of this work with our support and our presence, and our Church has said “YES.”\u00a0 And we have been enriched as Church because of it.<\/p>\n

Our colleagues in ELCA Advocacy in Washington, DC, New York, and a variety of state public policy offices are prominent voices for justice, leading the charge on issues ranging from minimum wage and protections for workers, to care for creation, to federal safety net programs for people who fall on hard times.\u00a0 Whether on the international, national, or state level, Lutherans have said “YES” to being part of \u2013 and leading \u2013 conversations about justice, peace, and fairness.<\/p>\n

We are there.\u00a0 It may not get written about in the papers.\u00a0 It may not end up on the “Today” show.\u00a0 It may not go viral like a hate-filled protest at a military funeral, but it does not go unnoticed.\u00a0 With faith in God who ordains that government should be just, that every person’s rights should be protected, the ELCA joins its voice to the symphony of cries for justice and peace. When the world says, “No” to human beings and to the environment \u2013 “No, there isn’t enough money to support people in need during an economic crisis,” “No, protecting the environment would risk too many jobs” \u2013 the Church says, “YES” \u2013 “Yes<\/em>, we can support people in need,” “Yes<\/em>, we can practice sustainability in ways that benefit both humans and non-human creation,” “Yes<\/em>, we can and must protect the rights of children, workers, immigrants, refugees, and all those who are vulnerable.”<\/p>\n

This is what I see…<\/p>\n