Remember the hungry this Lent

Does your congregation host a meal before Lenten services? Why not gather for a meal and help fight hunger at the same time? Enjoy global cuisine. Learn about the world. Discover how our church is making a difference.

Visit www.elca.org/hunger/lent and find 12 different meals to choose from, complete with:

Global recipes
Table prayers
Placemats
Dramas
Discussion starters
And more!

Festival Committee makes changes to Missouri Packs

The Festival of Sharing Coordinating committee met in early November to start making plans for Festival of Sharing on October 20, 2012. Each year representatives from main line denominations plan how to best continue to focus the needs of the hungry and poor in our midst. Part of this is to evaluate the Missouri packs. The committee made minor changes to the Backpacks of Love and the Youth Personal Care Packs distributed to the Division of Social Services and there is a minor change in the Paper Products Pack. The major changes this year, is to the Family Food Box distributed to Missouri food pantries.

Download new contents list: Kits 2012.

Women’s Prison Packs needed

You can help provide a women’s prison pack by donating on line (http://tinyurl.com/7kbze5t. Just select “Where needed most”. A $6.00 donation provide one Women’s prison Pack; for $60 you can provide 10 packs. The women’s prison pack provides a full side bottle of Shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste all alcohol free; a pencil writing paper, envelopes and an emery board. Prison packs can only be delivered when there is a pack for each woman. We need 499 more to complete the 1070 needed for delivery! For more information contact Terri Williams at festival@socket.net or call the office of creative ministries at 573-474-3332.

Download a PowerPoint presentation developed by ELCA World Hunger in late 2011. Click Hunger Ministry.

Helping the Hurting

By Rev. John Schroeppel, Area Ministry 5

My family have been Lutherans for at least two hundred years. Perhaps that is why I like the basic, simple things in life and would also like to see everybody else in the world enjoy the basic essentials. It only takes basic essentials to enjoy life but so many in the world do not have them. Those of us who do, have to count ourselves blessed and want to make sure they keep coming year after year. It takes good stewardship for this to happen, but when it does we want to share our good fortune with others.

Since the Japan Tsunami many ads have appeared on TV for various ways to help. We want all Lutherans to know that your church is also working in Japan and Haiti through the Lutheran Churches in those countries by means of ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran World Relief. They may also work together and with other Christian Churches working in the area. The Lutheran Church is also working in Sudan and many other countries including the United States to help the hurting.

It is possible to give through the congregation with special envelopes or just mark any envelope or check according to your desired giving. It is also possible to go online to see what the ELCA is doing and where, or to give online at: www.elca.org. We [the ELCA] have given $250,000 to the Japan Tsunomi so far and we usually give about 20 million/year to World Hunger. Thank you for your giving to help the hurting. Jesus said that when we give to help the hurting it’s just as if we gave it to Him.

God’s blessings and joy, John schroeppel, Advocate for the hurting.

Congregation Connections

Linking ELCA World Hunger to worship and congregational life

Congregation Connections helps congregational leaders integrate hunger themes throughout the congregation. It follows the church calendar to assist people in integrating hunger awareness and engagement all year. For more information, visit ELCA World Hunger.

This resource is part of the World Hunger Resource Packet

SPACER

Festival of Sharing is Keeping Gardens Green Across Missouri

The last week of February, 225 pounds of garden seeds were shipped or picked up for Community gardening projects across the state. A few churches have gardens and share the produce with local refugee families and the local food pantries. We even have a couple of food pantries that provide the seeds for their clients to grow their own produce. Education and gardening tips is available from local University extension offices and master gardeners. The garden seeds brought to the Festival of Sharing each fall extend to the spring and summer with fresh produce grown locally.

Agencies that received seeds are Community Garden Coalition, Columbia; Gateway Greening, St. Louis; Kansa City Community Garden; Cross-lines, Kansas City; West Central Community Action Agency, Versailles; Boys and Girls club, Columbia; Restorative Justice MO Department of Corrections; Interfaith Gardens Columbia; The wardrobe, Hayti MO; Hickory Gardens, Springfield.

For more information about the Festival of Sharing contact Terri Williams, 573-474-3332 or festival@socket.net. You can also visit our web page at www.umocm.com.

Ecumenical Study Guide on Global Poverty

A study guide on global poverty and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), produced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Episcopal Church, is available for download and for purchase through Augsburg Fortress. Titled, “God’s Mission in the World,” the guide is intended as a resource for congregations and other groups looking to “broaden their understanding of global poverty and become part of the worldwide movement achieving the MDGs,” according to guide introduction. The guide features six sessions examining Christian understandings of social justice, global poverty and the MDGs. The MDGs are eight interrelated development goals that flow from the Millennium Declaration of 2000 adopted by all members of the United Nations, including the United States. For more information, and links to download or order the guide, visit www.elca.org/one/. If you’re interested in learning about opportunities to make your voice heard to combat global poverty, please sign up on the ELCA e-Advocacy Network at www.elca.org/advocacy/.