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November-December 2008
In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God…
He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
—Isaiah 40: 3, 11 (first reading for the First Sunday in Advent)
Congregations Take Action During the Final Months of the Year
In the final weeks of the year, people of faith hear some of the Bible’s most memorable scripture readings. Worshippers raise their voices to sing hymns of great beauty. This year, though, Advent and Christmas celebrations occur as a hunger crisis continues around the world and as more Americans struggle to feed their families. The “hurricane” that has laid low the U.S. economy will certainly deepen this crisis.
Many churches will also conduct special Thanksgiving services. Some will sponsor meals for seniors or the homeless. Others will organize volunteers to help distribute turkeys and other food to the growing number of hungry people in our communities.
These activities will take place as a new president and a new Congress prepare to begin their work. This is a time of turbulence and transition, not unlike the political upheaval when Jesus was born in first century Judea. In response to these challenges and opportunities, many churches across the country are planning to educate and engage their members in helping to end hunger at home and abroad.
Bread for the World is encouraging churches to remember both hungry people and our newly elected leaders in prayers throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons. It’s also hoped that churches will set aside one or more times when parishioners can write letters to their new members of Congress (see page 3).
Churches are also joining Bread for the World in urging the current Congress to enact a second stimulus package. This package would immediately boost food stamps, extend unemployment insurance, and help low-income families with winter heating bills.
This work of advocacy often complements creative programs that reach out to those in need in the congregation’s community. For example, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Frederick, MD, joins with other churches and agencies in the community. This interfaith coalition presents forums and lectures. Their efforts culminate in a prayer walk, where congregants and community members visit the local food bank and cold weather shelter.
St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Naperville, IL, undertakes a massive turkey collection. They distribute 1,000 turkeys through the church’s care pantry. Mike Ryder, St. Thomas’s head of community outreach, explains, “We call ourselves a care pantry, because we do so much more than provide food for the hungry in our community. Our parish provides gifts, activities, and fellowship for our neighbors in need.”
Pastor Laurie Sponaugle of Bower Hill Community Church in Pittsburgh, PA, reports, “The Washington City Mission, a local care center for homeless people, told us they needed our help for the Christmas holidays.” Now each year the congregation raises money, collects items, and hosts a huge holiday party at the city mission.
“For weeks ahead of time, I weave the event and activities into our church services,” Pastor Sponaugle says. “I encourage all who can do so to come to the Christmas celebration in person. When we meet with individuals at the mission, sit with them, celebrate with them, and listen to them, we experience the presence of God.”
Christ Episcopal Church of Roanoke, VA, is preparing for their second annual Alternative Gift Fair. Event coordinator Jackie Stanley explains that the parish wants to encourage “others ways to celebrate our loved ones rather than a store-bought gift they don’t need.”
The church’s fellowship hall includes colorful displays of handcrafted goods. The fair also highlights nonprofit organizations that will send holiday cards letting the honoree know a gift has been made in their name.
These and other churches that have been involved with Bread for the World over the years are also looking ahead to the 2009 Offering of Letters. Each year, Bread for the World encourages churches to make an “offering” of letters written by their members. In 2009, Bread for the World will be urging the administration and Congress to change U.S. foreign assistance so it better meets the needs of hungry people.
Churches can find additional resources for action, study, and worship by visiting www.bread.org/OL2009.
Prayer for the New President and New Congress
O God, we pray this day for all of our newly elected leaders. Grant wisdom and courage to our new president and the Congress as they grapple with the many challenges facing our nation. May our country begin a new era of compassion and partnership that will create hope and opportunity for those in this country and around the world who live in hunger and poverty. Inspire all of us to exercise our citizenship on behalf of all those in need. Amen.
A Thanksgiving Prayer
O Lord God, we give thanks for the bounty of your creation which is sufficient to sustain all people. We rejoice in the gift of family and friends who gather with us for our festive meals. May we be moved by your grace in Christ Jesus to act on behalf of those who go hungry this day. Help us find ways to share your abundant blessings with all those in need. Amen.
An Advent Prayer
O God, through your Holy Spirit, you prepare our hearts and minds for Christ’s birth among us. Grant us wisdom to examine our own lives so that we might support all efforts that enable hungry people to make a living and feed their families. Give us courage to challenge our newly elected leaders to use our nation’s resources to foster a more peaceful and sustainable world. Amen.
Let Your New Representative and Senator Hear From You
It is critical that your newly elected members of Congress hear from you about the issues you care about. In the months ahead, your representative and senators will have to quickly get up to speed on many pressing issues. You can help make sure that one of those issues is hunger!
By writing a welcome letter to your new member of Congress, you can introduce yourself and Bread for the World, explain why hunger and poverty require his or her attention, and inform your representative or senator about what Bread for the World will be working on next year. Some points are provided below to help you draft your letter.
An effective letter to Congress needs three things:
1. Put your name and address at the end of your letter AND on the envelope, so your members of Congress know that you are one of the people they represent.
2. Offer congratulations. Since this is a letter welcoming your new member of Congress, offer congratulations on his or her election to the House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate. Express thanks for their service on behalf of your state.
3. Ask for specific action. Ask your members of Congress to make reducing hunger and poverty a priority, using the sentence below or your own words:
As you prepare to take office, I urge you to make the reduction of hunger and poverty a priority in your work. As a member of Congress, you will be in a position to strengthen the programs and policies that can reverse the trend of growing hunger and poverty.
4. Give reasons why. Examples are:
a) Reducing hunger and poverty is important to us, and we ask that you represent our concerns in Congress.
b) Despite the fact that ours is the world’s wealthiest nation, both hunger and poverty are actually on the rise in the United States. Despite several years of economic growth, 4.5 million more Americans suffer from hunger and poverty than at the start of the decade.
c) Worldwide, rising food and fuel prices have pushed more than 100 million back into poverty. Because of this global crisis, the number of hungry people had risen to 923 million by the end of 2007—an increase of 75 million.
5. Introduce Bread for the World and the issues we’ll be working on this year. Examples are:
a) As a member of Bread for the World, I engage my church and community in education and advocacy around hunger and poverty.
b) In 2009, we will begin a campaign to reform foreign assistance so that it better meet the needs of hungry people.
c) We will also work to ensure that the reauthorization of child nutrition programs improves nutrition and reduces hunger among our nation’s children.
6. Send your letter to Congress. Put each letter in a separate envelope and address it. Send your letter to:
Senator _____________________________
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Representative ________________________
U.S. House of Representative
Washington, DC 20515
You may visit www.bread.org to find the names of your members of Congress—along with updated information about actions you can take.
Record Number of Churches Observe Bread for the World Sunday
Bread for the World’s mailroom staff has already shipped more worship resources than in previous years, and Bread for the World Sunday events are still taking place. By year’s end, as many as 2,000 local congregations and other faith communities will have observed Bread for the World Sunday this fall. In the midst of the continuing global hunger crisis, remembering hungry people during Sunday worship has taken on special significance.
If your congregation was among those that observed Bread for the World Sunday, please remember to send in your evaluation form and any offerings or contributions that were collected as part of your celebration. Financial support from churches helps Bread for the World prepare for the work ahead in 2009.
Send Joyful Christmas Greetings—Help End Hunger!
Bread for the World Christmas cards are available again this year. Packets of ten cards and ten envelopes may be purchased for only $10 each, including shipping and handling. Two different card designs are offered. Each design features a striking photograph and a passage from Luke’s Gospel.
The first design shows the image of an infant in the Ecuadorian Andes, taken by longtime Bread for the World member and professional photographer Margaret Nea. A second design features a photo of a shepherdess in Afghanistan, provided by Majority World. This organization supports the work of photographers from developing countries.
Christmas cards—along with gift items like T-shirts and tote bags—can be ordered at www.breadstore.org.
INSIDE MESSAGE:
And Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands
of cloth, and laid him
in a manger.
— Luke 2:7
May the joy of Christ’s birth among us bring
you hope throughout
the New Year.
INSIDE MESSAGE:
The shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising
God for all they had
heard and seen, as it
had been told them.
— Luke 2:20
May the shepherds’ good news of great joy keep
you in peace throughout
the New Year.
Plan Now to Use Lenten Prayers for Hungry People
February 25, 2009, is Ash Wednesday. Again this year, Bread for the World will publish Lenten Prayers for Hungry People for use by families and individuals. This 6 by 9 inch “table tent” features scripture readings,prayers, and activities for the five weeks of Lent and Holy Week.
Free quantities of these table tents will be available to churches early in 2009. You may reserve your copies now by sending an email to publications@ bread.org.
Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. God’s grace in Jesus Christ moves us to help our neighbors, whether they live in the next house, the next state or the next continent. By changing policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities where we live.
