Dear hunger leaders, advocates and partners,
Praise be to God for your steadfast dedication to the
work of the church as we respond to the needs of our
neighbors and seek opportunities to spread love locally
and around the world. You are an integral part of this
work that God requires of us:
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does
the Lord require of you but to do justice and
to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”
(Micah 6:8).
As I read this passage and take it to heart, the words
“good,” “justice,” “kindness” and “humbly” stand out.
These words are familiar. They have been ever present in
our lives since we walked into the Sunday school room at
an early age, words taught to us by our parents,
community, teachers and leaders. But what of justice?
Merriam-Webster defines just as: “acting or
being in conformity with what is morally upright or
good.”
God requires that we do justice. This is more
than a call to “conform” to what is morally right. We
must convert the passive act of being into an ardent act
of doing. We are called to do what is morally
upright or good. How are you doing that? How are we, as
a church, doing
justice? ELCA World Hunger seeks to do good in
the world every day, and this work can be overwhelming.
“Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we
will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up”
(Galatians 6:9).
We will not quit. We will continue to focus on the verbs:
Do. Love. Walk. Together, we can
support one another and do what the Lord requires. I
invite you to read about how Lutheran Church of the
Cross encouraged people to walk, how
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
does justice locally, and what
opportunities you have to
love your neighbor.
Let us not grow weary!
Lauren Smith
Director, Building Resilient Communities Education and
Networks
ELCA
GOOD GIFTS
Shop ELCA Good
Gifts this holiday season to grow the church,
end hunger and transform lives. Choose from over 60
charitable gifts to give in honor of friends and loved
ones. In addition to popular gifts such as goats and
chicks, new gifts this year include “Safe birth,”
“Climate resilience kit,” and “Abundant
community.”
Give online and you can personalize free, printed cards
to be sent directly to your loved ones. Find several special-edition
Christmas cards for select gifts now.
WORLD
FOOD DAY: WATCH THE ELCA WORLD HUNGER EVENT
RECORDING
Recorded on Oct. 15, ELCA World Hunger’s World Food Day
event looks back on 50 years of ministry and reflects on
how God calls all of us to end hunger in our world.
Hear firsthand stories of impact from ELCA World Hunger
partners — including Educación Popular en Salud (EPES),
a community health organization in Chile founded over 40
years ago, and more recent starts such as Tapestry
Farms, a Midwestern urban farm system in the Quad Cities
of Iowa and Illinois. You’ll also get a chance to hear
special music from singer-songwriter and lifelong
Lutheran Peter Mayer; a World Food Day message from
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton; reflections and
conversation from the Rev. Amy Current, bishop of the
Southeastern Iowa Synod, and Imran Siddiqui, vice
president of the ELCA; and more!
ELCA
WORLD HUNGER PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: LUTHERAN SOCIAL
SERVICES OF WISCONSIN AND UPPER MICHIGAN
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan,
an ELCA World Hunger partner, recently opened Bay City
Lofts, an affordable-housing complex in Green Bay, Wis.
The complex offers mixed-income housing, with some units
income-restricted and others available at market rates,
to bring together a diverse group of residents. The
complex will also house the offices of Lutheran Social
Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan so that
residents will have direct access to its services.
