LETTER TO CONGREGATIONS FROM THE OREGON SYNOD HUNGER TEAM

 

Dear Neighbors in Christ, 

As we focus on hunger for Hunger Sunday 2021, the Synod Hunger Team asks each one of you to reflect on hunger in your world. Who in your neighborhood is hungry? Who might be more hungry almost two years into a global pandemic? Beyond your immediate neighborhood, who else might be hungry across the country and around the world? 

There is hunger everywhere, even in places we don’t expect. The pandemic has exacerbated hunger throughout the world and here in Oregon. The following pages provide information and numbers about hunger... but through our work evaluating this year’s applications for ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants, the Oregon Synod Hunger Team has seen firsthand some of the challenges facing people in Oregon. We’ve al- so seen the amazing, creative, courageous work being done by churches and organizations throughout the synod as they work to end hunger. 

The work we’ve seen in grant applications runs from feeding ministries ready to expand, to a warming center (that doubled as a cooling center during the heat of summer) that also helps people find housing, to an organization rethinking daycare so that it is affordable and more parents can work, to cohorts working to create communities that provide fair and equitable access to respectful living conditions for their residents, to congregations planning to build community centers and/or provide housing. These are things that feed the soul, not just the body, and we are thankful to know the kinds of ministries being pursued in our synod, and thankful for ELCA World Hunger’s support of ministries like these. 

As we continue on our path of eliminating hunger, we can learn from each other and work together. The Synod Hunger Team hopes to make connections between people and organizations that can help each other. We hope to encourage relationship-building and increase the existing web of interconnectedness in the synod. 

One of ELCA World Hunger’s basic tenets is supporting work that addresses the root causes of hunger. The synod is on that same page, as it works for a just world where all are not just fed, but housed, accepted, and welcomed. As we connect around the elimination of hunger, we can work together to make the world a better place. 

ELCA World Hunger addresses hunger issues around the world and here in the US. Last year, a local organization, Portland Rescue Mission, was awarded an ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grant to support the work they do to not just feed people but help them move from being without a home to having homes. ELCA World Hunger also offered two rounds of Daily Bread matching grants, which helped numerous feeding ministries continue their work. The second round of these grants was funded by an offering at the Hunger Leadership Gathering that was held online in January. The goal for the offering was $10,000; we gave more than $11,000! This offering from people like you and me provided twenty-two $500 matching grants for the second round of Daily Bread grants. These grants helped feed neighbors in need throughout the pandemic. 

ELCA World Hunger also provides educational resources to people and congregations, including Advent and Lenten devotionals, Vacation Bible School curricula, and programs on various topics concerning hunger at home and abroad. The Synod Hunger Team plans to bring more of these resources to the attention of congregations in the synod. 

On Hunger Sunday 2021, the Oregon Synod Hunger Team asks you to pray for our hungry neighbors, the staff and volunteers of ELCA World Hunger, and all those who work to feed hungry people. We also hope that you will generously support ELCA World Hunger with a special offering. 

Thank you for caring, and for your support! If you have any questions, contact Jemae McCanna at the Oregon Synod Bishop’s Office at office@oregonsynod.org 

Who is the OR Synod Hunger Team?

The Oregon Synod Hunger Team has been forming over the last two years. Our work is in development and taking form in alignment with the synod’s horizon, stepping stones, and values. Currently, the team reviews, evaluates and makes recommendations for the ELCA Hunger Grant applications submitted by congregations and ministries in the synod. This year we are introducing these Hunger Sunday materials. Next year, we plan to widen our wild web of relationship and introduce a special Hunger Networking day, highlighting related ministries from around the synod and featuring workshops to help strengthen and support your hunger-related ministry. 

We seek to increase our geographic representation from across the synod. Please connect with Chair Barbara Stevenson at barbarastevenson63@gmail.com if you are interested in sharing your passion, commitment, and skills with the Hunger Team. 

Chair: Barbara Stevenson– Gloria Dei, Coos Bay 

Rev. Henry Martinez- Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Beaverton 

Sharon Magnuson– Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Portland
Jaya Conser Lapham– Grace, Corvallis and Atonement, Newport
Lisa Ramsey– Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Beaverton 

Mary Karter– Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Portland 

Violet Thetford– Community of ChristChurch, Hillsboro 

Jemae McCanna– Oregon Synod Bishop’s Office, Portland

 

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