Last week ELCA Congregations received a copy of the Fall-Winter 2014 ELCA World Hunger Resource Packet. In this packet is an amazing collection of materials to help the congregation’s leadership to communicate, motivate, and facilitate. The reproducible stories can be used as bulletin inserts or newsletter articles to give concrete examples of our work together in our fight against hunger. The brightly colored pamphlet motivates the congregation by giving hunger facts and describes how our gifts are used to fight hunger by providing food, water, health, income, and education. Giving by individual donors is facilitated by a catalog of 35 activities that help fight hunger. Many of these ideas are proposed for the season of Advent so it is important to look at them now and plan ahead so you can order what you need.
Of special interest for Iowa congregations might be idea #10 which is a “PIGGY bank” (a sample is included in the packet). The piggy bank is easily assembled and distributed to households and suggests a goal of $30.00 per family, the equivalent of the cost of giving a piglet to a family in need. Imagine the possibilities in social media of having families share pictures of their piggy bank at home.
Christ commanded his followers to feed the poor and this may be the greatest witness that Christians reach out to serve the poorest of the poor around the world. So, find your Hunger Packet and give consideration to these resources because there must be at least one that would help your congregation fulfill its mission.
