IN THIS ISSUE: FROM MIKKA’S DESK: THE IN-BETWEEN...
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OCTOBER 2016 IN THIS ISSUE: Resource of the month: Observing the 500th anniversary of the Reformation ELCAvotes! ‘Baptized for This Moment’ #GivingTuesday Updating our lists Monthly network webinar By the numbers: The Campaign for the ELCA FROM MIKKA’S DESK: THE IN-BETWEEN TIMES Dear ELCA World Hunger Leaders and Friends, This past Sunday, the narrative lectionary highlighted Hannah’s Song (1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10). Hannah, whose name means “favored” or “gracious,” was unable to have children for a time, but because of her faith, she believed that change was possible and had hope. Hannah sang a song of thanksgiving and rejoiced when her son, Samuel, was finally born as a gift from God. What must that in-between time have been like for Hannah? In-between time spent in raw prayer and weeping while she waited. Oct. 16 was World Food Day. For 1 in 9 of our global neighbors, chronic hunger and food insecurity means a constant journey through the in-between time, between one meal and the next, between one paycheck and the next, between one medical bill and the next. And yet, we remember with hope that progress is being made. Between 1970 and today, global, chronic hunger has decreased. Just last week, Hurricane Matthew slowly cut through the Caribbean, and in Haiti alone more than 900 people died in the storm. And now it is the in-between time – life between the storm and the rebuild. Life again torn apart by the very real and present danger of hunger and looming disease, such as cholera. What must this time be like for our global neighbors in Haiti during this in-between, barren time? And in our lives, where are we, too, experiencing the in-between times? Hannah’s Song reminds us that in times like these people of faith respond by praying, lamenting loudly with the community and, yes, by waiting. Waiting for God to bind up the broken hearted – “[The Lord] raises up the poor from the dust; [The Lord] lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world” (1 Samuel 2:8). And so, we wait. But we wait actively. We wait with active attention to what God is doing in our midst, and we wait with care and attention, prayer and thanksgiving, giving and receiving, emboldened by a community of care, united in baptism and strengthened at the table for the journey in these in-between times. For such a time as this, Mikka McCracken Director, ELCA World Hunger Planning and Engagement
Transcript of IN THIS ISSUE: FROM MIKKA’S DESK: THE IN-BETWEEN...
OCTOBER 2016
IN THIS ISSUE:
Resource of
the month:
Observing
the 500th
anniversary of
the Reformation
ELCAvotes!
‘Baptized for
This Moment’
#GivingTuesday
Updating
our lists
Monthly
network
webinar
By the numbers:
The Campaign
for the ELCA
FROM MIKKA’S DESK: THE IN-BETWEEN TIMES
Dear ELCA World Hunger Leaders and Friends,
This past Sunday, the narrative lectionary highlighted Hannah’s Song
(1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20 and 1 Samuel 2:1-10). Hannah, whose name
means “favored” or “gracious,” was unable to have children for a
time, but because of her faith, she believed that change was possible
and had hope. Hannah sang a song of thanksgiving and rejoiced
when her son, Samuel, was finally born as a gift from God.
What must that in-between time have been like for Hannah?
In-between time spent in raw prayer and weeping while she waited.
Oct. 16 was World Food Day. For 1 in 9 of our global neighbors, chronic hunger and food
insecurity means a constant journey through the in-between time, between one meal and the
next, between one paycheck and the next, between one medical bill and the next. And yet,
we remember with hope that progress is being made. Between 1970 and today, global, chronic
hunger has decreased.
Just last week, Hurricane Matthew slowly cut through the Caribbean, and in Haiti alone more
than 900 people died in the storm. And now it is the in-between time – life between the storm
and the rebuild. Life again torn apart by the very real and present danger of hunger and
looming disease, such as cholera. What must this time be like for our global neighbors in Haiti
during this in-between, barren time?
And in our lives, where are we, too, experiencing the in-between times?
Hannah’s Song reminds us that in times like these people of faith respond by praying, lamenting
loudly with the community and, yes, by waiting. Waiting for God to bind up the broken hearted
– “[The Lord] raises up the poor from the dust; [The Lord] lifts the needy from the ash heap, to
make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world” (1 Samuel 2:8).
And so, we wait. But we wait actively. We wait with active attention to what God is doing in our
midst, and we wait with care and attention, prayer and thanksgiving, giving and receiving,
emboldened by a community of care, united in baptism and strengthened at the table for the
journey in these in-between times.
For such a time as this,
Mikka McCracken
Director, ELCA World Hunger Planning and Engagement
2 | ELCA.org/hunger
ELCAvotes!
Election Day is just around the corner. We are called to conversation and prayer around our role as U.S. citizens
and as people of faith in ensuring our election system promotes dignity and respect for all. Sign up for up-to-
date information about ELCAvotes by visiting bit.ly/ELCAvotes. This ELCA initiative has four goals:
1. To expand the role of the church in encouraging faithful and non-partisan voter participation by
providing faith-based resources around voting
2. To provide a framework for all Lutherans to understand and speak out about the intersection of
voting/elections, racial/gender and economic justice
3. To provide young adults the tools to understand and speak about what it means to be a young
person of faith who is civically engaged
4. To engage with and equip ethnic communities to talk about voting rights and race and their
connection with elections today
Remember, there is still work to do after Election Day! There’s always an
opportunity to learn and grow in our call by speaking out as advocates.
ELCA webcast with Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton
Ecumenical Witness on the Eve of the
Reformation Anniversary
Oct. 27, 2016, 7-8 p.m. CDT
Join Bishop Eaton and a few special guests in a
conversation to explore ecumenical witness and
interreligious witness on the eve of the Reformation
Anniversary. See ELCA.org/webcast for more
information.
Lutheran World Federation & Roman Catholic Church
Joint Ecumenical Commemoration of the Reformation
Oct. 31, 2016 in Lund, Sweden
The day will feature a Common Prayer Service in
Lund Cathedral and a public event to be held in
Malmo Arena. You can join both via livestream
lutheranworld.org/lund2016.
RESOURCE OF THE MONTH: OBSERVING THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REFORMATION
There will be two upcoming opportunities to gather virtually with the whole ELCA and the global Lutheran
community to begin the worldwide observation of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
MONTHLY NETWORK WEBINAR: OCTOBER LINK AND NOVEMBER MEETING DATE
This month, the ELCA World Hunger webinar featured a preview of and discussion around the Lent 2017
materials that are in development for next year. Check it out to learn more and start your planning. We
also shared an update on Hurricane Matthew relief efforts and changes coming to the ELCA World Hunger
staff team in Chicago. You can listen here. The recording is listed by topic below:
00:00-01:35 Welcome and introductions
01:36-06:33 Fundraising discussions
06:34-36:24 Featured topic: Lent 2017 preview
36:25-50:10 Networking discussions
50:11-53:14 Resource highlight
53:15-1:00:59 Staffing updates
Next month’s webinar: Tuesday, Nov. 15
8:30 p.m. Eastern/7:30 p.m. Central/
6:30 p.m. Mountain/5:30 p.m. Pacific
Featured topic: End of year updates and
more
3 | ELCA.org/hunger
#GivingTuesday
As we get closer to November, the commercial
holidays of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are upon
us. But so is #GivingTuesday! The ELCA has been
observing this global day of giving for several years,
and this year (ELCA World Hunger’s year of
emphasis within The Campaign for the ELCA) you can
expect to see some highlights of our work together on
Nov. 29. Keep an eye on social media and get ready
to encourage friends, family and congregation
members to give
toward a just world
where all are fed.
‘BAPTIZED FOR THIS MOMENT’
Looking for a new book or
early Christmas gifts?
In “Baptized for this
Moment: Rediscovering
Grace All Around Us,” the
Rev. Stephen Bouman,
speaker at our 2015 ELCA
World Hunger Leadership
Gathering in California,
explores how
congregations may best respond to the many
public crises that confront us today—
mass shootings, terrorist attacks, hurricanes, floods,
wildfires, tornadoes, even the debilitating effects
of chronic and deep-rooted problems like racism
and community violence. He describes in practical
detail the ways congregations can create spaces
to lament, develop living liturgies, build public
mission tables, and engage with others in
discovering the transformative power of grace all
around us.
The books is $18.95 and all proceeds will be
donated to ELCA World Hunger. Order your copy
today:
actapublications.com/baptized-for-this-moment/.
UPDATING OUR LISTS
The year will soon be coming to a close, and now is the
time to update the lists of hunger leaders on your teams
and in the congregations of your synod.
Encourage your congregation to log in and update its
information in the Congregational Leadership
Directory. We have included our tip sheet for doing this
in this month’s email or you can send updates to us via
[email protected]. We use these lists to grow and
deepen the work of our network to support the ministry
of ELCA World Hunger.
ELCA WORLD HUNGER CHURCHWIDE ORGANIZATION STAFF
ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal
Daniel Rift, director
Robin Brown, associate director
Emily Dubay, associate director
Sharon Magnuson, associate director
Ashley Debilzen, development assistant
Krystal McClinton, development assistant
ELCA World Hunger Engagement and Education
Mikka McCracken, director
Ryan Cumming, program director
Jessica Fairfax, program associate
Iain Chester, assistant
Contact Us
Mail to:
ELCA World Hunger
8765 W. Higgins Rd.
Chicago, IL 60631
Phone: (toll-free) 800-638-3522, ext. 2616
or 773-380-2616
Email: [email protected]
Any staff member may be contacted by using this
format: [email protected].
Join us on social media. Click the buttons here
to follow our links:
Order all of our
resources online at:
ELCA.org/resources.
BY THE NUMBERS: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELCA
Did you know ELCA World Hunger has an endowment
fund? Every year the endowment distribution adds to our
revenue results.
As of June 30, 2016, our endowment balance was
$14,867,430.90. This fund is part of the ELCA Endowment Fund
Pooled Trust – Fund A. The annual distribution is 4 percent
based on a 12-quarter rolling average.
Many planned gifts and bequests are designated to the
endowment fund for ELCA World Hunger by donors wanting
to leave a legacy of financial sustainability. If a donor gives
$1,000 annually, a $25,000 bequest to the ELCA World Hunger
Endowment will continue that gift permanently into the
future. Families may name their endowment to build the fund
over their lifetimes and further memorialize their support.
For more information, visit ELCA.org/foundation or call
Sharon Magnuson at 773-380-2865.
4 | ELCA.org/hunger
Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA – Totals as of the end of August 2016
ELCA World Hunger year-to-date (toward overall goal of $24 million by end of FY2016) $9.82 million
ELCA World Hunger (toward The Campaign for the ELCA goal of $115 million by end of FY2018) $51.08 million
Overall The Campaign for the ELCA (toward overall goal of $198 million by end of FY2018) $90.04 million
