When did we see you hungry and not give you food?

Then the righteous will say to him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food?” -- Matthew 25:37

The headline read, “World hunger reaches 1 billion mark” - and I never got any further in praying for the news this week.

Lord, when did we see you hungry, and not give you food?

The global financial meltdown has pushed the ranks of the world’s hungry to a record 1 billion, an increase of 100 million over last year. One billion. That’s one out of six people in the world.

Lord, when did we see you hungry, and not give you food?

Pray the rest of this prayer (you will need a Yahoo Id

Food Crisis, Agribusiness Accountability & Pigs

Whether or not you are taking part in the PC(USA) churchwide fast, July's fast materials are right on target for helping to understand issues related to food here in the U.S.

The fast materials explore the role of agribusiness in the food system and its relation to the food crisis. Pigs will be the teachers as we reflect how they are produced. By the end of this minicurriculum,
prayer, and discussion, you should be able to answer questions such as:

• Does agribusiness (large companies which increasingly control more and more of the
industry) produce them sustainably and humanely?

• Are there other models of production? And what are the positives and negatives?

• How do we engage to make our food system better?

Next Monthly Fast October 31-November 2

Presbyterians around the country are engaging in monthly 40-hour fasts to help discern responses to the Global Food Crisis. The fasts typically take place on the first weekend of every month, beginning on Friday evening and ending with Communion or a communal meal on Sunday. The next fast is October 31- November 2. Resources are available (PDF) that explore the country focus for the month is Haiti and the theme focus of food aid.

New Bible Study--Fair Trade: Using our Purchasing Power for Justice and Hope

People of faith seek both definition and guidance from God as we make choices in our lives. But how can we make the connections between our faith and the vast economic web that affects our own daily lives and all too often puts too much economic risk onto farmers and craftspeople in poor nations—those least able to bear it? Probably not by using the index of your study Bible!

Partners for Just Trade is a new organization that grew out of the Presbyterian Hunger Program’s Joining Hands initiative in Peru. As they learned more about Fair Trade, they saw the convergence of its nine basic Key Principles with the Judeo-Christian teachings about justice and became excited about the idea of creating a Bible Study to help all of us understand and be actively involved in God’s vision for the well-being of all of creation.

Fair Trade: Using Our Purchasing Power for Justice and Hope walks the reader through the principles of Fair Trade through personal narration, Bible passages, questions for reflection, and challenges to engage the reader in learning about Fair Trade.

You can do the 6-part study alone or with a group. It can take as much or as little time as you have. Even a quick study will bring new ideas about how important our lifestyles are to the well-being of people we don’t even know; or deeper study may take you to the university for classes, the library for books, or the internet to find some websites.

For more information, contact Partners for Just Trade at 314-707-2831 or visit them on the web.

Hunger Resources Available at the Presbytery Office

Looking for "good stuff" to enliven your hunger program? The following are available at the Presbytery office in Tennent. Some are for purchase, others are free.

1. Hunger Next Door, an 8-minute video from Shoprite's Partners in Caring is a good introduction to hunger in our communities; free.
2. Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table, an excellent curriculum, for 5, 7, or 13 sessions, that explores various aspects of our relationship with food and ways to practice our faith. Leader's Guide is $6.50, Partipant's book is $3.
3. Cents-Ability Kits containing info on: Getting Started, Worship Resources, Educational Resources, Promotion, and Sample Forms. Free.
4. Talking with Children and Youth about Sweat-Free Ts: a script to introduce Sweat-Free Ts to upper elementary and middle school-age students. Adaptable for younger and older groups. Free.

There's more, and I promise to add to this list. In the meantime, if you're looking for something, please feel free to call or e-mail.

Lenten Series - Wednesdays at Noon - Just Eating

Wednesdays February 6, 13, 20, 27 and March 6 and12
noon to 1 p.m. at the Presbytery Center, Tennent, NJ

Special for Lent—our Hunger Action Program offers an innovative Lenten Series that explores the way we eat and live. Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table aims to bring into dialog daily eating habits, the Christian faith, and the needs of the broader world through readings, action steps, and healthy eating tips. The title is a reminder that we can eat as an everyday activity or we can eat justly and explore the relationship between our food and our faith.

The curriculum will take us on a journey from the table of the Lord to the table of the world that will challenge, encourage, and enrich all who participate. Scripture, prayer, and stories from the local and global community are used to explore five key aspects of our relationship with food:

• the health of our bodies;

• the challenge of hunger;

• the health of the earth that provides our food;

• the ways we use food to extend hospitality and enrich relationships;

• the opportunities for action, renewal, and transformation in our eating practices—as individuals and as faith communities.

Please register by phone at 201-910-7047 or email phylliszoon@gmail.com. A copy of the curriculum can be picked up at the Presbytery Center.

Food and Faith Series

Just Eating? Practicing Our Faith at the Table works really well during Lent (and any other time). This series for adults and/or youth aims to bring into dialogue daily eating habits, the Christian faith, and the needs of the broader world through readings, action steps, and healthy eating tips. The title is a reminder that we can eat as an everyday activity or we can eat justly and explore the relationship between our food and our faith.

The curriculum takes participants on a journey from the table of the Lord to the table of the world that will challenge, encourage, and enrich all who participate. Scripture, prayer, and stories from the local and global community are used to explore five key aspects of our relationship with food:

• the health of our bodies;
  
• the challenge of hunger;
  
• the health of the earth that provides our food;
  
• the ways we use food to extend hospitality and enrich relationships;
  
• the opportunities for action, renewal, and transformation in our eating practices—as individuals and as faith communities.

You can get the Just Eating curriculum through Presbyterian Distribution Service. There is a link from the Presbyterian Hunger Program: http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/features/justeating.htm that will get you there. You can also get it free online as a PDF: http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/downloads/resource_justeatpart.pdf for the participant's guide and http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/downloads/resource_justeatlead.pdf for the leader's guide.
We also have a limited number of sets of the curriculum available at the Presbytery office. Contact Phyllis Zoon for more info.