When the Governor Invites You to Lunch...and You're Fasting

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard. Isaiah 58:6-8

“Every meal I’ll miss for the next 16 days represents roughly a million meals in jeopardy for Hoosier children, seniors and veterans if the drastic cuts being debated in Congress now become reality.. I have a plan to fast safely. My decision to undertake what I know will be a difficult task is my own choice, while our most vulnerable neighbors could go hungry through no choice of their own. I feel strongly that people of conscience should speak out, in whatever way they feel moved to do so. This is one way I have chosen.” Dave Miner

On September 21, Bread for the World activist David Miner began a 16-day fast to shine the spotlight on the plight of a million residents of Indiana who are at risk of hunger and the potential loss of millions of meals if Congress passes dramatic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  

There was a remarkable coincidence with timing of Miner's fast. The state Hunger Network, which includes the Central Indiana Bread team, had worked for six months to schedule a meeting with Gov. Eric Holcomb. They succeeded in securing a lunch meeting with the governor. There was one problem with the governor's lunch invitation (a good problem), and you know what that problem was."Dave sat next to the Gov during the lunch -- in front of an empty plate -- while everyone else ate their meal," said fellow Indiana Bread advocate Angie Ruprock-Schafer.

“This is a national issue with a very intimate impact; we all likely know people who wake up many days without enough money or food to feed their families, or children who routinely go to bed hungry — but we don’t realize we know them," Miner said on the day he started the fast. “There’s a hidden aspect of hunger and poverty that’s staggering. The overwhelming number of individuals and families who find themselves in these circumstances is why I’ve felt called to undertake this fast as a personal act of public advocacy. I urge anyone who’s committed to ending hunger to contact our U.S. Senators and their congressional representative today.”

Here is how Miner determined the formula by which residents of Indiana would be affected.

$150 billion cut to SNAP over 10 years <= approved House budget resolution
Divide by $3 per meal = 50 billion meals
Divide by 10 = 5 billion meals per year Indiana is an average state,
Divide by 50 = 100 million meals lost in Indiana per year
Divide by 2 = 50 million meals per year
(over half of SNAP benefits go to kids, vets and seniors)

We have not heard yet  what type of impression Miner's fast  made on Gov. Holcomb. However, there is no way to ignore the message.

"I pray that eating next to a man fasting for the least of our sisters and brothers, made an impact on Governor Holcomb. And, may Dave's faith-filled leadership be a model for us all," said Ruprock-Schafer.

(P.S.  I invite you to look closely at the chart above of the 10 hungriest states.  New Mexico ranks fourth behind Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. So those cuts in SNAP would have a major negative impact on the residents of our state).

Singer-Songwriter Carrie Newcomer (Supporter of Interfaith Anti-Hunger Efforts) to Perform in Corrales on Sunday

Singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer--who will be performing in Corrales, New Mexico, on Sunday--is one of the more than a dozen artists who have joined the Bread for the World Institute and Women of Faith for the 1,000 Days Movement to educate communities and advocate for policy change in the U.S. to end hunger at home and abroad and give every child the chance to thrive.

Newcomer's piece, Breathe In, Breathe Out, (featuring Amjad Ali Khan), is one of 14 songs in the CD Songs for 1,000 Days. . 

In this clip, Newcomer sings the song "Work of Our Hands."


Benefit for Indiana Interfaith Hunger Initiative in 2011
Newcomer, a folk musician who started her career as a teenager singing in coffee houses and restaurants, also released the CD "Everything is Everywhere" in 2011 as a benefit for the Indiana Interfaith Hunger Initiative (IHI), an organization that includes faith leaders and laity of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh congregations.“As I’ve toured India, Africa and the Middle East, I’ve recognized a growing awareness that all of us are very much interconnected,”Newcomer told The Albuquerque Journal.“Everywhere I go, I sense and see how small a world we really live in.”  Read article entitled Hope isn't a Hallmark card.

"Yes, Carrie is wonderful.  She approached the IHI about working together on the Everything is Everywhere project,:" said David Miner, IHI volunteer executive director.  "Together we were able to get some foundation funding for much of her expenses for the project.  Then they did two concerts and donated from the CD sales."

Newcomer collaborated with the famous Indian family of sarod players, Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan, to create the album. "Music can be a language deeper than words. I love our differences. Cultures are rich, and what makes each culture unique should be celebrated, but I was also powerfully moved by what we share as a human family," she said. 

After the two benefit concerts, Newcomer traveled to Kenya to visit the Umoja Project, cosponsored b the IHI and  the Indiana-based Global Interfaith Partnership in the African country. The project supports a school lunch program in one of the poorest parts of Kenya. "In Africa she performed in primary and secondary schools, performed at spiritual gatherings, visited homes and met with guardian and educational groups," said her Web site.

Here is a clip of the title song for the album Everything is Everywhere.


Performing at Historic San Ysidro Church on Sunday
By coincidence, David Miner and Carrie Newcomer will be in New Mexico on the same weekend. Miner, former chair of the Bread for the World board of directors, will be spending time touring our beautiful state with his wife Robin. Before he goes on his trip up north, however, he will take a couple of hours in Albuquerque to talk about the Interfaith Hunger Initiative with representatives of several local faith organizations who are interested in forming an anti-hunger faith coalition in New Mexico. (Stay tuned for more details on this project).

Newcomer, for her part, will be performing in Corrales on Sunday.  If you have an opportunity, please take time to see her concert at the Old San Ysidro Church..

WHAT: Music in Corrales presents Carrie Newcomer
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27
WHERE: Old San Ysidro Church, Old Church Road, Corrales
HOW MUCH: $22 in advance, $25 at the door. For tickets call 877-287-0082 or go to brownpapertickets.com

The Right Hand

"How different is the father's right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son's shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother's hand.... Henri Nouwen on Rembrandt's The Prodigal Son

The Gospel Reading for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is perhaps one of the most familiar scripture passsages, Luke's version of The Prodigal Son.

Too often we think of this passage as an account of the son who came back, repented and was forgiven.

In his book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri Nouwen asks us to consider the point of view of the father, or should I say the parent. He alludes to Rembrandt's painting about the prodigal son (pictured at the left) to portray a parent who is both firm and compassionate.

"As soon as I recognized the difference between the two hands of the father, a new world of meaning opened up for me. The Father is not simply a great patriarch. He is mother as well as father. He touches the son with a masculine hand and a feminine hand, " said Nouwen.

Nouwen would argue that the father's right hand in the painting is a symbol of God's compassion.

In this spirit, I would like to celebrate three friends and fellow activists who recently received recognition for their dedication and compassionate work on behalf of the poor.

Elaine Van Cleave
On International Women's Day, The ONE Campaign blog carried an extremely impressive tribute to Elaine Van Cleave of Birmingham, Ala., entitled International Women’s Day Profile: Elaine Van Cleave. I've come to know Elaine as one of the most passionate advocates of The ONE Campaign and one of the most dedicated grassroots leaders of Bread for the World.

How dedicated is Elaine? She would not let a bout of laryngitis stop her from meeting her commitment to speak at the Christian Methodist Episcopal's Spring Convention (161 churches) about the 2007 Offering of Letters. I could go on an on: She started the ONEAlabama Yahoo Group, she often speaks to College students about The ONE Campaign, and she was part of a group that convinced her member of Congress to become a champion for debt relief...

What makes Elaine tick? It's easy she says. "...simply, I am motivated by my faith. I strongly feel that my faith requires me to care for the 'least of these'. I think of Matthew 25:31-46 as the most powerful instruction in the Bible, when Jesus says, among many things, 'I was hungry and you fed me."

Laura Casselman
The ONE Campaign blog also published a piece entitled ONE's First Scholar: Laura Casselman. Laura has become the face of The ONE Campaign in Albuquerque. Any time there is an opportunity to set up a table, whether it is World AIDS Day or White Band Day or a Fair Trade Fair, Laura is there to gather signatures, pass out literature and sometimes white bands. Sometimes there are volunteers to help. Other times she does it solo. Dedication is her middle name. But Laura is not only motivated by ideals.

"I was one of the first to join ONE in my region. I've been a strong believer in equality and social justice since the 1960's when I was a teenager inspired by Martin Luther King," says Laura.

David Miner
It's so great to see a fellow grassroots activist become the chair of the board of Bread for the World! David Miner and I served together on the BFW board for many years. On occasion, we would exchange experiences, but I really didn't know the breadth and depth of his work on behalf of BFW until I read the feature in the Indianapolis Star, entitled "He Writes the Wrongs of Hunger"

What a great tribute!

Isn't it great when Sen. Richard Lugar's office calls you "an honest advocate for the hungry?"

But his fellow Bread for the World members speak highly of his motivation. "He is the personification of the Gandhi statement that your message is your life," said Fran Quigley, a Bread for the World member from Indianapolis. "This guy just very quietly has devoted himself to working for hungry people for dozens of years."

Bread Rising in New Mexico: Celebrating the Past, Looking to the Future

I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us. -Anne Lamott

Patty Emord welcomed us to St. Andrew

How did we get here? What did we accomplish? Where are we going? Those central questions was part of our simple but very meaningful celebration of prayer, reflection and song on Saturday, October 25, which we called Bread Rising in New Mexico. Several dozen people joined in the celebration at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church that afternoon..

We came together to observe Bread for the World's 40th birthday. More importantly, we put together a celebration that allowed us to stop and think of how that long history of Bread applied to us here in New Mexico. Just as all politics is local, all grassroots advocacy is rooted in local activity.

We asked St. Andrew to host the event because this congregation has been a part of Bread for the World's history in Albuquerque from the almost the very beginning. (We could have also held our celebration at St. Paul Lutheran Church, with whom we also have a long relationship).

With a slide show we celebrated the decision of Jim Brown, a member of the Christian Brothers, to take on the role of  volunteer state coordinator in 1984. We rejoiced as we remembered how a group of Bread members, including Lutheran Campus Pastor Howard Corry, decided to create a local group in 1989 and then promote Offerings of Letters among churches in Albquerque. Then we lifted up the dozens of churches that stepped up over the years to hold  letter-writing Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays and weeknights) in New Mexico, including Smith Memorial Presbyterian Church in the tiny community of Truchas, Peace Lutheran Church in Las Cruces, Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in downtown Albuquerque, St. John's United Methodist Church in Santa Fe and many, many others. Here is a video of my introduction to the slide show.

New Bread members Dianne Dragoo and Rena Dragoo

Celebrating People
Our advocacy over the years went beyond the pen and paper (and more recently the computer). We viewed pictures of Bread members from New Mexico who took our message directly to members of Congress and candidates with direct visits in Albuquerque and Washington. We also used the occasion to recognize one of our own members of Congress, who has been an "Outstanding Anti-Hunger Adovcate for New Mexico."

Our slide show also celebrated dozens of individuals who have long been the core of Bread New Mexico over the past 30 years, including those who were involved in the 1990s, the 2000s, those who are part of our current leadership team, and the local members who have become involved more recently. And how can we forget our regional organizers?  Emily Abbott, Zelinda Welch, Matt Newell-Ching, Holly Hight and Robin Stephenson? We also expressed gratitude for the partnerships that s we forged with the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, The New Mexico Conference of Churches, New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps and the CARE Action Network.

Our walk down memory lane also included scenes of those times when we came together for worship in ecumenical services, Circle of Protection prayers and songs, and to heed the call from Pope Francis to pray for an end to hunger. Because we come from diverse Christian faith traditions, our ecumenical choir was an important part of our celebration. And fittingly, the opening and closing song was Bread for the World, a piece composed by Marty Haugen on the occasion of Bread's 35th anniversary. We also have a video of the choir performing Pan de Vida (Bob Hurd)

Looking Ahead: The Bread Rising Campaign

David Miner, chair of Bread Rising Campaign

Our review of our history was very important for the other purpose that brought us together in this sanctuary: the Bread Rising campaign, which aims to end hunger by 2030. David Miner, national chair of the Bread Rising campaign and an anti-hunger activist in Indianapolis, was a special guest at our service.

The campaign urges Bread members and supporters around the country to take three important actions: 1) increase our commitments to ongoing prayers for the end of hunger; 2) redouble our commitment to advocacy; 3) provide the resources to help our organization leverage the big changes that are needed to end hunger. We asked local Bread members to prepare reflections on those three actions as well as the goal to end hunger in our country by 2030. Those reflections are included in a separate piece that we will be posting soon.

'People of Faith Must Work Together to Improve Systems'

(This Faith and Values column appeared in Aug. 4 edition of The Indianapolis Star. The article is available only in the print edition, but not online. This version is reprinted with permission from the author. David Miner  is a long-time anti-hunger advocate in Indianapolis via Bread for the World, the Interfaith Hunger Initiative and other community activities).

By David Miner

“Dropped again” I mutter in anger. My cell phone carrier’s system has dropped my call once again. I pay them a substantial amount of money each month and I expect that they will provide a better system.

Jesus too paid attention to the systems of his day. “Stand up!” he said to the man with the withered hand in the story recorded in Mark 3. A withered hand was a serious detriment for a man of that time, guaranteeing a life of poverty, but it was the Sabbath and the law forbade healing on the Sabbath. Jesus could have told the man to meet him the next day, but he didn’t. Mark reports that Jesus looked around at the crowd in anger. He healed the man in the synagogue, standing up right in the middle of the political and religious leaders of his day. He knew the law needed changing.

Jesus continued the tradition of Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Amos who spoke truth to the powerful of their day. In Isaiah 10 the prophet said: “Woe to those who make unjust laws, To those who issue oppressive decrees, To deprive the poor of their rights”.

Our Challenge
There’s an apocryphal story about a person encountering a baby floating down a river. Naturally the good-hearted person grabs the baby out of the swirling river and cares for them. Then another baby comes down the river, and another and another. Finally, someone is dispatched up the river to find out how the babies came to be in the river in the first place.

This is our challenge too, to not only help individuals in need but also to change the systems. Systems that keep a person from healing, or even more importantly systems that contribute to their need in the first place. Some of these systems arose inadvertently and some were sinfully crafted to fleece the vulnerable and less fortunate, but regardless they need fixing. It’s hard work and slow, but it can yield improvements that are deep, wide, just and sustainable.

There are lots of systems that need improvement. My particular focus is to end hunger. I work with churches, food pantries, food banks, and food rescue non-profits. I also work with Bread for the World to change federal policy and programs so that our government plays its part.

I was volunteer executive director for the Interfaith Hunger Initiative. IHI was led by a wonderful group of people of diverse faith traditions, Christian pastors, Jewish Rabbis, a Pakistani Muslim, a Tibetan Buddhist in his long robes and more. We did events and raised money. Over a six-year period we raised $750,000 and were providing a daily school lunch for 3,000 AIDS orphans in Kenya.

Then came devastating news, not from Kenya but from DC. While we were doing all this work there was one vote in Congress – a single act of Congress – that took $800 million out of an international school lunch program. We helped 3 thousand kids, but lunch was lost for 3 million kids! Ouch!

When people of faith work together to improve the systems, we can impact 10’s or even 100’s of thousands of lives. We can even end hunger altogether.

Advocacy is an Important Follow-up Action to Fasting

Dave Miner in Albuquerque in 2014

The problem is so big that we need everybody. We need private and public, we need faith-based, we need nonprofits. The federal meals run between 80 and 90 percent total, so they are essential.  Dave Miner

Back in September, Indianapolis Bread for the World advocate and activist David Miner went on a 16-day fast to draw attention to the harmful impact that proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) would have on low-income families in Indiana.

Dave is making sure that the message he brought to the public during the fast continues to resonate not only in Indiana but also at the national level. He offers comments in an interview on Indiana Public Radio.  Here is a link to an article from the Indiana NPR affiliate (including an audio clip quoting Dave, Jessica Fraser  of the Indiana Institute for Working Families and Emily Weickert Bryant of Feeding Indiana's Hungry).

Bread members and people of faith around the country are fasting, praying and speaking out against cuts in SNAP and other nutrition programs (and other programs that directly or indirectly affect hunger) through a campaign created by a coalition of faith groups that includes Bread for the World.

Many individuals and faith communities are setting aside some time on the 21st of each month to participate in the campaign, entitled For Such a Time as This. The 21st is symbolic because this the time of the month when SNAP benefits usually run out for most beneficiaries.

In Albuquerque, St. Paul Lutheran Church is leading a vigil on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The ELCA congregation will be holding this action every 21st day of the month at its labyrinth garden, and all people of faith and conscience in Albuquerque are invited to attend.  "Our plan is to gather at 5:00 p.m. for brief time of quiet prayer, meditation, walking the labyrinth, perhaps sing a taize song," said Ivan Westergaard, one of the planners of the event along with Karla Ice and others at the church.

Dave Miner and the Dalai Lama

On a recent Friday in May, David Miner (the chair of Bread for the World's board of directors), found himself face-to-face with his His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  He was one of the lucky ones who had an opportunity to greet the revered Buddhist leader in person.

On that day, 9,500 people packed Conseco Field House in Indianapolis to hear Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, deliver a message of peace, love and the importance of interfaith connections.

As volunteer executive director of the Interfaith Hunger Initiative in Indianapolis, Dave was part of the committee that planned the events surrounding the visit of the Nobel Peace Laureate to Indiana.  The IHI cosponsored the event with the the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center (TMBCC) and the Indiana Buddhist Center.  IHI members include faith leaders and laity from two dozen congregations including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh congregations. 

The Dalai Lama also spoke at Indiana University the previous day.

Here are a couple of other reports that include video:
Dalai Lama's Final Teaching and Lasting Message

Dalai Lama promotes religious harmony in Indianapolis

And here's a great article:
Infinite compassion: The Dalai Lama visits Indiana

Anti-Hunger Efforts in Kenya, Indianapolis
The sponsors used the talk as an opportunity to raise money for feeding efforts in Indianapolis and Kenya. "There is such widespread interest in his message that we were able to attract attendance of 9,500 people," said Dave. "The $25 ticket price generated significant revenue for the co-hosts, including IHI."

The IHI said the money collected from the admission fee will be used to cover the cost of school lunches for 1,500 children in Kenya for a year.  Locally,the funds will procure a quarter million pounds of food, "helping us to strengthen the pantry system in Indianapolis and doing a school lunch for 1,500 children in Kenya," said Dave.

Thanks to Bread activists in Indianapolis, the IHI is also promoting legislative advocacy efforts among its members, including Offerings of Letters.  "Many of the congregations have begun doing OL's for the first time," said Dave.

Many of those in attendance at Conseco Field House also learned about the anti-hunger advocacy efforts in Indianapolis.  "We ran a video on the big TV screens for an hour before the program began which overviewed IHI and included Bread," said Dave.  View a YouTube video

Fasting: So What if God Does Call us to be Political?

In a recent post, I mentioned that if our fasting is to be political, God will provide the means.

And there are times (as in the present) when God does move us, especially when we must speak about "collective sin."  You can't miss it.  It's all over the Old Testament and New Testament. Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.  This is not just an expression of good feeling or emotion.  Loosely translated it would say, "Place as much priority on making sure that the needs of your neighbor are met, just as you make every effort to take care of your own needs."  By doing so, we ensure the well-being of society as a whole.

Many members of the faith community responded to efforts in Congress to balancing the budget by taking the path of least resistance. Those efforts are contrary to the biblical concept of justice, and God gives us the gift of fasting to voice our concerns.  Here is what David Miner, a Bread for the World member in Indiana, said in a letter to the editor of a local newspaper:

There are ways to reduce the deficit without hurting people who are already hurting. This is an assault against the very people God instructs us to protect.

So I will not be eating, at all, this week. I am joining people of faith and conscience across the country in prayer and fasting, forming a circle of protection around programs that are important to poor and hungry people. Through our fast we invoke God’s assistance, to inspire us and our nation’s leaders to find ways to cut our deficits without adding to the challenges of those already hurting.

But it's not just this particular Bread for the World member. There are many other voices who have been called to prophecy via fasting and prayer:

Rev. Jim Wallis

"...budgets are moral documents -- they reveal our priorities, who and what is important, and who and what are not. To address excessive deficits is also a moral issue -- preventing our children and grandchildren from having crushing debt. But how you reduce a deficit is also a moral issue. We should reduce the deficit, but not at the expense of our poorest people."

A dozen faith leaders have joined Rev. Wallis, including Ritu Sharma of Women Thrive Worldwide.

"Seven in ten of the world's hungry are women, who are also responsible for ensuring that their families are fed. As someone who has tried to live on a dollar a day myself in some of the world's poorest areas, I have experienced a little of what they struggle with every day. It is essential for our lawmakers not to slash budgets that invest in the sustainability of global food supplies when food prices and hunger are both at all-time highs."

and  Rev. David Beckmann

"Does it bother us that millions of people across the globe stand to be impacted by these cuts? It should. The debate about the federal deficit is really a debate about our national priorities. It’s time we reshape those priorities, and my colleagues and I are inviting God to help us do it." 

Bread for the World's Advocacy Summit/Lobby Day

Six anti-hunger advocates from New Mexico traveled to Washington to participate in Bread for the World's Advocacy Summit and Lobby Day on June 9-11. Our delegation included Kamatara Johnson (Circles USA-Albuqueque-Las Cruces), Sergio Mata-Cisneros (The Food Depot, Santa Fe), Carlos Navarro (St. John XXIII Catholic Community-Albquerque)m Kendra Poole (La Mesa Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque & Maryland), Lynette Schurdevin (Peace Lutheran Church Las Cruces) and Rev. Andy Stoker, Central United Methodist Church-Albuquerque) 

Carlos Navarro, Lynette Schurdevin, Kamatara Johnson, Kendra Poole, Andy Stoker, Sergio Mata-Cisneros

Between the six of us, we visited our the offices of our three members in the House of Representatives and our two Senators. We lobbied for funding for the Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), global nutrition assistance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Kendra, who recently lost her job at the US Agency for International Development to the administration's downsizing noves, provided great insights on the importance of global nutrition assistance. A delegation from Puerto Rico joined as at two of our visits to advocate for changing the island's SNAP benefits from a block grant to full participation in the SNAP program.. 

While all our visits were scheduled with congressional aides, we were fortunate enough to meet up with Rep. Melanie Stansbury (at Rep. Gabe Vasquez's office, of all places). Rep. Stansbury was accompanied by NM State Sen. Harold Pope. 

State Sen. Harold Pope, Kendra Poole, Carlos Navarro, Kamtara Johnson, Lynette Schrudevin, Rep. Melanie Stansbury

      Here are other photos from Lobby Day. 

Outside Rep. Gabe Vasquez's office  (We met with legislative aide Emily Hartshorn) 

Sen. Martin Heinrich's office.  We met with LA Aria Campos

Outside Sen Ben Ray Lujan's office. We met with LA Katie Mertens

                             Rev. Andy Stoker and Kendra Poole converse with Sen. Lujan's aide Katie Mertens

Another highlight of the gathering was a celebration of Bread for the World's 50th anniversary.  Here are a handful of photos

Bread member Bryan McFarland, North Carolina

                                                   Bread president Eugene Cho

Bread staffer Jamie Thomas with former Bread president David Beckmann 

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, ONE Campaign CEO, was one of the keynoters

Current and former board members Jeremy Everett, Kate Pringle, John Carr, David Miner, Sandra Joireman

                                      With Elaine VanCleave (Tennesee Bread member) 

 

Here's More Evidence.... that Grassroots Efforts Make a Huge Difference!

By Larry Lindley and David Miner

Bread activists Indiana

Indiana Bread activists with Sen. Richard Lugar

Sometimes we wonder and worry about the size of our Bread chapter or the OL at our church. Are they too small to make a difference?  We got remarkable confirmation late this year that our approach really is working!!

On October 28, 2010, a group of Indianapolis area Bread for the World members and faith leaders from the Interfaith Hunger Initiative visited with Rep. Andre Carson, the congressman from Indiana’s 7th district. The meeting was held at Rep Carson’s request.

Before we began discussing hunger issues in Indianapolis and actions in Congress, Justin Ohlemiller, the District Director for the Congressman, said that "Bread’s local campaign on EITC was the most striking he saw on any issue over the last year."

We were wowed to know that is possible for our Bread network to make this big of a splash. I double checked with him later to be sure we had heard him correctly!

This impact in Rep Carson’s office was a combined effect of twenty area congregations conducting an Offering of Letters and six area Bread chapters who wrote letters about EITC on at least a couple occasions.  

Justin went on to say that he was impressed that the letters were all individually written and not just a signed form-letter or postcard. He said that personal, handwritten letters are the most impactful type of communications and noted that some are passed on to the Congressman himself. He encouraged us to keep up the good work.

Personal letters to members of Congress do get read, and organizing in churches and in Bread chapters can make a huge difference!!

(Zach Schmidt, regional field organizer from Bread's office in Chicago, contributed to this piece).

The Bread Activist Universe (Advocacy Summit 2019)

The trip to Washington for the Advocacy Summit was not only about lobbying Congress to support Global Nutrition resolutions, which are the subject of our 2019 Offering of Letters. The trip was about reunions with people I knew from Bread. Some attended the Bread activities, one participated in the CARE conference, and others just live in the Washington area. Here are some selfies and regular photos of those reunions.

Dawn Buller-Pierce (Idaho)

Angie Ruprock-Shaefer (Indiana), Derick Dailey (New York)

Brendan Rice (Washington, D.C.)

Daniel Erdman (Pennsylvania, formerly Albuquerque)

David Miner (Indiana), Beth Lepiniski (Wisconsin)

Art Simon (Maryland), Kimball Forrester (Alabama)

Kimberly Burge (Washington, D.C.)

Megan Mayle (Colorado)

Suzanne Farris, Tessa Farris (Maryland)

Suzanne Stigler Martin (Alabama)

Bud and Barbara Miller (Florida)

For Bread for the World members in New Mexico, 40 is Also Really 30

Local members celebrated Bread's 20th birthday in 1995

You might have seen reports that 50 is America's favorite age. And some entertainers and other prominent personalities  have gone as far as to suggest that 50 is the new 30. Bread for the World is not quite 50 yet, but our beloved organization turned 40 this year. And I wouldn't try to make Bread any younger! Our milestone birthday means that we have a 40-year track record of advocating for policies to reduce hunger and poverty in our country and around the world. That is really a major source of pride!

A state coordinator in 1984

Brother Jim Brown at local 35th anniversary celebration

For Bread for the World members in New Mexico, however, 40 is really 30. In this case, we are celebrating both 40 and 30 (and not 30 instead of 40). You might not know that Bread for the World has been around in New Mexico for at least 30 years. There were Bread members here since the the 1970s, but 1984 was the first year we had any organized presence. Jim Brown, a member of the Christian Brothers from Santa Fe, agreed  to coordinate Bread activities shortly after he returned to New Mexico from Louisiana in 1984. In this role, Brother Jim encouraged groups in New Mexico to communicate and gather where possible. (That was a more difficult task in the days before Smartphones, Facebook and the current sophisticated versions of email).

An organized group in Albuquerque in 1989

Howard Corry (third from left) moderated candidate forum

The first recorded organized gathering of Bread members in Albuquerque took place on Saturday morning, April 15, 1989, when a group  of Bread members decided to form a chapter in the First Congressional District. According  to Lutheran Campus Pastor Howard Corry, a former campus pastor at the University of New Mexico and the first district coordinator for the Albuquerque area, local members started to gather monthly at Central United Methodist Church to write letters and discuss Bread-related issues. The meetings were  a launching point for an even more important task. " Everyone was urged to get their local church to conduct an offering of letters," said Rev. Corry.

Please join us on Saturday, October 25, to learn more (and see pictures) of how Bread for the World evolved in Albuquerque and elsewhere in New Mexico since 1984 and 1989. Below are details of our event, which like the national celebration in June will also highlight the Bread Rising campaign.  Please be sure  to register.

    Bread Rising 40th Anniversary Booklet

       Mark Your Calendars!
Bread Rising in New Mexico
Saturday, October 25
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
5301 Ponderosa Ave. NE (Map)
3:30 p.m.

Click Here to Register 

Program

Prelude Song: Bread for the World (by Marty Haugen)
Welcome- Patty Emord (St. Andrew Presbyterian Church)

Call to Prayer  Rev. Gene Gries (Norbertine Community)
Song: Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

Bread History/Flickr Slide Show -Carlos Navarro
Song: Pan de Vida

Reflection on Pray
Isaiah 55:6-11
Anne Morawski  (Luther House)
An Invitation to Continue to Pray
 (David Miner, Bread board member from Indianapolis)
Song Prayer of St. Francis

Reflection on Act
Matthew 25:34-40
[With contributions from Brother Jim Brown (Christian Brothers) and others]
An Invitation to Continue to Act
Ellen Buelow (Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community)
Song Here I Am

Reflection on Give
Luke 9:12-17
John Foley (Mesa View United Methodist Church)
An Invitation to Continue to Give
Joanne Nazarian (Bread Staff)
Song: Now Thank We All Our God 

Reflection on Looking Forward/Ending Hunger by 2030
Psalm 145
Erik Medina (First Congregational Church)
Song: Lift Every Voice  and Sing

Closing Song Bread for the World (by Marty Haugen) 

Benediction: Karen Cobb (St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church)

Short Reception

(Musicians: Rev. Steve Miller, Terese Bridges, Erik Medina, Sister Joan Brown and others) 

Bread for the World Indianapolis – The Early Days

Larry and Donna Lindley, CROP Walk 1980

By Larry Lindley

I joined Bread for the World in the late 1970s, but felt the need to connect with others in my home town of Indianapolis with an interest in the welfare of hungry people. I contacted the Bread national staff and they sent me a mailing list of Indiana members and even printed for me mailing labels for those from the Indianapolis area.
 
I got together with the pastor of the Linwood Christian Church and organized the first local group meeting in the city. I sent out invitations in the summer of 1980, hoping that some would respond. The meeting was held at the Linwood Christian Church on the east side of the city and turned out quite successful, with about 30 people attending. We all sat in a circle as Rep. Andy Jacobs spoke to the group about the importance of advocacy for hungry people. After the meeting, a steering committee was formed consisting of myself, Eileen Paige, and Elaine Davies. The Indianapolis group has been meeting ever since at various locations around the city.

Eileen Page & others at Monument Circle

One of the first activities of the steering committee was to organize and lead a number of city wide seminars on the Presidential Commission on World Hunger Report.

In the fall of that year we participated in the first Indianapolis CROP walk by carrying a large banner that we had made. In taking turns carrying this banner for the 10 miles of the walk, we were able to make contact with several people interested in hunger advocacy, including a Bread member who had just moved into the city, David Miner.

Also in the fall of 1980, we organized the first Bread for the World Congressional Forum, where we brought together congressional candidates from Central Indiana districts to discuss their positions on world hunger and poverty. We had candidates from three different districts attend and received TV coverage on the evening news. It was to be the first of eight consecutive biennial events.

(The author is a Bread for the World activist in Indianapolis)

A Vigil for Social Justice at the St. Paul Lutheran Church Labyrinth

On May 21, we began with a 3-day fast, joining millions of people around the world who were praying for an end to famine, praying in advance of the release of the president’s budget, and in preparation for advocacy actions. We continue to fast and pray on the 21st of each month throughout this 115th Congress through the end of 2018. We chose the 21st of the month because that is the day when SNAP (formerly food stamps) benefits for most families run out. It is the hungriest week of the month. -from "For Such a Time as This" campaign, led by Bread for the World and leaders of several religious denominations and organizations.

Immigration Vigil at St. Paul Labyrinth

On Tuesday, November 21, a group of people of faith will gather at the labyrinth garden at St. Paul Lutheran Church. , 1100 Indian School Rd. (map), in Albuquerque to pray with their feet, their hearts and their minds "Our plan is to gather at 5:00 p.m. for brief time of quiet prayer, meditation, walking the labyrinth, perhaps a taize song," said Ivan Westergaard, one of the planners of the event along with Karla Ice and others at the church.

Vigil organizers invite all people of faith and conscience in Albuquerque to participate in the social justice-oriented vigil. "This will all be very informal," said Westergaard

The labyrinth is open year round for use by individuals. Other communal events have been held here too, such a vigil for immigration rights in February

The Nov. 21 gathering is part of the  For Such a Time as This, a campaign that urges people of faith to pray, fast and advocate on the 21st day of every month. Organizers plan to hold the vigil at St. Paul every 21st day of the month through December 2018.

Fasting as Prayer
Some of the people of faith around the country who participate in vigils on the 21st including fasting,  perhaps skipping lunch or foregoing dinner later that evening. (Bread advocate David Miner of Indianapolis fasted for 16 days).

As people of faith, we are called to show solidarity with vulnerable people and communities around the world.  Therefore, our prayers urge our elected leaders to make budget decisions that preserve funding for foreign assistance, maintain the integrity of health care  and domestic nutrition programs and protect vulnerable communities from the negative impacts of climate change.

"There are no easy answers or strategies. But there is our call to go deeper in our faith, to center ourselves in God instead of news cycles, to pray for God’s wisdom and presence, to fast in order to help focus our hearts and minds, and to be ready to advocate — to speak the truth to power — for those whom Jesus calls 'the least of these'," said Rev. Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners and a leader in the campaign.

from People's Climate March in ABQ, April 2017

Action and Advocacy
What about the Act or Advocacy aspect of the vigil?  Like all the groups and communities praying on Nov. 21, the folks gathered at St. Paul Lutheran will center their efforts on climate change (although all the other issues remain very much in our hearts and minds).

Here is what the ELCA, led by Presiding Bishop Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, says about the November action. "ELCA congregations and community organizations across the country work tirelessly to help when disaster strikes, most recently in Texas, California, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. To prepare our nation for the future, our federal government must invest in research, urban planning and building infrastructure designed for the climate challenges of the next 100 years."

The Episcopal Public Policy Network with support from Most Reverend Michael Bruce Curry, presiding bishop and primate, Episcopal Church, has a similar message. "As the earth’s climate continues to transition and threaten communities, we answer the call this month by supporting action for federal investment to make our nation, communities, and public services more resilient and better prepared in the face of increasingly common and destructive natural disasters and changing weather patterns."

An Interfaith Response
The campaign includes many partners in the Christian community (Willow Creek Community Church;  Christians Churches Together in the USA; the National African American Clergy Network; Bishop Richard Pates of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Des Moines, Iowa; the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and others), but is actually an interfaith action. The campaign is  supported and promoted by Anwar Khan, CEO, of Islamic Relief USA and the Alliance to End Hunger, which represents groups like Jewish Council for Public Affairs. 

MAZON:A Jewish Response to Hunger, even though not officially a part of the campaign, the organization is doing its part to raise some of these important issues. More than 1,500 constituent groups of MAZON contacted Congress in July to urge legislators to make a responsible choice when making budget decisions. “Our message to you is clear: there is no way to keep the promise of prosperity for all Americans, including families with children, women, seniors, people with disabilities, communities of color, and others who are being left behind in the 21st century economy, without significantly increasing investments in public education, affordable housing, health and nutrition, public transit, roads and bridges, clean air, clean water, clean energy, child care, and other means of making investments in communities that also create good jobs.”