By Reverend Heidi Calhoun, Associated Ministries“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But, if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine, then let us work together”. Lill Watson, Aboriginal activist.
I read these words for the first time about 12 years ago and it altered my theological understanding of social justice forever.
For the past five months, on behalf of Associated Ministries, I have had the privilege of gathering with a group of 11 other religious leaders in Pierce County. Our goal: leave our denominational, doctrinal, political differences behind in order to consider the systems that lead more and more people to experience hunger in our communities. The idea was organic in nature, it was simply a few of us who posed the question; “What would it look like, were we to imagine a day when food banks were no longer needed?” We selected David Beckman’s book, Exodus from Hunger, as the vehicle that would bring us together. David Beckman is the president of Bread for the World, a Lutheran pastor and an economist. In 2010 he was awarded the international food prize in recognition of his leadership in changing the face of Hunger in America and abroad.
Mind you, our study group entered the conversation keenly aware that there will always be need for food banks and it will always be a part of our calling as a people of faith to respond with ministries of mercy and compassion. However, we also instinctively know that “it is impossible to food-bank our way to the end of Hunger in America”. Beckman reminded us that “simply, providing food to food insecure households is not a way to end food insecurity; we need to complement those programs with initiatives that walk along side families and individuals as they work their way out of poverty.” (Beckman, pg. 11)
It is no secret that this is a critical time to examine such a question. With all the cut-backs in federal, state and county programs, the church is being asked to respond to basic human needs in ways it has not had to in decades. The rising need of those sitting in our pews and those showing up on our front doorsteps cannot be solved without creative and collaborative efforts by all of us.
Suppose, as Bill Moyers suggests, that we, as faith communities came together on this issue and put right what is wrong with a system where people must turn to charity because they cannot count on justice. We know that many issues divide our faith communities; we see evidence of that every day. We also know many churches encourage people to help poor people through charity, but what about the laws and structures that keep people poor? We serve a God who encourages us to consider nations as well as individuals; who insists on just laws and won’t rest until the work, the hard work, is complete.
How will we respond? It begins with humble and honest confession; an acknowledgement of our mutual brokenness and limitations. Dare we speak and risk with one another our tendencies toward isolation rather than explore the wonder and creativity of working together across all doctrinal lines because of our mutual calling as those created in God’s image. It is out of this mutual confession that we UNLEASH the power of everyday people – people like you and I who sit in the pews Sabbath after Sabbath.
Associated Ministries, along with my colleagues in this study, would like to invite you to start a book study using Exodus from Hunger within your congregation or in partnership with faith communities in your area. In the months ahead, we plan to organize a gathering of people who want to work together to consider what appropriate response, efforts and resources could be pooled from our various faith communities around the topic of hunger and homelessness in our county. We are also excited to announce that on February 26th & 27th Associated Ministries will welcome David Beckman as the keynote speaker for our annual meeting. Additionally, we will provide opportunities to engage and hear from him over that two day period.
Lest you think this effort to reduce hunger is hopeless, or it’s a condition we cannot change, you need to be aware that dramatic progress has been made both in the United States and around the world. If you accept the challenge to read the book, you too will find out how. We may not be able to do away with hunger altogether but we do not have to settle for the intermittent hunger of 49 million people who live in food insecure households in the United States. Beckman estimates that once the economy is growing again, it is feasible that within several decades we can reduce the number of undernourished people in the United States to about 5 million. It is my belief that faith communities will be at the heart of that change. Our liberation from the plague of Hunger in America, the wealthiest nation on earth, will not come until we see our own liberation bound to those who find themselves standing in line at our food banks. I hope you will be a part of making that a reality.
Join us at the Hunger Walk on October 2nd and sign up to be a part of the ongoing effort and watch our website in the months ahead for more information. And, if you choose to accept the challenge to start a study group, please let us know so we can keep track (HeidiC@associatedministries.org).
Heidi Calhoun is The Director of Mission and Development at Associated Ministries and an ordained Presbyterian Minister.
