BREAD FOR THE WORLD’S 2009 OFFERING OF LETTERS

Who Is Bread For The World?

Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.  By changing policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities where we live.

God’s grace in Jesus Christ moves us to help our neighbors, whether they live in the next house, the next state for the next continent.  Food is a basic need, and it is unjust that so many people must go without enough to eat.  We can end hunger in our time.  Everyone, including our government, just do their part.  With the stroke of a pen, policies are made that redirect missions of dollars and affect millions of lives.  By making our voices heard in Congress, we make our nation’s laws more fair and compassionate to people in need.

What is an Offering of Letters?

Bread for the World members write personal letters and emails to Congress.  Working through our churches, campuses, and other organizations, we engage more people in advocacy.  Each year, Bread for the World invites churches and groups across the country to take up a nationwide Offering of Letters to Congress on an issue that is important to hungry people.  People place these letters in the offering plates during church services, prayerfully offering them to God before sending them to Congress.

The Offering of Letters enables individuals to see their concerns translated into policies that help hungry and poor peop0le improve their lives.  Many of these letter-writers, it is their first time communication with their members of Congress.  This outpouring of concern sends a powerful message to our country’s political leaders and helps us as a nation move closer to our goal of ending hunger.

The ELCA on Advocacy

From its beginning in the Scriptures, the Christian faith story has a rich tradition of speaking to people in power on behalf of others who are not heard. Lutherans believe that governing officials serve an instrumental role in God’s purpose for the world when they work for peace, stability and the common good.   

For more information go to http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Advocacy.aspx

In Congress, Handwritten Letters Get Attention!

Research by Congressional Management Foundation confirms that advocacy does make a difference.  Virtually all Capitol Hill staff survey (96 percent) reported that if their member of Congress had not reached a firm decision on an issue, individualized letters would influence the member’s position.  The 2005 study also found that handwritten, mailed letters are still the best way to communicate with our members of Congress.

The Holy Trinity Connection

On Sunday, June 14, 2009 we will have the opportunity to partition Congress, asking them to use our tax money to end poverty.