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Advent

A Hunger Justice Journal

PHP POSTAdvent 2011 | Presbyterian Hunger Program | www.pcusa.org/hunger

E u p h o r i c disbelief; living in a perpetual state of hope and

happiness!! Tandile, then 11, will never forget 1994, the year apartheid was abolished in her land, South Africa! Expectations abounded as a whole nation looked forward to a new way of life. As she remembered that period, her face shown with radiance. Her dad was sure they would get land and expand their garden to a real farm.

Advent is a period of expectation. A time of, as Karen Wilson writes, “waiting for something big to happen.” Yet, we all know that waiting doesn’t mean doing nothing. Keeping awake, as Brooke Newell reminds us, is actually not easy during our frenetic holiday season. Yes, it is very important to put time into family celebrations. The first Thanksgiving dinner I hosted, I started by grocery shopping after work on Wednesday night (yes the night before). I realized at 4am that these celebrations take time and you simply can’t throw it together the night before.

During this holiday season Congress is making decisions that will impact the funding for poor and hungry people in the USA and around the world for the next ten years. Unlike annual appropriations that simply approve funding, the Super Committee will likely recommend significant structural changes to programs that have been a safety net for poor and hungry people. In the last four years the numbers of unemployed have risen, the number living in poverty have

risen, but the number of hungry people has not risen. Why? Because the safety-net programs of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Women, Infant & Children) and others have been able to increase and decrease with need. Structural changes to these programs will result in increased hunger in the USA. Internationally, less than 1% of our federal budget is spent in development assistance. If the programs these funds support are cut, it is estimated that 14 million people will be hungry. This Congress is not just making decisions for this fiscal year, but for the next 10 years in its effort to balance the federal budget.

I believe we all understand the need for a balanced budget. Yet, many people of faith are calling for a Circle of Protection around the funding that impacts poor and hungry people. Everyone wants our tax dollars to be spent efficiently and effectively. And, many people of faith prefer to pay more taxes than to live in a society that allows children to be hungry, homeless and without basic medical care. These are not partisan issues. I raise these concerns because Congress is making these decisions that will impact our communities while we wait expectantly for the Good News of Jesus.

This issue of the PHP Post includes other stories of what can happen when we “stay awake” while waiting expectantly. From helping those facing foreclosure to learning from brothers and sisters in the newest nation, Republic of South Sudan, Presbyterians are living witness to God’s love.

Letter From the Coordinator By Ruth Farrell, Coordinator Presbyterian Hunger Program

Tandil, my new friend from South Africa, is now 29. When apartheid ended, the government promised to redistribute 30% of the land by 2014. To date only 5% has been redistributed. So, Tandil and most others still live in the same settlement which is not much different than it was in 1994. She still dreams of having a farm. As she waits expectantly, she is busy. She is busy building raised beds, planting in tires, and turning any public spaces in her settlement into vegetables and grains. As I “live” the season of Advent, I couldn’t help but think of Tandil who models the faith and action of Advent. May these stories inspire each of us to wait and live expectantly.

In this IssuePage 2: Theological Reflection

Page 3: Hope

Page 4: Faith

Page 5: Peace

Page 6: Joy

Page 7: Love

Page 8-9: Restoring Eden

0: Thank You

www.pcusa.org/hunger

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Food for Thought: What wakes you up or keeps you awake through Advent? Perhaps looking out for the needs around you, listening for the stories of real people, resisting a consumption-driven season, putting yourself in a position to share the Good News? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].

Every year as Advent looms, I am caught off guard. Why? Because every year, Advent begins with apocalypse.

In the life of the church, November marks the beginning of preparations for all the December celebrations: the hanging of the greens, the choral cantata, the cookie walk, the pageant, Christmas caroling, poinsettia delivery to the shut-ins. And has it all made it into the church newsletter a month ahead of time? I hate sorting them by zip code.

And then, as I pause to take a breath from all the planning, I make myself a cup of hot cider with a cinnamon stick, and reach for the scripture reading to check what’s up for the first Sunday in Advent. And there is apocalypse. Instead of catching my breath, I get caught short.

This year, it’s Mark’s “little apocalypse” in chapter 13:24:

“But in those days, after that suffering,the sun will be darkened,and the moon will not give its light,and the stars will be falling from heaven,and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” (NRSV)

And indeed, once we get over the initial shock, we might reflect that we’ve been through yet another year of apocalyptic events. Fires and floods and earthquakes and famines have come and gone across our

TV screens and computer monitors. The cost of food around the globe and even in our own supermarkets has risen at historic rates while unemployment and global conflicts have raged unchecked.

And it will likely get worse before it gets better. In October, free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea were passed by Congress, with much opposition from churches, including the PC(USA). The risk is that they will continue to ship jobs overseas to the benefit of multinational corporations and their corrupt government enforcers who will “employ” people of limited means working interminable hours for starvation wages. It’s apocalyptic. The biblical vision of community creates a just society for the whole earth, not just for those who have the resources to consume more goods.

But what does this have to do with Advent?

In Mark’s apocalypse, Jesus keeps returning to the admonition: “Keep awake!” So I can’t help drawing the conclusion that, having surrounded ourselves with all the greenery and tinsel, stuffed and drowsy from our unending feasts, we need a pretty stiff jolt of the reality into which we and – and Jesus– have been born.

The revelry and cheer of the season are welcome guests. And celebration of the Messiah’s arrival is certainly in order. But,

Ruth Farrell, Coordinator [email protected]

Valéry Nodem, International Hunger [email protected]

Alexa Smith, Joining Hands [email protected]

Eileen Schuhmann, International Program Asst. [email protected]

Andrew Kang Bartlett, National Hunger [email protected]

Melanie Hardison, Enough for Everyone [email protected]

Noelle Damico, Campaign for Fair Food [email protected]

Jessica Maudlin, Managing Editor, Program Assistant [email protected]

PHP Staff

Theological Reflection: Wake Up!Rev. Brooke Newell, Advocacy Ministries Coordinator, Central NY Presbytery Partnership Group

God knows, we need to be acutely aware the whole time that a record number of people around the world will be spending Christmas in refugee camps. Closer to home, according to recently released census numbers, one in four of the children who live in our own neighborhoods - in the neighborhoods of our own churches - will not have had enough to eat and will not likely get a visit from Santa.

We need to be acutely aware, because this is exactly why Jesus came - to redeem the untruths preached by false prophets and to illuminate the darkness with glory, and to call disciples who would be partners in that redemptive work.

This Advent, as I finish my cup of hot cinnamon cider and take in the Gospel, I’m awake. I’m ready. Come, Lord Jesus! We have Kingdom work to do! Glory! Hallelujah!

» Think


The Presbyterian Hunger Program 3

They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Isaiah 65:21-23

I felt like I was seeing Isaiah’s words happening before my very eyes. Estin Andral is a young man filled with hope for the future. Today, he is living in a tent, but it is only for another month. Every day he works with six other men under the guidance of a structural engineer to build 10 houses. These houses are part of an Eco-Village in Haiti’s Central Plateau . They will have a community center, rain catchment and water system, ecological latrines and most importantly gardens and fields that will feed their families and provide them with livelihoods. When the houses are built and the crops are ready for harvest, their families, as well as some families headed by widows with children, will leave their tents in Port au Prince to join them. And the houses will be theirs for as long as their family or their descendants work the land and participate in the community.

We all saw the tent cities in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Haiti. I have learned volumes about how difficult it is to provide housing for these victims. You would think that it would be simple to go help build houses but quickly there are issues. On whose property do you build houses since most of the victims were renters? Does

housing include sewage and water systems? Quantity vs. quality? Cultural values too, can you imagine someone building you a house in the US without windows ? That would be the equivalent of building a house in Haiti without an outside cooking area. Using local building materials is important. Are you bringing in nails and pre-fab pieces or are you buying local materials which strengthens the Haitian economy?

Foreign non-profit organizations came in and built lots of temporary housing. This housing should last perhaps,5 years.Hopefully by then, the occupants will have built up enough assets to buy property or build permanent housing. Although very grateful to get out of tents, families find the housing tracts crowded. There is no space for vegetable gardens and they are far from employment opportunities. PC(USA) through PDA will fund some of this housing for approximately 150 families in Leogone, where families were hardest hit by the earthquake and the housing is the best of the temporary housing being built. It includes sewage and water; and isn’t too far from job opportunities. It will provide shelter as these families get back on their feet.

At the same time, through PHP’s long-time Haitian partner, Farmers Movement of Papaye (MPP) has requested assistance to help 40 families build four eco-villages in the Central Plateau. This is permanent housing in a grouping of 10 homes complete with ecological latrines, water catchment, space for gardens and animals, a community center, and fields. Families who move here are taking on farming livelihoods with the technical assistance of MPP. They will be able to grow their own food and sell the surplus through cooperatives in which they can get better prices.

And, MPP is inviting you to help. There are some criteria though. You must be willing to work under Haitian supervision alongside Haitians. You must be willing to learn for a couple of hours each day about the challenges for small farmers from the experiences of Haitians. You must be willing to believe in Haitian farmers’ vision

Ecovillages: A Labor Not in VainRuth Farrell, Coordinator PHP

From left to right, Laurore Manel, Estin Andral and Jean-Louis Jean Pierre are just three of the people who will move into the Eco-Villages as soon as construction is complete.

Valery Nodem

Continued on page 11


4 The PHP PostFaith

trade reform that moves beyond projects to agreements that include protections for the most vulnerable and for the environment. The church has always challenged unfettered markets that are free to exploit poor nations without contributing to the reduction of poverty. We are called to ethical responsibility in every part of our lives.

You can be a part of this justice. Fair trade Bridge of Hope products can be ordered from www.partnersforjusttrade.org. Also, look for fair trade coffee, tea and chocolate. Since we know that trade impacts more than coffee and chocolate, also turn to the PHP Trade reform page for more information and for a Reformed perspective on markets, www.pcusa.org/trade.

How we spend our money does make a difference. Be patient and have faith. The hope, joy, peace and love of advent are coming.

Advent is a season of hope, love, joy and peace. But from where do these emotions come? Is it all just the anticipation of opening gifts or watching the kids open their gifts? No. As we mature, these emotions come from our faith.

In Isaiah 61, Isaiah preaches about captives being freed, comfort to mourners, roses instead of ashes, joy instead of doom, and so on and so on. He tells us that God loves justice and despises robbery and wrong. Well, we all know that the world still lacks justice and there is still much wrongdoing. In faith, we wait.

Several centuries later, John the Baptist comes along preaching about the coming of the Messiah. It’s been a long wait, but he’s sure something big is going to happen. So here we are, in the Advent season, waiting for something big to happen. In faith, we still wait.

So, should we just sit back and wait for all this justice? Is there any progress? It’s easy to get discouraged in all this waiting. But have faith! I have seen progress first-hand high in the Andes of Peru near the City of Huancavelica. Here a group of men and women weave and knit products and sell them for a fair wage to a Fair Trade exporter called Bridge of Hope. These men and women are part of a cooperative called Huayanay. And it’s just like Isaiah prophesied in verses 8-11. The Huayanay group is paid fairly and they are a people whom God has blessed.

Because of fair trade, they are improving their lives. The women once cooked over fires on the dirt floors of their kitchens. Smoke would fill the room and their children suffered from respiratory problems. Now they are getting stoves with an iron cook-top and a metal pipe which carries the smoke outside. They have also

begun a reforestation project to help retain moisture in the barren mountain slopes.

Another group within the City of Huancavelica, El Mercurio, knits stuffed animals. This group of about 40 women also sells their products to Bridge of Hope. With the stress from extreme poverty and the machismo culture, domestic violence is common. However, now that the women are bringing some money into these households, they are gaining a new respect from their husbands; thus, there is less violence. Listening to the stories of how the lives of these families have improved gave me new faith that the justice Isaiah preached is possible.

Are the families in these groups wealthy now? Not hardly. Most still have dirt floors and have to carry water to their houses. But their spirit is filled with hope for the future. Their health is improving; there is less violence; and their children are now going to school.

What’s more, the Joining Hands networks – at the request of our Peruvian partners – are building toward a broader campaign of

Faith: Waiting For Something BigKaren Wilson, Peru Mission Network, Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery

Women participating in knitting for Bridge of Hope have been able to triple their income. The faithful commitment to Fair Trade practices can make a world of difference in the lives of these women and their families.

Ruth Farrell



Peac

eIn Northern Ireland there are miles and miles of what are euphemistically called “peace lines.” In reality they are separation barriers: Walls, up to 30 feet high, which run along the interfaces between Unionist/Protestant and Nationalist/Catholic districts. They prevent groups from either side attacking those on the other. That is something which has happened too often in the past. So the walls remain in place years after a peace agreement was reached between the major power blocks on each side. In fact new walls are still being erected.

The original “peace line” in West Belfast is the most grotesque to view. It began as a series of makeshift barricades about 1970 in the middle of narrow streets of row houses, one end of which was Nationalist and the other end Unionist. Soon corrugated metal sheets were erected. Before long those were replaced by concrete sections. Not long after the construction, the houses on each side were torn down and new housing put up. Many of the streets on each side have disappeared completely in the redevelopment, but the wall is still there. It has simply been made higher from time to time as hostile elements have become more adept at propelling dangerous objects at each other!

This wall has become a tourist attraction now. Individuals and groups who come to Belfast have heard about it and want to see it. It seems totally different from anything they know back home. It has also become a setting where thought-provoking art has been erected. One section bears the names not only of Belfast’s Falls and Shankill districts but also of other places in the world where there are, or have been, dividing walls - Berlin, Nicosia, Baghdad, Israel-Palestine. When I take groups from U.S. churches and colleges to the wall, I always pause there and ask them what other walls are missing. Occasionally someone will mention the demilitarized zone on the Korean peninsula or the Great Wall of China! Eventually someone will refer to the wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and suddenly the group realises this wall is not so foreign after all.

We then drive about half a mile away to another “peace line.” In front of it there are nice shrubs. If you didn’t know it had been erected as a “peace line,” you would think that it is just urban landscaping. But it is there for another reason. There is wire mesh erected above it because the brick proved not to be high enough to inhibit attacks each way. I then ask groups if it reminds them of any attractive walls in the

U.S. Fairly soon someone will nod and say gated communities. The walls around those communities are also generally very attractive to the eye, but they, too, are there for other reasons.

After the tour we generally end up talking about walls, all kinds of walls. Those that exist physically in Belfast and elsewhere. Those that are not visible but still inhibit movement – places beyond which or into which we don’t feel safe going. Barriers that exist in trade agreements, and those that exist in our hearts and minds.

And then we read Ephesians 2:14, “Christ is our peace who has broken down the dividing wall of hostility,” and reflect upon what it means to live out the Christmas message of peace on earth as disciples of one who came to break down and not erect barriers.

This Advent may we all be inspired - and challenged - once again by the message of “peace on earth.” And then like the magi, having come to worship the Christ child may we return by another route.

Peace: Breaking Down Dividing WallsDoug Baker, PCUSA Mission Co-Worker

Miles and miles of what are euphemistically called “peace lines” have been erected as separation barriers. The walls have also become a setting where thought-provoking art has been erected.

Doug Baker


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The Food Justice Fellows are a cohort of leaders affiliated with the Presbyterian Hunger Program who are working to build just and sustainable local food systems. Unique to this Fellowship, these faith-based Food and Justice Fellows developed their own personal agrarian/food justice theological statements along with their food justice work plans. The 2011–2012 class of faith-based Fellows is a mix of 16 lay and ordained local food economy builders, urban agriculturalists, grassroots advocates, students, seminarians, pastors and visionaries. If you are interested in becoming a FJF, contact [email protected].

Recently, Food Justice Fellow, Nathan Ballentine, a Presbyterian from Tallahassee, was featured in the documentary "A Peace of Bread". This film is a compelling and heart-felt look at how young, and not so young, faith leaders are trying to finally make a dent in this country's 36 million people (13 million of which are children) that are experiencing hunger.

» Visit PHP’s Facebook page to see the trailer.

JoyMarching To The Beat of An Ancient RhythmThe Rev. Leanne Reed, PHP Food Justice Fellow

“I don’t care what the seed packet says,” I thought. “It seems crazy to plant in this weather!” When my husband and I got married, we decided to trade city living for a three-acre farm. That first winter, I studied seed catalogues and planned my first garden. In late February, I stood in a biting wind examining the cold and seem-ingly lifeless soil. How could anything grow in this weather? But I followed the instructions on the seed packets and gently sowed the seeds and covered them with earth. And sure enough, with time, tiny green shoots emerged from the soil, and grew, and blossomed, and bore fruit. I marveled at the small miracle of eating food we grew ourselves.

As the years have passed, our garden has grown. The young fruit trees we planted now bear fruit. We get eggs from our hens and milk from our dairy goats. We have moments of failure and loss, some comic, some heartbreaking: Another spilled bucket of milk. Squash bugs taking over the garden.

A predator in the henhouse. When we wonder why on earth we are doing this, we hold fast to the memories of joy: Discovering spring’s first ripe strawberry. Our toddler

carefully bringing in the gift of a warm brown egg. Sitting at table with friends to share a late summer feast of food from the garden.

Over time, I have come to trust the rhythm of the seasons, the rhythm of sowing and harvest, of life and death and new life again. Drawing upon this ancient rhythm, the psalmist writes, “May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves” (Psalm 126:4-6).

It is a psalm of joy remembered and joy anticipated. In a time of desolation, the singer recalls the great things the Lord has done and prays for restoration. In the midst of a season of loss, the people do not despair. They sow seeds. It is an act of hope, a declaration that the status quo is not the final word. The way things are right now is not the way they will always be. Joy will come again.

And so, each February we are back out in the garden. The black soil in the raised beds is cool and damp; the sun is pale in the overcast skies. But we sow the seeds anyway, spinach and peas, beets and radishes.

The answer when we question why on earth we are doing this.

Leanne Reed

March 23, 2012

The Second annual COMPASSION, PEACE AND JUSTICE training will be held at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1313 New York Ave. NW in Washington, DC. This pre-event to Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) will focus on the theme of “Presbyterians and Economic Justice”. Online registration is coming soon. Please call the Office of Public Witness at 202.543.1126 for more information.

» Save the Date » Learn More

As we scatter the seeds, we cling to the promise. One day soon, a warm breeze will brush our faces. Tender green shoots will push their way out of the earth. The days will grow longer, the sun will shine stronger, and we will stand in the garden eating sugar snap peas right off the vine.

Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.



Love

Community Organizing: Love, Justice, and Saving HomesTrey Hammond, Community Development, PHP

Christmas celebrates the intersection of love and home and God’s intentions. There is a deep longing to be home at Christmas, close to loved ones. Without a home, most of us feel a little lost.

A tragic consequence of the Great Recession in 2008 has been the large number of people losing their homes. Some 1.2 million homes will be foreclosed upon in 2011 and more than 5 million homeowners are at least two months behind on mortgages. The housing bubble and unscrupulous credit practices resulted in many homeowners getting upside down in debt. Renters in foreclosed properties are also being evicted, not for rent delinquency, but because the lender wanted to quick sale the property. Comprehensive foreclosure policy stalled in Congress and a national program of relief never fully materialized.

“Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.” –Mother Teresa

The Merrimack Valley Project (MVP), a congregation-based community organization in Lawrence, MA, initiated a campaign around foreclosures and eviction prevention. MVP started in 1989 and now has 25 congregations involved. They found that approximately 70% of those living in Lawrence are renters and many in their congregations were being evicted from properties they had lived in for years. For instance, Norma and her husband and two children had lived in a three family home for over three years, always paying their rent on time. Her husband is wheelchair bound and needs the ramp the landlord added to get to dialysis treatments. When the bank

foreclosed, not only was the owner facing eviction, but tenants like Norma were too.

MVP worked with tenant and housing organizations to get the Massachusetts legislature to pass a foreclosure law that safeguarded tenants with “just cause eviction” protection. The lender could not evict a good tenant simply because the property had been foreclosed upon. This law allowed Norma’s family to remain in their property.

“To the place where God was homeless and all people are at home.” − Christmas Poem, G. K. Chesterton

In support of parishioners feeling stress and isolation, clergy and members from many of MVP’s congregations held vigils in homes facing foreclosure. Twenty people gathered to pray with Juan whose mortgage was in

jeopardy. Lisa Vinikoor, MVP’s organizer, said, “He found strength in the gathered community to persevere in his fight for a loan modification. It took six months, but he saved his home.”

Along with the eviction prevention legislation, MVP worked to make loan modifications easier. They collaborated with a non-profit bank, Boston Community Capital, to offer new loans at current housing values to homeowners who had been foreclosed upon. For example, a man had purchased a home at the height of the housing market and had a $330,000 mortgage. The home is now worth only $140,000. The lender foreclosed, evicted the owner, and was planning to sell the property to an investor at market price, absorbing the loss. Instead, the non-profit bank purchased the home and sold it back to the original owner for the current value. Everyone benefited, as the lender

Clergy and lay leaders hold signs of protest outside the church towards the end of the rally that MVP had to call on Wells Fargo to stop the foreclosure and eviction of one of a member.

MVP

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that he’s tending like the Bible says to do.

Vegetable gardens big enough to produce small crops for sale are sprouting up in once barren towns like Boma, on what was once the grazing ground of cattle farmers.

The curriculum in the Bible study is standard; the studies are compiled in what is called the Participatory Awakening Process (PAP). The goal is to help churches and communities take ownership of their own development, both physical and spiritual, and work together to meet local needs.

It is designed to help the fledgling Southern Sudanese get a foothold in a world devastated by a war that starved thousands of people to death, killed millions more, displaced rural tribes across three continents, wrecking their cultural identities and turning a generation of young men into traumatized refugees. Flung across the earth to re-establish their lives after their parents, grandparents and siblings were murdered, sold into slavery or remain listed today as missing, either dead or in exile.

It was a half-century of horror.

Life in South Sudan now is hardly Paradise; but it beats the war that preceded it. A war which drove cattle herders off traditional land in search of pasture once the spreading violence crashed into their lives. So people fled, often into new conflict because, in desperation, they crossed onto the grazing land of others who needed it for their own herds.

But in towns like Boma and Yei, people are digging in, literally, to re-establish their lives, their towns, and to gain control of their own their food supplies as best they can.

The Rev. Nancy Smith-Mather has sat in a lot of Bible studies.

Most follow a fairly standard format: Read the text, silently or aloud. Let folks talk about what it means. Close with a prayer.

But in a Bible study in South Sudan, there was a different ending. There was a “to do,” and it wasn’t easy.

It all started with Genesis 1: 25-31: … God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of the earth, and every tree with see in its fruit; you shall have them for food ...

And then, Genesis 2: 15: And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

But this wasn’t just a nice story about an illusory garden long ago and far away.

“Out of it came a sweeping change,” says Smith-Mather, 31, who was then a Young Adult Volunteer with ACROSS, an ecumenical Christian organization that works for holistic development in South

Sudan. “People looked at one another and said, ‘Hmmm. If God gave people the land for food and we are hungry, let’s start trying to grow food, instead of just raising cattle.’

“That’s how God wants it to be.’”

And it was, as they say in Genesis, good.

That is why Smith-Mather and her husband, Shelvis, are heading back to the new nation of South Sudan as Presbyterian Church USA mission co-workers assigned to the Resource Center for Civil Leadership (RECONCILE), a conflict and trauma recovery organization tied to the New Sudan Council of Churches that works to build civic education and to promote a culture of peace.

Looking around now, there is sorghum fighting the dry dirt alongside houses on the edge of some towns, another symbol of new life starting over again. A man she knows called Umoi invested in pineapple trees and now plucks seven to 10 fruits a day, which he bicycles into town and sells. He’s waiting now to see what his first coffee harvest will reap, with 1200 trees sprouting beans on land

An Unlikely Result: Restoring Eden in South SudanRev. Alexa Smith, Associate, Joining Hands Presbytery and Congregational Support, PHP

Nancy Smith-Mather

Stephen Maze and his wife Mary live in Boma, South Sudan. After the first Bible-study, Stephen Maze decided to increase his small family garden to a two acre farm.



It is almost as though digging through scripture is helping people put down roots.

“Generations ago, they were farmers,” says Smith-Mather of the communities where she’s gathered with people for a Bible study underneath a tree or within the walls of a church. Once again, they’re seed swapping with relatives, or, securing loans from small savings and loans projects. “God’s vision, people would say, in Isaiah is a world without weeping and moaning. And what makes us weep and moan is the fighting and death caused by cattle rustling.”

So they’re trying to slowly phase it out in communities like Naoyapuru where, a recent rustling conflict erupted and led to the burning of the village, an ugly reminder that the past isn’t always past and that grudges die hard. Smith-Mather says that people are re-establishing community ties as well, linking their futures to one another. That means, if a bridge needs to be built to get crops to market, there is a line of volunteer workers. Or, if ground needs to be cleared for a garden, there are big extended families to call on for help.

“One man was telling me the story of Jesus and the blind man, how the blind man wanted to see and Jesus opened his eyes. He said, ‘Now our eyes are open and we’re able to do things for ourselves … reducing dependency on outsiders and NGO’s. As a community we can work individually, or, we can … plan together,’” says Smith-Mather. “Being able to grow food on their own shifts peoples’ whole mindset.”

The cycles of war prevented community stability and hindered scriptural training for locals, many of whom cannot read. Now, she says, people are eating up Christian education; it is something that was missed.

“For me this was amazing. This is an oral culture and I think that has something to do with it. People hear a story and they pull out something that I may not notice,” she says, adding that scripture is more than a story, it has actual authority. “It’s powerful. There’s this sense that, ‘If God wants us to do this, then we should do this.’

“There is a yearning to know who God created us to be and what God created us to do. And now, people are saying that is to be in good relationship with God, with one another and with the earth.”

Serving Christ together in the Republic of South Sudan

After decades of civil war, South Sudan became an independent country on July 9, 2011. Shelvis and Nancy work with RECONCILE, (Resource Center for Civil Leadership), an indigenous ecumenical Christian organization, which promotes “peace-building.” RECONCILE provides training in trauma recovery, conflict transformation, and civic education in areas of high inter-ethnic conflict.

» Learn more about supporting Presbyterian mission workers, Call (800) 728-7228, ext. 5611. Or for general information about Presbyterian World Mission, Visit www.pcusa.org/worldmission

Stephen Maze borrowed sorghum seeds from a friend and this season he harvested 1.5 bags of sorghum. In addition, he encouraged his sister, brother-in-law, and one other woman to farm with him, and they are also experiencing an increase in food security. The four farmers plan to extend their farm this season and hope to diversify the types of crops.

Nancy Smith-Mather

Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather


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season. Make a donation to PHP in honor of someone close to you instead of buying them a present. All you need to do is contribute to the Hunger Fund, (using the envelope included in this issue, or check out the back cover for other giving options) print our pre-formatted card (available at www.pcusa.org/hunger) and give it to them for Christmas. A charitable donation is a gift that respects the true meaning of Christmas.

We want to make sure you know how much we value your donation to the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP). We know that you can choose among many programs, projects and needs and we are especially grateful that you have selected PHP’s work to support. Your gift allows us to continue to work alongside those who struggle daily with hunger and poverty and make a real difference in the lives of people like Pierre from Cameroon, via a grant that went to the Joining Hands Network, RELUFA.

Over the last ten years Pierre had been evicted three times to make place for plantations of a transnational fruit business. Impoverished by the recurrent losses and anxious to stay out of the company’s grip, he decided to establish a new farm well beyond the boundaries of the huge agricultural estate. Pierre’s participation in the RELUFA Fair Trade dried fruit project, which sells to consumers in the United States as well as Cameroon, not only meant he was able to relieve his children of the burden of labor and send them to school, but also left his family with a sense of financial stability they hadn’t known before. The price on the local market fluctuates from one day to the other, which makes it impossible for farmers to do projections. “But RELUFA pays a set price that suits both the farmers and the dryers.” says Pierre “Once we have set a price it can take six months before it may need to be reviewed. Altogether,” Pierre says, “there is no comparison.”

We are called to do three things in the face of poverty: do justice (address systems that prevent people from meeting their basic needs); love kindness (reach out in compassion to those in need); and walk humbly (live knowing that all our personal and communal gifts and resources come from God to be used to glorify God). These principles guide the Presbyterian Hunger Program’s work as we enable our partners to address basic needs in their communities and the causes of their poverty in communities worldwide. And you can be a part of that.

You see, when you contribute to the Hunger Program, your gift is transformed. When you give to one of PHP’s accounts, 95% of the contribution goes to the designated recipient and your dollars become something real: a seed, a meal, an education, a fair and dignified wage.

This same donation could also serve as a gift to a friend or relative this Christmas

Thank You!

Pierre and his family both benefit from his ability to participate in Fair Fruit. “In the past, I could not afford to hire a day laborer. So I waited for the school holidays to do certain small tasks with the children. But now, I do the farm work by myself and take a day laborer for $3 or $4. When he is finished I pay him cash.” His daughter Stéphanie (14) sounded pretty determined when asked about her ambitions, “I want to become a journalist.”

Pierre poses with papayas from his farm. He was invited by RELUFA to participate in its newly established Fair Trade dried fruit project. As part of a more comprehensive Trade Justice program, Fair Fruit not only provides marginalized farmers like Pierre a supplementary income as suppliers of fresh fruit, but also a platform for them to share their story, accompaniment in their legal battles, and access to loans to expand their agricultural activities.

Christi Boyd

Christi Boyd



disposed of a distressed property, the non-profit preserved housing, and the homeowner, whose credit was damaged, was still able to own a home.

The Presbyterian Hunger Program ensures that a portion of the One Great Hour of Sharing offering is set aside for congregation-based community organizing. Dozens of community organizations around the country, like MVP, are working on public policy for building and

preserving affordable housing and helping people keep their homes. This is not only deeply personal, as families find support and advocacy, but also systemic, as laws and financial systems are addressed. At Christmas, when God became homeless, it was so humanity could find a home. For these families, whose foreclosure has been stayed, this Christmas will be a time where the intersection of love, home, and God’s justice will be joyously celebrated.

Community Organizing , continued from page 7

Ecovillages, continued from page 3

for a Haiti in which Haitian farmers are feeding their people instead of producing crops for bio-fuels or export. You must be willing to use hand-made tools and traditional knowledge in the building of homes and farming of fields. If you are willing to do all that and to live in simple housing and eat Haitian food, then this could be an invitation for you to meet Haitians who will rock your world. PHP is not sponsoring trips but we are connecting Presbyterians and others to MPP and mission co-workers in Haiti who can

facilitate this kind of short-term mission experience.

That said, I warn you that Isaiah’s words talk of a world in which there is real justice. Is it pie in the sky or is it possible? If it is possible, God has chosen to work through each of us to bring about this kind of world.

These houses are part of an Eco-Village in Haiti’s Central Plateau . MPP’s vision is to build housing that is mindful of the environment while providing a place that gardens and fields will grow enough food to feed families and provide livelihoods.

Valery Nodem

Food Movements Unite!

New! PHP’s “Food Movements Unite! Companion Bible Study” accompanies Food Movements Unite! a new book, from Food First, that is full of strategies to transform our food systems. Discussion questions arranged by the themes of head, heart, hands, biblical and transformational provide the basis for adult book study groups to do four- or six-week studies. Please visit www.pcusa.org/food for more information.

Campaign for Fair Food

Follow the Campaign for Fair Food’s engagement of grocery stores and learn the latest about the implementation of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ fair food agreements, visit www.pcusa.org/fairfood.

» Engage

The CIW has trained over 20,000 workers and crew-leaders in their new rights under the fair food agreements.

Greg Asbed

» GiveYour financial support enables the Presbyterian Hunger Program to witness to the healing love of Christ and to bring hope to communities and individuals struggling with hunger. Give online at www.pcusa.org/hunger/give.

Or you can write “H999999 Hunger” on your check and send to: PC(USA) Box 643700 Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

Thank you for your continued support!

Give Us Your FeedbackThe PHP Post encourages feedback! Submit letters to the editor, articles, ideas, or suggestions to [email protected]. Please include your complete name and contact information. The views represented in this publication are those of the writer and do not officially represent PC(USA) or PHP.

Available Online!Visit www.pcusa.org/hunger/resources to download a digital copy of this issue & previous PHP Posts. Send an email to [email protected] to change your subscription to email.

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