It’s World Food Day! If I were going to be in church this Sunday, we would be marking it in some way, but since I’ll be in Ottawa for my final week of Study Leave, participating in Hunger on the Hill. This is a Canadian Foodgrains Bank initiative, where a group of 20 people from across the country will have three days of education on global hunger as well as training on how to conduct a meeting with our MPs and then spend a day on Parliament Hill.
So, we’ll mark World Food Day in church on November 4th. Here’s a quick synopsis from the website: World Food Day holds immense significance as a global initiative to combat hunger. Governments, organizations, farmers, and individuals unite to address food security concerns. Through events, advocacy campaigns, and outreach initiatives, stakeholders promote sustainable agriculture, reduce food waste, and ensure equitable access to nutritious food. The collective effort aims to create a zero-hunger world that protects human health, dignity, and well-being.
A few stats about world hunger:
- As many as 828 million people will go to bed hungry tonight. (FAO)
- A total of 50 million people in 45 countries are teetering on the edge of famine. (WFP)
- 345 million people are facing acute food insecurity in 82 countries. (WFP)
- Acute food insecurity and malnutrition are at the highest levels they’ve ever been since the Global Network Against Food Crises began reporting on the issue in 2017. (GNAFC)
- Read more stats like this on our blog.
Many of you know that I grow some of our vegetables and was looking forward to a bumper crop of tomatoes… until deer stripped them one night. Now for me, while I was angry, all it meant was that I didn’t have tomatoes to dry, make into chow, and/or sauce. I can easily buy all those things. But for those who rely on their gardens to feed themselves and their families, that deer literally took food out their mouths! In a time when many of us struggle with carrying too much weight, we may find it difficult to relate to those who don’t have enough calories in a day to sustain them.
In my absence, Rev. Judith Perry will be leading worship and Rev. Stephen Fram is on call for Pastoral Emergencies.
What this week is like!
Monday – I had a very quiet day at home, after hosting 12 people for Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday. It was great to have friends and family gathered around 1 long table and it was great to spend the day reading on Monday.
Tuesday – Food bank, although I just popped in this week, bulletin, did the worship power point, getting ready for and then leading the Contemplative Service in the early evening, and reading all the material in preparation for the Official Board meeting in the evening.
Wednesday – I’m working at home, putting together the bulletin for the week I come back, since I’m not back till late on Wednesday, also the Contemplative Service that Debra Keays-White will lead in my absence next week (THANK YOU!) I’ve got a Future Directions Committee meeting in the afternoon.
Thursday – I plan to get a jump on my sermon preparations for October 27th, so at least it’s percolating away in my brain during my time in Ottawa. And clear up anything left on my desk!
Save the Date! We are having a Christmas Concert on December 15th @ 2 pm. It will be a new take on Lessons and Carols; we’ve got our choir singing, the Bell Choir, Elizabeth Humphries and Erin Summers from Accents Music will be singing, along with some of their students sharing a piece of music! I’m so excited about this venture!
A word about the Contemplative Service... this is an experiment for October-December, which grew out of two things, the responses to the Listening Circles and also some work with the United Churches for Dartmouth. Nancy Bowes from Cole Harbour-Woodside UC is playing the piano every second week, with Joan Clark playing on the alternate weeks. It’s been really interesting, the first two Tuesday evenings, we had 6 people, but only 2 the same from the first week, the third week, we had 4, but only 1 person was the same, the rest were all new. It’s a bit too early to tell whether it’s something to do long term, but it seems to be welcome to those who come. We will evaluate in December whether or not to continue.
There has been an incredible amount of email this week, possibly because our phone is still down, although my cellphone is working.
St. James United Church Dartmouth 