Thursday, October 25, 2007

Monthly Morsels - October 2007 - Vol. 1.11

:: Bulletin Bites & Newsletter Nutrients ::



Since 1989, pennies, nickels, dimes, & quarters collected in Salem Presbytery's Pennies for Hunger OR Two-Cents-A-Meal has made it possible to distribute over 2 million dollars to domestic and international hunger alleviating programs and agencies! Keep collecting!


It's about spiritual change
NOT spare change!

Two-Cents-A-Meal is about establishing a spiritual discipline. This habit of saviing at least two pennies each meal for those who are hungry keeps us not only grateful to God, but mindful of the everyday needs of our human family.

We Christians are accustomed to praying before each meal, but intentionally stopping & dropping

two cents, a nickel, a dime, a quarter

each meal can quickly add up for those who are in need. Waking up to this crucial reality is the basis for Pennies for Hunger.


Click here to receive a reminder when this blog is updated

The five program areas of the Presbyterian Hunger Program are in BOLD. Salem Presbytery's Hunger Action falls into these different areas.




Grant applications for Salem Presbytery's Fall 2007 Domestic Hunger Grants are now being considered by members of the Domestic Hunger Task Group. The Task Group will meet on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 to make final decisions re: requests from 15 agencies requesting over $55,000.

Thanks for your prayers in finding/following God's will for the disbursement of Pennies For Hunger / 2 Cents A Meal monies in this important ministry.

:: DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE ::

Agencies funded by 2-Cents-A-Meal Domestic Hunger monies in Fall 2007
(links when available):

Take & Eat Food Pantry of Shalom Ministries of Chatham County - $1500
sponsored by Chapel in the Pines New Church Development

Christian Crisis Center of Alexander County - $1500
sponsored by Taylorsville Presbyterian Church

Community Outreach of Archdale (COAT) - $1000
sponsored by Vandalia
Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, NC

Crisis Control Ministry, Inc. - $1000
sponsored by Trinity
Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem

Crisis Ministry of Davidson County - $3000
sponsored by First
Presbyterian Church in Lexington

Diakonos, Inc. dba Fifth Street Ministries - $2000
sponsored by Love Valley
Presbyterian Church in Statesville

Eden First Presbyterian Food Pantry - $1000
sponsored by First
Presbyterian Church in Eden

Meals on Wheels of Rowan, Inc. - $1000
sponsored by John Calvin
Presbyterian Church in Salisbury

Mooresville Soup Kitchen, Inc. - $1500
sponsored by Prospect
Presbyterian Church in Mooresville

Randolp County Senior Adults Association - $1000
sponsored by First
Presbyterian Church in Asheboro

Samaritan Christian Ministry of Wilkes, Inc. (SMC) - $1500
sponsored by North Wilkesboro
Presbyterian Church

Samaritan Ministries - $1000
sponsored by Clemmons
Presbyterian Church

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina - $1000
sponsored by Parkway
Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem

West Chatham Pantry - $1500
sponsored by Siler City
Presbyterian Church

Total to be distributed Fall 2007 - $19500.00

:: INFLUENCING PUBLIC POLICY ::

Log on to the Presbyterian Hunger Program homepage for more information - http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/

There is action & advocacy needed constantly in our world. You can be a part of it through many different agencies and entities. Each month, find a different focus here.

FARM BILL 2007
This legislation about farms and farmers touches everyone in this country, especially those who struggle to have enough to eat. Even people outside the United States feel its impact. This is a critical opportunity to fight hunger in the United States and around the world. http://www.pcusa.org/trade/farmbill/index.htm

Links for at least BEGINNING to answer your
"
WHAT CAN I DO" questions

Food and Faith - http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/food/do.htm

Hunger - http://wwwpcusa.org/hunger/action.htm

Fair Food - http://www.pcusa.org/fairfood/action.htm

Trade Justice - http://www.pcusa.org/trade/action.htm

Fair Trade - http://www.pcusa.org/trade/ft.htm#support

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The Washington Office of the PCUSA -

"When Jesus was asked to state the greatest commandment, he replied, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart ... And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself." In this complex age, one way we love our neighbors is to help shape the laws and policies that define how we live together in God's world." ~ from the Washington Office site

:: LIFESTYLE INTEGRITY ::

This program of the Presbyterian Hunger Program is all about what we do/eat/buy EVERYDAY. The way we live our life reflects our values, beliefs. "Living simply so that other may simply live" was a great bumper sticker from the seventies, but that's really what this program is about.

Without shame I promote my brand new CD - All That Matters - which will benefit the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Click on the album cover below to go to a sampling/purchase page with more information about the CD.



album cover


One of the CD's twelve songs - Enough For Everyone - was inspired by Walter Brueggemann'sThe Liturgy of Abundance and the Myth of Scarcity.

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of
excellent article
All That Matters will go to the Presbyterian Hunger Program AND We Shall Overcome: The Fund.

Click on the various hyperlinks above to learn more and be sure to check out all that the Enough For Everyone program of the Presbyterian Hunger Program is doing. We call all make such a difference!!

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:: EDUCATION & INTERPRETATION ::
The most-recent bulletin insert is from October 2007 and is available by clicking here. These bulletin inserts are available at each meeting of Salem Presbytery in the Addendum and online AFTER each meeting of Salem Presbytery.

There is SOOOOO much Hunger Action content on the web these days. Plus, many ways you can make a difference. You might find the following both information and enjoyable:

~ Learn about the Millennium Development Goals. These will likely be the focus of Bread For The World's 2008 Offering of Letters.

What are the Millennium Development Goals?

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest.

~ View/share the excellent educational videos at BigPictureSmallWorld.
BigPictureSmallWorld has been producing web movies—for itself and for other organizations, like the United Nations Environmental Programme—since it's inception. The movies speak simply and understandably to important social issues, without the typical underpinnings of guilt. Our goal is to inspire. We do hope you'll take a look.

CONTACT – How to reach your Hunger Action Enabler

Rev. Bryan Field McFarland, Hunger Action Enabler

cell - 336/327-2041

send email to Bryan

Click to hear Bryan's Enough For Everyone song

Salem Presbytery's Hunger Action Online

Bryan is available for:
* hunger action programs,
* mission fairs,
* pulpit supply,
* Christian Education classes,
* youth events,
* retreats,
* workshops,
* even concerts.

You can call Bryan on his cellphone 336/327-2041
OR
at Salem Presbytery office - 336/766-3393

Salem Presbytery
P.O. Box 1763
Clemmons, NC 27012
Phone - 336/766-3393 Fax - 336/766-7153