2023 Bread for the World Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Below is the text of a talk delivered by Paul Manganiello during worship on May 14, 2023. Visit bread.org/farmbill to start the BFW electronic letter which you can personalize. It is simple and quick. When you do contact your legislators, please let Paul Manganiello, Wendy Manganiello, or the church office know so that we can contact BFW’s Washington office. 

Good morning! For our visitors and new members, my name is Paul Manganiello, I am a member of OSLC and am on the Social Ministry Committee. Welcome to our annual Bread for the World (BFW) Offering of letters! OSLC is a Covenant Church with BFW, an ecumenical advocacy movement founded by the New York City Lutheran pastor Art Simon in the 70’s.  

In working for social justice, religious communities need to not only encourage personal acts of charity such as volunteering or financially supporting our non-profit charitable organizations but also work for justice to address the root causes which perpetuate generational poverty, such as the wealth gap; inadequate educational opportunities and job skills; unsafe “ghettoized” communities; etc. 

BFW helps us to speak up and speak out to support those who suffer from systemic poverty. 

Continue reading 2023 Bread for the World Offering of Letters

2022 Bread for the World Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

As Christians, we are called to seek justice, care for those experiencing hunger and poverty, and embrace our Creator’s vision of hope, love, and peace. We are called to embody it in public as we commit to live in solidarity with those who are made vulnerable by the inequities that drive hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.

Letters are a strong witness of community concerns and personal testimonies. Over the years, letters and emails from congregations, campuses, and community groups have helped inspire our leaders in Washington, D.C., to pass legislative victories that reduce hunger in the U.S. and around the world.

This year, Bread for the World is asking for your help urging legislators to permanently expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Expanding the CTC permanently would do more to reduce hunger and poverty among our nation’s children than any single policy has in decades.

Here’s how you can make a difference:

  1. Read this fact sheet to learn about the impact of the Child Tax Credit.
  2. Watch the brief video below from Bread for World.
  3. Act – click here to take action by emailing your members of Congress to help end hunger today! If you prefer to handwrite your letter, you can find a sample letter here and addresses here. Bring your written letters to church and we’ll offer them in worship on Sunday, May 29th before mailing them.
  4. Contact Paul or Wendy Manganiello, OSLC’s Offering of Letter organizers, to let them know you’ve submitted your letter.

Bread for the World Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

As people of faith, we know that we are called to care for one another. We are called to speak out for all those in need, especially our children. What is critically needed now is our unified voice assuring that people receive the help they desperately need now. By participating in this year’s Bread for the World (BFW) Offering of Letters you will make a difference, not just to Bread for the World, but to those who experience hunger and poverty. 

Continue reading Bread for the World Offering of Letters

“Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow!” Bread for the World Offering of Letters

Posted on by Our Savior Lutheran Church and Campus Ministry

Our Savior Lutheran Church is a Covenant Church with the Bread for the World (BFW) movement. BFW currently is ecumenical in scope; but was started by a Lutheran Pastor in New York City, in the early 70s. BFW asks us to communicate with our legislators about hunger related issues throughout the year, but each year they focus on one particular issue, for an annual Offering of Letters

Reading the news, it is hard to imagine that progress has been made in reducing global poverty and hunger, but they have literally been cut, nearly in half over the past 30 years. In countries such as Ghana and Honduras, one of the effects of chronic malnutrition, developmental stunting, has been reduced by nearly 1/3rd over the past 10 years!! This has been accomplished by emphasizing good nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a mother’s pregnancy through her child’s second birthday.

But the work is not done, and we don’t want to lose the gains we have made, since worldwide nearly half of all the childhood deaths are linked to malnutrition. Continue reading “Better Nutrition, Better Tomorrow!” Bread for the World Offering of Letters