Hunger Banquet 2007

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eppn_oneepsicopal_banner_full.jpgIn a very small way, I am part of the ONE Episcopalian campaign at the church I attend.  It is a branch of the ONE campaign to make poverty history.  Saturday evening, we hosted a Hunger Banquet.  Our event was a 'Dinner and a Movie'.  What I contributed was a slide show presentation.  At the Hunger Banquet, there were tables scattered around the room with name cards from various areas of the world.  Last night we had Asia, Africa, India, and the United States.  Food is placed at these tables representing how much each region has.  It is quite a symbol when you see almost all the food at the USA table with almost nothing at the other tables.  There is way too much food at the USA table where only one person was seated.  The other areas have four or five tables with five or six seated at each table.  One of the tables from each region had a small container of the food item that those regions would have to eat.  There was not enough for one person let alone the 20 - 30 people represented there.  At the beginning of the evening we asked the USA table if they would share their food with us.  Thankfully they said yes.

After dinner, the presentations started.  We saw a couple of music videos and and we had three people speak about their experiences.  We dismissed the children next because there was to be some very graphic content to follow.  In fact, my slide show had a disclaimer at the beginning.  After that presentation, we were given statistics regarding the AIDS pandemic and the reason the UN picked 2015 as the goal to make poverty history.  Lastly we watched a documentary called 'Invisible Children' about the children being abducted into the rebel army in Uganda.  After that, we were dismissed.

It was a very emotional evening, as one could imagine.  I pray that God will wake up those that attended to action.

If you have never been involved with the ONE program, I highly recommend it.  It is all about what I have been going on and on about here at Odyssey -- orthopraxis.

For the first time in history, we are at a place to make poverty history.  We have all the resources we need.  The question is whether or not we have the will.  Do we have the will to end this fixable problem?  I hope so.  This is our moment.  This is our apartheid.  This is our slave-trade.  We have to be the men and women in the face and conscience of the world to bring attention to these problems.  There are things we can do financially, physically, prayerfully.

Financially: Find organizations in your local area that support the Millennium Development Goals and support them.

Physically: Write or call your government representatives and add your voice to the millions that are demanding we do something about this fixable problem.

Prayerfully: Pray every day for God's grace and mercy on behalf of the 2/3rds world that lives in poverty every day.  Ask God for a speedy outcome of this problem.

As an Episcopalian, one of the questions that is asked us during our Baptism is, 'Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?'  Our response is, 'I will, with God's help'.  That is what the ONE campaign, and the ONE Episcopalian branch, is all about.  Please consider joining this movement to eradicate extreme poverty.

Peace be with you.

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