Sunday, March 1, 2015

Pedal for Protein Rider Bryce Wiebe, to lead churchwide Special Offerings


Bryce Wiebe will lead churchwide Special Offerings for the Presbyterian Mission Agency

Experienced justice advocate and Christian educator to take the helm of the PC(USA)’s four offerings and the life-saving ministries they support
February 20, 2015
Bryce Wiebe
Bryce Wiebe —Melody Smith
LOUISVILLE
Bryce Wiebe, a Presbyterian justice advocate and Christian educator, has been named manager of Special Offerings for the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
Wiebe currently works for the Presbyterian Hunger Program, where for the past 18 months he has served as associate for Enough for Everyone. In that position, he led efforts to help Presbyterians engage their faith through lifestyle changes and consumer choices.
Prior to joining the Hunger Program staff, he was director of Christian education at First Presbyterian Church in New Haven, Conn. At First Presbyterian he developed educational materials, wrote children’s plays, created worship experiences, and led Bible studies that emphasized economic justice.
Wiebe ‘s professional experience also includes serving as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hastings, Neb., a position he held before beginning ministry studies at Yale Divinity School. He earned a master of divinity degree from Yale and a bachelor of arts in music and business administration from Hastings College.
As manager of Special Offerings, Wiebe will lead a four-member staff responsible for promoting the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s four Special Offerings and the causes they support. The four offerings include One Great Hour of Sharing, Pentecost, Peace and Global Witness, and Christmas Joy. Wiebe assumes his new role March 2.
“Bryce brings to this position a heartfelt passion for the ministries supported by Special Offerings, an informed knowledge of our church, and an insightful perspective on how Presbyterians live out their faith,” says Terri Bate, senior director of Funds Development for the Presbyterian Mission Agency. “I look forward to working with him as he uses his gifts to further Christ’s work in the United States and around the world.”
Linda Valentine, executive director of the agency, adds: “Bryce brings strong ministry experience and enthusiasm for engaging support to Special Offerings. The offerings are a way that the whole church witnesses collectively to the love of God, supporting ministries that address root causes of poverty, bring hope and healing to people suffering from natural disasters and human violence, advance peacemaking, advocate for justice, and provide opportunities for young people and assistance for faithful servants of the church.” She urged Presbyterians to support the upcoming One Great Hour of Sharing offering, which is received by most congregations on Easter Sunday and/or Palm Sunday. “I hope all Presbyterians will give generously to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering and pray for the three lifesaving ministries it supports, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self-Development of People, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.”
To learn more about Special Offerings and how you can help support these life-giving, life-saving ministries: specialofferings.pcusa.org

Equal Exchange - Beat the Winter Blues with a Cocoa Sale!

Beat the winter blues. Add communityorders@equalexchange.coop to your address book.
Shop cocoa on sale. View this message on the web.
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Cocoa Sale: What will you create? On sale for a limited time. Shop the sale. Chai-Spiced Hot Cocoa Recipe. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe.
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Bread for the World - Praying to End Hunger


Bread for the World



Pray to End Hunger

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Dear Patty,

At Bread for the World, we believe that prayer is foundational to achieving Bread’s goal of helping to end hunger and extreme poverty by 2030. Will you join us in asking God to move our government’s officials to enact laws and policies aligned with God’s Kingdom values and to make ending hunger and poverty a major priority by 2017?

When you commit to joining in praying for the end of hunger, we will email you twice a month with specific prayer requests and sample prayers.

The church season of Lent began last week. Some Christians use Lent to live more simply, fast, and pray more fervently in order to grow closer to God. Many give something up or take something on as a new discipline. Adding prayers for the end of hunger is a good foundation for these faith practices.

Philippians 4:6 tells us to “let your requests be made known to God.” Prayer is the vehicle through which we advocate before God. When we call upon God’s promises, the Scripture assures us that our prayers are being heard (Psalms 10:17) and will be answered (Isaiah 58:9).

Join us in this movement to gather 100,000 people praying faithfully for an end to hunger and poverty.

You can make this prayer part of your regular prayer life. Whenever you pray Give us this day our daily bread, include people who are hungry in our country and around the world in your petition.

At Bread for the World, we envision a world by 2030 in which everybody has enough to eat. We need Congress and the president to do their parts, but nothing happens without God. You can invite your friends to pray too. Let us know, and we’ll send you a card that you can share with them.



In Christ,

José García
Director of Church Relations, Bread for the World

CIM Coalition of Immokalee Workers - Fair Food

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Parade/Concert flyers (shown front and back here above) are starting to circulate as word of mouth builds ahead of next month’s big action in St. Pete. Check in next week for the official announcement of the huge, Grammy-winning line up!
As we round the bend into the final month of preparations before the Parade and Concert for Fair Food, farmworkers in Immokalee and their allies around the county are keeping the pressure up in the fight for fundamental human rights in the fields!  Here below is a quick round-up of the latest news from the Fair Food front, just enough to hold you over until next week’s big reveal of the lineup of award-winning artists for the March 21 concert.
Food Chains still making waves…
Though the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chose a different film to receive the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature this past Sunday, the farm labor documentary “Food Chains” continues to draw strong audiences at screenings around the country and win the hearts and minds of countless new activists in the battle for Fair Food.  Check out these sample tweets from this week from the Food Chains twitter feed:

Nutrition know-how for the whole family - Marin Food Bank

Food Bank nutrition courses encourage year-round healthy choices.
SF-Marin Food Bank
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Working together to end hunger
February 2015

Nutrition know-how for the whole family


“Health is for all, and health is year-round,” says Molly Burke, Food Bank nutrition education program manager. “We’re interested in helping folks make changes that will last a lifetime.”

Through our nutrition programing, the Food Bank shares information on food groups, healthy portion sizes, how to decrease sugar and salt intake and increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

“We talk about how to read food labels so folks can make better choices when using their hard-earned dollars at the grocery store,” Burke says. “We also teach strategies for shopping on a budget.”

In addition to nutrition education for adults, the Food Bank’s classes get kids involved in the kitchen. A recent lesson saw young chefs stuff garbanzo beans inside zip lock bags and use their hand to mash the contents into homemade hummus.

The hummus is served with fresh veggies the kids may have never experienced before — cucumbers and radishes — along with familiar favorites like carrots and celery.

“We also come up with fun names. Even something as simple as calling it ‘hearty hilarious hummus’ or ‘beautifully bountiful bean dip’ can connect with the kids,” Burke says.

Want to make your own hearty hilarious hummus?
Puree together one can of garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), some garlic, lemon juice, tahini (sesame seed paste; optional), cumin, salt, paprika and ¼ cup olive oil. Adjust seasonings to taste, and enjoy with chopped fresh vegetables!

Highlights & Announcements

Donate your wheels, provide thousands of meals

Is your car a clunker? Car donations are an easy way to move it out and positively impact your community.

We work with two organizations that help turn wheels into meals for our neighbors in San Francisco and Marin and will gladly accept any donated vehicle (running or not).

For more information, please visit http://www.sfmfoodbank.org/donate-your-car.

Connect with us on social media

Social media helps us share news and information, start important conversations and stay connected with you — the community of people supporting our mission to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin. Connect with us and other Food Bank supporters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@sfmfoodbank). You’ll be a part of a dedicated and passionate group of people that are making a real difference in our neighbor’s lives.