Harvest Time

Fall is a time of harvest; the emphasis on Halloween has become "harvesting" lots of candy; November 1 was the Feast of All Saints and November 2, the Feast of All Souls; Thanksgiving, observed with tables laden with food, is a few weeks away, followed by Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years - all with their particular feasts and parties. Not surprisingly, Halloween through New Years has been called "The Season of Feasting." As we begin this two month trek with so much emphasis on religious holy days and special food, our attention turns to the deeper behind the feasts: hunger. For what do you hunger? With what are you "filling" yourself? Sunday's worship will explore ... Appropriately, worship will include Communion, and we will share our communal potluck meal following the service.

Our offering will be designated for Mission 1. Mission 1 is a special effort by the United Church of Christ to feed the hungry and confront worldwide food-related injustice. The goals of Mission 1 include:

* collecting more than 1 million items of healthy food for local food banks,
* to collect more than $111,111 for hunger-related ministries in the United States and $111,111 for East Africa famine-related ministries,
* to send more than 11,111 letters to Congress asking to reform US foreign assistance programs to more effectively benefit hungry and poor people worldwide.

Our offering will include a monetary component, a canned and dry food collection for Project Dignidad, and a "letter component" - in that letters re: worldwide hunger issues will be available to sign and send to Congress.