Responsible Consumption
Yet another shameless self-promotion alert!!
The MB Herald (our denominational magazine here in Canada) has graciously published another one of my articles as a part of their ongoing column focusing on issues around consumerism and individualism (readers of this blog with a long enough memory will notice similarities to a post from a while back). If you’re interested, you can have a look here.
On a somewhat related note, last night a group of us went to see Steve Bell & friends here in Nanaimo. The show was great, as usual, but I was also intrigued (and encouraged!) to see that he is actively promoting the work of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank on his tour. This is an organization that I only know a little about, but that I can unreservedly say is absolutely worth supporting. I’m proud to say that my dad is one of the organizers of one of the Coaldale-Lethbridge Growing Project (you can click on the picture on the sidebar to view a slide show of last year’s harvest—my personal favourite is picture #51 where he’s posing on the combine with Senator Joyce Fairbairn!) and that he (and others) speak of this project as one of the highlights of the year.
October 12 is World Food Day and one option worth considering as a response to the problem of world hunger is the Fast for Change Initiative being promoted by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. I just registered for it and you can get a bunch of excellent free resources either mailed to you or online. Have a look and consider how you might get involved.
Rumblings 
Ryan, I consider it a privilege to have been published alongside you! Keep writing!
Thanks Dave.
(For those interested, Dave has written an excellent article on how we should think about the role of denominations. Read more here).
Another great way to celebrate World Food Day is to help support International Medical Corps who is saving the lives of thousands of malnourished children worldwide. You can learn more about them (and vote for their cause so they can win an amazing donation from American Express) here!
http://internationalmedicalcorps.smnr.us/
Hi Ryan.
You inspired me. We didn’t have a Food Grains Growing Project around here, so I tried to find a different way for our entire community to celebrate World Food Day. What we came up with was to have a 3rd World Supper of rice and water, everyone payed $5.00 per meal and all proceeds went to World Relief. It was a great time; our own communal fast, I guess. We “potlucked” stories of connectedness with places of need around the globe. Some brought a table runner from another country, some brought pictures of their World Vision or Compassion Canada children, others brought souvenirs, some told stories of families that had gone on missions trips, one girl (originally from Sierre Leone) told of how she was a recipient of a Operation Christmas Child shoebox when she was little and how she was still praying for some of her friends in orphanages in Sierre Leone.
After the meal and stories, we packed about 40 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. At least half of the participants were under 20 years old. Lots of great young Compassion Energy.
I’d love to find other creative ideas to bring the needs of the world closer to home. Thanks for your MCC Christmas shopping blog!
Take care, Ryan.
Hi Renita!
Great to hear from you. Wow, I’m impressed – sounds like you found some very meaningful and practical ways to honour World Food Day. I especially like the idea of “potlucking” stories and generally making people aware of global need. I think that this is absolutely necessary if our involvement is ever to go beyond occasional spurts of charity and move toward a more sustained commitment to the needs of our world. From the sounds of it, you have found and are finding excellent ways to do this. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Ryan. My aim in responding to your blog was to share ideas on making our 3rd World neighbors a little closer. And perhaps to find ways to foster sustained commitment, as you said. One of the participants seemed saddened because of the immense need, and the seeming insignificance of our efforts to respond to that need. It’s hard to be aware but able to do so little. Shoeboxes are “crumbs from the table”.
But just so you know, it was your blog that sent me to the websites and inspired our little missions committee in Rosebud to at least do something – albeit tiny. So thanks, Ryan, and keep writing.
Well, thank you Renita. I appreciate the kind words. I very much resonate with your statement: “It’s hard to be aware but able to do so little.” Words on a screen definitely seem to fall into the “crumbs from the table” category as well, but I’m certainly glad for whatever good they were able to contribute to.