Title: ELCA Members Team up for "Souper Bowl of Caring"
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
January 13, 2000
ELCA MEMBERS TEAM UP FOR "SOUPER BOWL OF CARING"
00-12-MR
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Not only will teams of the National Football
League prepare for "Super Bowl Sunday," Jan. 30, 2000, but so will 5.2
million members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The difference between congregations of the ELCA and professional
football teams is that Lutherans plan to tackle hunger.
On the day of the Super Bowl, congregations of the ELCA will join
thousands of others and participate in "Souper Bowl of Caring," an
ecumenical national effort to fight hunger.
"Millions of dollars are spent on a single commercial shown during
the Super Bowl. Much can be done if our financial priorities shifted
towards fighting hunger and poverty," said Stephen Padre, associate
director for hunger and disaster appeal communication, ELCA Department
for Communication.
"Anti-hunger work is serious business but it doesn't have to be
boring. The Souper Bowl of Caring is one way youth can have fun while
making a difference," Padre said.
Members of the ELCA will arrange for youth to collect dollars in
large soup pots as parishioners leave worship the morning of the
championship football game. Each congregation will select and send
contributions directly to a charity of their choice. Organizers will
report their results on game day by visiting www.souperbowl.org -- the
Souper Bowl of Caring's Web site, or call 1-800-358-SOUP. The national
totals will be posted on the Web site.
The 11,000 congregations of the ELCA will receive "a special
mailing that contains basic resources to help youth groups lead members
in the Souper Bowl of Caring effort," Padre said.
"The ELCA Souper Bowl mailing includes a poster that can be hung
in a church's narthex or other high-traffic areas. The other side of
the poster can be used as a bulletin insert which lists ideas for
involving other groups in the church, such as women's and men's groups,
Sunday school students and others," Padre said.
"Youth can decide where the offerings they collect will go. It is
suggested that they split their collection between a hunger/poverty
ministry like a food pantry in their area and the ELCA World Hunger
Appeal, which will use the funds nationally and internationally," said
Padre.
The Souper Bowl of Caring began when the Rev. Brad Smith, Spring
Valley Presbyterian Church, Columbia, S.C., made reference to the
National Football League's "Super Bowl" Sunday as "Souper Bowl" Sunday
in a prayer. The senior youth fellowship of the congregation took the
pun in earnest and a national effort to fight hunger was born.
The partnership has grown from 22 churches in 1990 to 11,300
congregations in Canada and every state. The effort generated $2.5
million in 1999. About 1,600 Lutheran congregations participated in the
effort last year.
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Editors: Contributions to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal can be sent to:
ELCAWHA
PO Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
1-800-638-3522
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For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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