Our congregations continually look at issues in the life of our community to which we together as the congregations here in Lycoming County need to respond. Sometimes we are ready to respond with one voice and other times we need to listen to the many voices as we work to discern what God calls us to do.
Ministries that have grown out of this committee include our Shepherd of the Streets and our Food Pantry, the original Interfaith Hospitality Network which is now Family Promise, Habitat (in Lycoming County), the UPMC Chaplaincy Department, Helpline (now 211), the School Breakfast Programs, and Meals on Wheels.
Some of the issues we work on today include:
- Recycling – Ecology – Creation Care
- Poverty – Responding with faith in all areas of our lives
- CROP Walk
- Fuel Bank
- Disaster Response (flooding etc)
- Peace and Justice and Nonviolence
Poverty: A Faith-Based Response
"How precious is your mercy, O God! The children of Adam take refuge in the shadow of your wings" (Psalm 36:8). As people of faith we are called to shelter children in need.
What is WIC and how important is it?
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides mothers and young children in the U.S. with nutritious food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, immunization screening, and important health and social services referrals.
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) – in the United States
6.7 million persons are served nationwide. To find WIC clinics in PA visit: www.pawic.com
WIC in Lycoming County – numbers served:
- 2,200 monthly
- 20% infants
- 20% women
- 60% children
Advocate for WIC:
Nourish Our Future!
Fully fund and strengthen WIC for all eligible participants.
WIC participation leads to healthier eating, increased birth weights, fewer premature births, and fewer infant deaths. The program helps support proper brain development in young children, contributing to the child’s ability to learn and thrive later in life. WIC also has a significant economic impact due to reduced healthcare costs.
Recognizing these powerful outcomes, Congress has fully funded WIC on a bipartisan basis for decades. However, in recent years, full funding for WIC has been challenged. Bread for the World and partner organizations successfully advocated for full funding in 2024, but we must remain engaged and vigilant in future funding negotiations.
TAKE ACTION:
Join with others in urging Congress to:
- Recommit to fully fund WIC now and in the future, so that all who are eligible and apply have access.
- Restore reforms that strengthened the program and made it easier for families to sign up.
VISIT: www.bread.org/act/advocate
Immigrants: A faith-based response
Dozens of religious groups sue after Trump administration says it will not stop immigration arrests at houses of worship - More than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists — filed a federal court lawsuit challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship.
Immigration resources from the National Council of Churches:
nationalcouncilofchurches.us/immigration-resources
Pope Francis said that deporting people — who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, exploitation and persecution — "damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness." He urged the U.S. Catholic Bishops to stand for the rights of immigrants. To see the letter to the bishops visit: press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2025/02/11/0127/00261.html
Locally, Thrive International Programs provides English classes as well as immigration legal services to help immigrant and refugee neighbors understand their options and have representation when navigating applications, interviews, and court hearings. To learn more, visit www.thriveip.org .
TAKE ACTION:
Advocate for Christian Social Concerns:
“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice” (Matthew 5:6 NLT).
Senator David McCormick
202-224-6324
www.mccormick.senate.gov
Senator John Fetterman
202-224-4254
www.fetterman.senate.gov/contact
*Rep. Dan Meuser (9TH District)
202-225-6511
meuser.house.gov/address_authentication?form=/contact/email-me
*Rep. Glenn Thompson (15th District)
202-225-5121
thompson.house.gov/zip_authentication?form=/contact/email-me
*Lycoming County is split by two Congressional Districts
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles
"He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there He lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;...By His blessings, they multiply greatly...
When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble and sorrow...He raises up the needy out of distress and makes their families like flocks....
Let those who are wise give heed to these things and consider the steadfast love of the Lord" (excerpts from Psalm 107, verses 35-43).
As we continue to adapt to our "wintering", slowing down, staying inside, seeking comfort food and warmth, may we, like the ground hog, be thankful for some under ground renewal and set time apart to rest more and collect our thinking.
From refreshment in Advent, beginning a New Year and Season, to repurposing ourselves on a Lenten Journey the weeks before Easter, we navigate, seeking to nurture the creative possibilities instilled in us from our Creator.
May our intensions be made visible through faith in action, separately and together. Our faith gains strength through the challenges and trials of life, lighting our spiritual path towards positive change. Many opportunities await.
In Caring for Creation, we turn our words into deeds. We are called to use our resources wisely and make sure that we do not consume more than we need.
The apostle James tells us that “just as the body without the spirit, faith without works is dead.” (2 James 26 GB*). “What good is it brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?” (verse 14). Can faith save you? But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works and I, by my works, will show you my faith.” (verse 18).
We cannot have a theology of responsible care for creation without actions that are integrated with that theology.
- ACTIONS for Individuals, Families and Groups:
- LEARN about current environmental problems
- PRAY for wisdom and guidance
- Let your VOICE be heard by government officials
- CHOOSE a cause
Sometimes the most effective action can be the everyday kind, strengthening support for change and the future.
* The Green Bible is an English version of the New Revised Standard Version Bible with a focus on environmental issues and teachings. Emphasizing what the publishers see as the Bible’s message on the environment, all passages mentioning the environment are printed in green ink to draw the reader’s attention.
Bread for the World* – Nourish Our Future Campaign Launch
Join people of faith online so as to launch a campaign together on February 4, 2025, to make a historic impact against child hunger and malnutrition, both in the U.S. and around the world. Come and learn about the issues and the legislative priorities we will pursue over the next two years, why they matter for children, and what you can do to make a difference. Take your place in this campaign, and help us pursue a world without hunger. To register online visit: go.bread.org/page/73502/survey/1 For more information contact Tammey Edkin (570-322-1110) or Dan Doyle (570-971-0776). “For I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matt 25:35).
*Bread for the World is a Christian advocacy organization urging U.S. decision makers to do all they can to pursue a world without hunger. Bread’s mission is to educate and equip people to advocate for policies and programs that can help end hunger in the U.S. and around the world. www.bread.org
How can you help?
- Support the needs of the Shepherd of the Streets Ministry.
- Support the needs of the Food Pantry.
- Walk in CROP Walk the second Sunday in October and/or sponsor others to walk. CROPWalk.org
- Participate in Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters each year.
- Become plastic foam free or learn more about it.
- Recycle – reuse – repurpose
- Wage peace every day, not war and hatred.
- Be aware of people who are homeless in our community and support programs to help.
- Work to eliminate racism in your life and society.
- Take part in Martin Luther King Day of Service and DREAM Week Events.
- Join with us and others to address issues of poverty.