. . . Easter Sunday

Psalms 9:17-18 – 17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.

Poverty datebook for today:

Hunger Awareness Day, initiated by the Hunger Action Network of New York State, which includes faith-based groups, calls attention to the problem of hunger in the state.  More than 40 organizations across the state are mobilizing for events on March 21 such as food drives, community forums, children's anti-hunger poster projects, and visits from legislators to food programs. Contact hannyssp@aol.com

Among the day's events: Schenectady County Food Providers' Hunger Awareness Day breakfast at the Salvation Army with clergy, legislators and other community leaders. Those attending will be asked to sign on to the 1948 United Nations' Declaration on Human Rights as a reminder that the rights to food, shelter and medical care spelled out in that document have not yet been achieved. Info: Marianne Comfort, (518) 374-2683, sicm@knick.net

Good works that 'work':

In 82 cities, from Las Vegas, Nev., to Eau Claire, Wis., to Southern Pines, N.C., hundreds of local churches and synagogues are joining hands to provide shelter and other assistance to homeless families.  Their work is part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network, a New Jersey-based ministry that began when Karen Olsen bought a sandwich in 1981 for an elderly, homeless woman she encountered on her daily commute into New York, and realized that the woman needed something more than food. Soon, Karen and her two sons were delivering sandwiches each Sunday evening to homeless persons outside New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal, getting to know them personally, listening to their life stories. She told members of her church, and with congregations nearby, they organized the first hospitality program, using church facilities.  Read the rest of this inspiring story . . .

As many as 100,000 children, usually children of migrant workers, labor illegally in U.S. agriculture.  (The Fresno Bee/Church World Service Facts Have Faces)

Preaching about poverty:

"The Most Surprising Payday in History."  The Rev. Dr. Thomas K. Tewell, Senior Pastor of New York City's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.  Click here for the text of this Jan. 27, 2002, sermon or link to the Acrobat PDF file version.