CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The St. Louis Rams of the National Football League was not the only team to claim victory on "Super Bowl Sunday," Jan. 30. Food pantries, homeless shelters and others can also claim success thanks to more than 11,000 churches in the United States, including congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Congregations huddled for "Souper Bowl of Caring," an ecumenical national effort to fight hunger.
Congregations of the ELCA arranged for youth to collect dollars in large soup pots as parishioners left worship the morning of the game. Some congregations sent a contribution to the World Hunger Appeal of the ELCA or directly to a charity of their choice. Organizers reported their results on game day. The national totals are posted on www.souperbowl.org -- the Souper Bowl of Caring's Web site.
Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kane, Pa., holds "Super Souper Bowl" every year on Super Bowl Sunday. "Members of the church prepare soup for dinner with an international theme," said Faye Miller, church office secretary.
"This year 23 types of soup representing 17 different countries were made. The congregation members each donated the cost of one meal for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. Some of the contribution will also go toward recovery efforts in North Carolina, after Hurricane Floyd produced floods there last fall," Miller said.
"Super Souper Bowl began 15 years ago by the church's social ministry committee," Miller said. "The congregation has raised between $900 and $1,400 every year for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal."
The Church of the Damascus Road, an inmate congregation of the ELCA serving the correctional facilities in Rockwell City and Fort Dodge, Iowa, donated $75.80 for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
That is a very generous offering, said the Rev. Carroll Lang. "Inmates usually earn about 30 cents an hour, or about two to three dollars a day," he said. The donation was collected from worship offerings on Jan. 5 and 12. "It is our way of helping spread the Word of God around the world," Lang said.
St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Pearland, Texas, collected $269.13 for Christian Helping Hands, a food pantry in Pearland. "A little more than one dollar per person in worship was collected," said the Rev. Brian K. Gigee, Pearland. "The congregation's high school group led worship on Sunday, and collected funds for the local food pantry," he said. Gigee preached a sermon on hunger awareness.
Young people at Faith Lutheran Church, Lakeland, Fa., collected $282.20. The contribution will go toward the Talbot House, a local ministry for homeless people in Lakeland, and the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. The Rev. Russell L. Meyer, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, said the congregation has participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring the last four years.
The Lutheran Youth Organization at Bethany Lutheran Church, Minot, N.D., collected canned food items to be distributed at food pantries in Minot, and $315.00. Half of the money collected will go toward the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
In preparation for the Souper Bowl of Caring, the 11,000 congregations of the ELCA received a special mailing that contained resources to help youth groups lead members in the national effort. It included a poster and bulletin insert which listed ideas for involving all church members.
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 every state and Canada. 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
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
