Discussion

Isaiah 2:1-5 is often (and rightly) understood as a call to end violent conflict, but it also establishes a different vision of human society. This is highlighted by themes of law, judgment and “nations,” all ways in which humans think about civil society. In other words, the writer of Isaiah is calling us to think about how we order ourselves in community.

ELCA World Hunger does not impose our values on other people, especially people experiencing intense economic hardship. Instead we walk alongside people with whom we have relationships, supporting communities through mutual partnerships (usually in the global Lutheran church) and enabling their visions of a just world to flourish. Lutheran Hope Cambodia Organization (LHCO), introduced in the first segment of the video, is one such partner.

As you watch the clip from “Intersections,” consider how your own community has chosen to prioritize various values and lifestyles. Also consider how the communities highlighted in the video have chosen to develop their own cooperatives.

1. The success of LHCO and its cooperatives across Cambodia is driven by the organization’s genuine relationship with its communities and desire to see them thrive. How did you see that commitment to mutual community growth play out in this clip?
2. Through the ELCA’s accompaniment model of justice ministry, we hope to learn from our partners about the root causes of poverty, especially as these causes appear in their contexts. What is one thing you learned from the Cambodian farmers interviewed?
3. The agricultural cooperatives supported by LHCO develop communities by giving them knowledge and supplies. The communities themselves are responsible for determining their development priorities.
   • What development priorities did the community featured here identify?
   • What are the development priorities of your community — good or bad?

Recommended Resources for Action and Learning

• To learn more about the filmrecording of this segment and the work of LHCO, see our interview with Ashlyn Rhyne, an alum of Young Adults in Global Mission, on the ELCA World Hunger blog. Rhyne worked closely with LHCO for a year and supported the development of “Intersections.”
• LHCO’s story is one of many throughout the Lutheran church’s global community. We invite you to recruit an intergenerational community of learners to hear and share these stories with our ELCA World Hunger VBS resources.
• ELCA World Hunger’s partnerships are one way our church does God’s work of justice and mercy in the world — locally and globally — as a church. When you and your congregation give to ELCA World Hunger, you participate with millions of other Lutherans in our shared vision for what our world can be. Throughout the season, consider joining this ministry alongside your community by visiting ELCA.org/WHAdvent.

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