As many as 2.5 million people have died of hunger and cold during the famine in North Korea, mainly because of a tyrannical government and its political isolation. Sudan's current large-scale famine is due to a protracted civil war. God feeds us with the bread of life, divine grace, filling our hearts and freeing us to share our bread. Knowing we freely receive God's forgiveness, we are less likely to judge that the poor are simply getting what they deserve. Lutherans have long and generously been active in charitable work through instruments of caring such as the Lutheran World Federation, Lutheran World Relief, Lutheran Social Services and the ELCA Hunger Program.
Most congregations are active in social ministry.
But we often fall short when it comes to bringing Christian concern to politics and public policy. Decisions federal and state governments are now making about welfare reform are important to hungry people. Yet, while many parishioners contribute to feeding efforts, relatively few write to Congress or state legislatures about welfare reform. Citizen action also is needed to complement charitable work internationally. The U.S. government ranks 21st in the world in providing developmental assistance when measured as a percentage of national income.