Dear disciples of Jesus,

On a busy day last month I had several meetings one day, including a Synod event in the evening at a church in Canoga Park. I decided not to stop for dinner, especially since the host of that last meeting said she'd have pizza and drinks available. Yet when I walked in the room it was obvious that no food would be provided. Not having eaten anything since noon, my stomach was growling and I wondered how I would ever make it through the next two hours-plus the drive home-without food! Of course I survived just fine. But it got me thinking about the millions of people who live with the reality of hunger on a daily basis. One in eight persons in our world is chronically malnourished and in the United States, one out of five children lives in a family that struggles to get enough to eat.

In the prayer we pray together most often, The Lord's Prayer, we ask God to "give us this day our daily bread." This is not just a prayer for ourselves but for "us," meaning all of God's children everywhere. And over the next couple of months, we as a church have the opportunity to put our faith into action in several different ways:

• On Sat. Oct. 4th we will again be supporting Lutheran Social Services (LSS) Community Care Center in San Fernando Valley through the "Walk to End Poverty." You are invited to participate either as part of our American Lutheran Church team of walkers, or by donating pledges. V
• On Sun. Oct. 19th we will be observing Bread for the World Sunday during our 10am worship. Through our prayers, music and message we rededicate ourselves to ending hunger in God's world. Following worship there will be the opportunity to participate in an Offering of Letters to our elected officials, as we learn about ways we can participate in the democratic process to influence our government to create hope for hungry people.
• On Sat. Nov. 8th from 9am-1pm there will be a Goodwill fundraiser in our parking lot to benefit Burbank Temporary Aid Center as they prepare to help local families in need during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Although this is over a month away, now is the time to start cleaning out your closets. 

What a privilege for us who are nourished not only in body but also in spirit through the grace of God, to share the good news of God's love by sharing our abundance with all in need.

Your partner in the Gospel,

Pastor Gretchen