ELCA World Hunger recently sent a sample packet of Advent resources to congregations. These resources are free to individuals to download or order, with free shipping, while supplies last. Resources include:
  • Advent Study 2018: Find devotions, questions for reflection, prayers and inspiration for the journey to end hunger and seek justice.
  • ELCA Good Gifts Catalog: This catalog offers many ways to honor friends and loved ones with Christmas gifts that will make a difference in the world. Use it to inspire special fundraising events, and distribute it to members to help them with their holiday shopping.
  • Advent Tree: Decorate a tree with ornaments that represent ELCA Good Gifts – honeybees, farming tools or school supplies, for example – and raise funds to help fight hunger. Members can keep the ornaments and give them as gifts to symbolize their donations.
  • Advent Calendar: Guide your Advent journey with a daily prayer, hymn, Bible verse or story, and learn how your gifts to ELCA World Hunger are making a difference in the world. The calendars come in packages of 25, and we recommend one per household.
  • Bulletin Insert: Include the new, expanded ELCA World Hunger insert in your worship bulletins and learn more about our church’s response to hunger and poverty.

How might you use these resources?
  • order the Advent calendar for your men's or women's groups, and commit to using them as your daily devotions throughout the season of Advent;
  • order Good Gifts for children, grandchildren, god-children, college students, seminary students, or other children/youth/young adults connected to you or your congregation;
  • order from the Good Gifts catalog in celebration of those from your congregation who have been baptized in the past year, or whose lives have been celebrated through memorials and funerals;
  • Put up a small tree in the narthex or worship space, and invite members and visitors to make a donation towards ELCA Good Gifts. As they do, add ornaments to the tree;
  • Put up a small tree decorated with ELCA Good Gifts ornaments, and encourage people to take an ornament and order that item from ELCA Good Gifts;
  • Order the 2018 Advent study, and distribute it to your congregation to guide their personal/family devotions during Advent. Distribute these studies in connection with an activity day for making Advent wreaths;
  • Order the 2018 Advent study for your household to read together during Advent, or send to the households in your extended family and invite everyone to read it together. Use email, phone/text, facebook messenger or face-to-face conversations to share what you are thinking as you read;
  • Order the 2018 Advent study for your congregational council, and use it as your devotions for your meetings between Advent and Lent
  • so many other ways to use these free resources!