Dear Friends in Christ,

“… for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink...” (Matthew 25: 35)

The reality of recent cuts to food assistance programs—including a pause on SNAP benefits (food stamps), while other programs such as the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program and free/reduced school meals near the end of government funding—means that many of our neighbors are facing a very hungry season ahead.

Deacon Nick Bates, Executive Director of the Hunger Network in Ohio, recently summarized the factors that have led us to this point in a thoughtful and compassionate article.

Regardless of how we arrived here, this is a crucial moment to consider how we can best support our neighbors in need. The incredible ministries of our parishes—from food pantries and community meals to feeding children in daycares and after-school programs—remain essential to caring for our communities. Yet, these ministries cannot replace the critical government funding that allows families to consistently put nourishing meals on their tables. Even so, our faithful servants of Jesus are doing everything they can to meet this growing need.

Across Northwestern Ohio, volunteers and outreach teams in parishes and partner organizations are bracing for an increase in families seeking help. Debbie Lisk, Food Pantry Coordinator at Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of Northwestern Ohio, reports that many more calls are coming in as more families experience greater need. LSS is welcoming more donations, both financial and in-kind, and is always in need of volunteers in the Choice Food Pantry in Toledo.

Parishes that regularly provide meals are also preparing for greater demand. Pastor Mike Hanck from Salem Lutheran Church in North Toledo recently shared an appeal for food. Pastor Mike explained how the Salem & North End Neighbor team currently feeds more than 350 people each Tuesday night. As they continue offering nutritious meals that accommodate a wide range of dietary needs, they are now preparing extra food in anticipation of additional guests—work that requires both funding and community support.

Other parishes are responding with new creativity and compassion. At Emmanuel Lutheran in Napoleon, parishioners are collecting funds and canned goods to assemble complete meal kits for families to take and prepare at home. People of faith across the region are meeting the needs of their neighbors in innovative ways, lifting one another up during this challenging season.

Dear friends in Christ, this is a moment for direct action. It is a moment to give generously, to share what we have, and to raise our voices on behalf of our neighbors in need. Below are several ways that you can act—individually, with your family, your Sunday School class, your Bible Study group, or your parish:

• Give: Financial gifts, in-kind donations, and volunteer time are all vital. Contact your local parish to learn the most helpful ways to support their work. Partners like Lutheran Social Services are also excellent places to direct gifts to help feed our neighbors. Please click below to give to Lutheran Social Service of Northwestern Ohio.

• Advocate: Use your voice to urge lawmakers and the USDA to release SNAP contingency funds and to ensure there are no delays in hunger benefits during the government shutdown.

• Trust: that God can use us and what we have to offer up to make a world of difference.

• Pray: Hold our neighbors in prayer—individually and in community—that no one may go hungry and that we may all be strengthened for this work of love and justice.

"Faithful God, who has given us favor and grace to accomplish your will, We thank you and we praise you! Lord, you see the millions of people who go hungry every day. Use us to secure a lasting means of adequate and sustainable food supply for all people. You delight in justice and you provide for all creation. Let your wisdom guide our nation’s leaders and your truth uphold them. Faithful God, hear our prayer. Fill their hearts and ours with compassion for hungry people. We and our leaders will bring justice to those entangled in poverty. Empower our actions on their behalf, so that our voices are magnified. Faithful God, hear our prayer. We will trust your goodness. We will rely on your faithfulness. A strong rock is our God. We will not be discouraged. Amen."

Bread for the World Sunday Reflection Resource, 2009

Current Learnings

Love Is The Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times
by Michael Curry

This will be our 2026 The Way of Love Book of The Year

G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century

by Beverly Gage

2024 Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Biography

Click each book cover for full descriptions.

The Mission of the Northwestern Ohio Synod



Sent by the Crucified and Risen Jesus to

           Make Disciples

           Equip Leaders

           Strengthen Parishes

           and Nurture New Communities

for the Renewal of Northwestern Ohio and the World

2025: The Year of Listening Memory Verse : Isaiah 55:3a



“Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live…”

2025 is the year of Listening in the Northwestern Ohio Synod. How might listening serve as a summer spiritual practice for you and your community Please click the blue button below to access our entire catalog of 2025 Year of Listening Resources. These resources include:

1.   The 2025 Year of Listening Bible Study

2.   A Collection of Twelve Monthly Devotions

3.   The Weekly Listening Practice and Hymn Calendar

4.   5x5 New Testament Reading and Listening Plan

5.   2025 Book of the Year: The Listening Life by Pastor Adam McHugh

Podcasts:   

·      The Bible Project

·      Marathon Training Academy

Apps:

·      Give Us This Day

·      Centering Prayer

Bless you,

Bishop Daniel G. Beaudoin

20th Sunday after Pentecost