Mission Coordination Committee
Mission Coordination Committee Description and Responsibilities As approved by presbytery on 6/8/21
Coming Together to End Hunger Recap
On Saturday, September 30, about thirty people, representing nine different congregations and three non-profits, gathered at Westminster Presbyterian in Bay City for an event sponsored by the Mission Coordination Committee of the Presbytery. The day began with a time of worship centered around our Matthew 25 call to eradicate systemic poverty and end hunger. The keynote speaker, Dr. Phil Knight, the Director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan, then shared his story and the necessary work of food banks and other non-profit organizations in helping to ensure that our neighbors have access to the abundance of food that our world provides. He reiterated that what the US faces is not a food problem but an access to food problem and reminded us of the importance of state and national policies that address food insecurity. Click here to view the worship and the keynote speech video.
We continued that conversation as we welcomed Samantha McKenzie, CEO of Hidden Harvest, and Sarah Egan, a nutritionist and public health specialist from Michigan State University, who joined Dr. Knight for a panel discussion surrounding their work and the importance of collaboration. Click here to view the panel discussion video.
Following lunch, participants engaged in conversation around their tables. We listened as each person shared the work their churches do concerning hunger, some of the challenges we face, and spent time thinking about how we might be able to collaborate with others as we continue the work of feeding our neighbors. A summary of those table discussion responses can be found here. Click here to read a summary of the table discussions.
At the close of our time together, we were reminded that while the work that our local churches and communities do in combating hunger is indeed very important, the next and necessary step, is to seek policy changes at the local, state, and national levels. One of the best ways to get started is by visiting www.bread.org or www.feedingamerica.org. Both of these sites can direct you to the latest hunger related legislation being discussed and help connect you with your representatives in the House and Senate. We invite you to check them out an learn more about the important “Farm Bill,” the largest piece of federal legislation for food and farming that impacts access to nutritious food for the millions of people in the United States facing hunger. More information about this specific piece of legislation can be found at https://www.feedingamerica.org/take-action/advocate/farm-bill.
Printable version of the book study event summary
Summary of the table discussions
Worship and Keynote speech video
Study Guide for "I Was Hungry" Book
Two Coins A Meal - Minute For Mission Video
Food Bank of Eastern Michigan Impact Reports for 2023
Fighting Hunger - Your Support
