Former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, was recently asked 10 Questions by Time Magazine. When asked about the biggest challenges and issues facing the United Nations, Mr. Annan said the following:

There are challenges and issues but not just for the UN. It’s for all of us. We live in a world where we have to understand we are all in the same boat. One cannot be secure at the expense of the other. One cannot be prosperous at the expense of the other. And a world in which extreme poverty and immense wealth live side-by-side is simply not sustainable…

I am haunted by these words.

In a way they force me to take a closer look at the interrelatedness of the world. All too often I see myself as merely an individual who makes individual decisions—from what I choose to consume, eat and wear. When I trip over words like Mr. Annan’s, however, I find myself asking the following question: “Do I even take the time to consider how my own behavior impacts the world around me?”

People of all faiths need to be in dialogue about the causes and effects of “extreme poverty.” Real human beings are caught between the crossfire of this prevalent issue and countless of them remain hungry and malnourished. We have a moral imperative to study, research and find ways to get involved in the alleviation of this global problem. Turning a blind eye to poverty and starvation is not an option when faced with Jesus’ bold words: “I was hungry and you gave me food…what you did to the least of these, you did for me” (Mt. 25:35, 40).

This Sunday at 1:30 pm, Marble will welcome key leaders and experts in the causes and solutions to hunger, both locally and globally. Rev. David Lewicki will moderate a discussion among our guest panelists, including representatives from The Hunger Project and Franciscans International, as well as a former UN Hunger Program officer. They will offer their solutions and give practical recommendations to our community about how our action and advocacy can end hunger.

We strongly encourage you to attend and even bring family and friends with you. Join us in Bay Hall or watch LIVE streaming via our Marble website.

To allow the hungry person to remain hungry would be blasphemy against God and one’s neighbor, for what is nearest to God is precisely the need of one’s neighbor. It is for the love of Christ, which belongs as much to the hungry person as to myself, that I share my bread with him. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer