Reflections

This week you were invited to a week of solidarity with the poor. We wanted to create a space for you to share your thoughts with each other and the greater community of Central.

Some questions you might want to reflect on: What are you doing to mark this week? What are you experiencing? What is God teaching you? Where have you seen God at work? Feel free to answer these, or any other reflections!

What are your expectations?

As you prepare for (and just begin) the week of solidarity, what do you expect to learn or experience? What fears or expectations do you have?

Week of Solidarity 2010

"Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds."

"Over 2.8 million Ohioans, approximately 25 percent, do not earn enough to meet basic needs."

"One-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed, one-third is starving."

"Almost 40% of the words population LIVES on less than $2 a day."

"The average American lives on $105 a day."

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In an act of solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the globe, we invite you to join the community of Central in the Week of Solidarity. The challenge is to eat like much of the world eats during the week of March 1-5.*

A simple way to accomplish this is to eat on less than $2 a day per person.

Some Meal Options

Plain oatmeal or Cream of Wheat

Eggs

A tortilla, rice and beans

Bread

Rice with bits of fish or chicken and a vegetable

Potatoes

Vegetables

Simple soups

We also challenge you to drink only water for that week... preferably at room temperature.

Portion sizes are much smaller than a typical American meal. One cup or eight ounces is a generous portion. Meat is a luxury, with the average African consuming about ¾ ounce per day -- the size of a small chicken nugget. Fresh fruit is rare, available only if locally grown and in season. While these meals seem meager by American standards, they actually represent diets in the broad middle of the world’s population. Approximately 1 billion people live on even less— only $1 per day.

We then invite you to bring the difference between what you spent on food and what you would have spent during a "normal week" to worship the weekend of March 6-7. We will collect the money and give it to the poor.

How this week plays out in your life might look different from how it works for other people -- the goal is not to be legalistic, but to identify with the poor and hungry. To sacrifice. To experience limitations. And yes. to experience frustration.

*Please use your discernment in determining a portion size that will allow you to function in a safe manner and to also experience what life is like for the other half of the world. Those with medical conditions should honor your physician’s medical recommendations. Contact your doctor if unsure about participation in the challenge. This diet is not for people under 18 or those with eating disorders.

Thoughts and Refections

This week you were invited to a week of solidarity with the poor. We wanted to create a space for you to share your thoughts with each other and the greater community of Central.

Some questions you might want to reflect on: What are you doing to mark this week? What are you experiencing? What is God teaching you? Where have you seen God at work? Feel free to answer these, or any other reflections!