Prayers of gratitude and intercession

Why We Pray and Act Against Hunger

The Focus of our Gathering

Across the globe more than 41m people – around half of them children–are at risk of falling into famine in 43 countries. Famine is preventable and has no place in the 21st century. These people are not starving, they are being starved by conflict and violence; by inequality; the impacts of climate change; and by a fight against COVID-19 that has left them even further behind.

Time is running out. Action must be taken now to prevent the needless deaths of tens of thousands of children. If the world stands by and does too little too late, children will starve to death. Hunger will also force children and their families to make dangerous survival choices, such
as child marriage or child labour, and this will have lasting harmful consequences for girls and boys.

Up to 811 million people were hungry in 2020, up by 161 million from 2019. This is a 25% increase from 2019, which is greater than the total increase over the past 5 years. Hunger increased in all regions of the world. Asia has the largest total number of hungry people, but Africa has the highest proportion of its population.

In our time of worship, we will focus on the invitation from Jesus to follow him – ‘Feed my sheep.’

We have the assurance that God sees and knows and hears the cry of each person experiencing hunger in the world today and invites us to participate in their redemption, ensuring that the daily needs of all people can be met. Our response, in hope-filled obedience, is to join in God’s
redemptive work in the world.

Read more about hunger

Download worship resource below, a collaboration with ecumenical partners (Micah Global, Integral Alliance, ACT Alliance, World Methodist Community, Lutheran World Federation, The Salvation Army, World Council of Churches, WEA, World Vision) ⬇️

Liturgy: Sharing food with the Hungry Ð Isaiah 58: 6-12

Conflict; an uneven global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic; the effects of climate change; high inflation; as well as the rising cost of food, fuel, and fertiliser are driving a polycrisis that is pushing tens of millions of girls, boys, and their families into extreme hunger.

The number of people affected by acute food insecurity has nearly doubled over the past three years, from 135 million people across 55 countries and territories in 2019 to a record 258 million in 58 countries in 2022 Ð even more than last year’s mid-year projection that, without urgent action, 222 million across 53 countries and territories could face Ôcrisis’ (IPC 3) conditions or worse.

In the face of dire statistics, we know that hunger has a nameÉ

• Seven-month-old Hamdi weighed only 8.8 pounds in June when she arrived at a nurition clinic in Baidoa, Somalia. Health workers found her to have severe acute malnutrition,  exacerbated by acute watery diarrhea and measles. Drought in Somalia is not only impacting access to food.
• Ten year old Peter in Kenya, whose family’s food supply has been impacted by drought and climate change.
• 1-year old Nadia in Afghanistan, displaced and experiencing severe malnutrition.

Nadia, Hamdi and Peter found help and support…but the situation globally remains a significant challenge. And hunger is in every neighbourhood and community.

These realities are true in a world where there is enough to feed everyone….and so we pray for justice, for hearts to act and serve and for systems to change to take steps to end hunger.

Worship resource

• Opening prayer
• Hymns & music
• Hunger today
• Prayer of Confession
• Scriptures
• Reflections
• Examples of action
• Prayers