Black Lives Matter.
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statement
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Overdose Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Public Education
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
    • NC No Torture
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Second Sunday in Lent: Poverty & Farmworkers

Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate · March 11, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2014-02-25 at 2.14.47 PMIn recognition of our faithful call and of this time in history, the Council’s annual Lenten guide focuses on poverty and the ways we can respond to our sisters and brothers of low-income. We hope you and your family will find cause for reflection and inspiration for action as you share this intergenerational resource together. May we continue building as a nation toward a place where God’s love is felt by everyone through the meeting of basic human needs and the extension of true opportunities for progress.

Click here to download “A Time to Mend: A Social Justice Study for Lent.”


Scripture: Psalm 126:5-6 (NRSV)

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.

Social Justice Reflection

“Got food? Thank a farmworker.”

I’ll never forget how it felt to serve dinner to this group. About 30 hungry, tired farmworkers arrived back at their camp just as it was getting dark, and they were kind enough to welcome us into their humble space for a shared meal. This group of mostly young men had been  busy harvesting sweet potatoes down East. Most were indigenous Mexicans who learned Spanish as a second language, who didn’t know any English.

As we spooned out rice and beans and poured soda from two-liter bottles, I was struck at how rare it is for any of us to meet the people who actually produce and harvest the food we eat. From our history of slavery to our modern industrial context, our society has not really reckoned with the grim reality of those at the bottom of our food chain.

Many of us don’t think much about where our food comes from. Did you know that almost all of the fresh fruits and vegetables that you eat were picked by hand? Farmworkers have always been the backbone of agriculture, yet too often their invaluable contributions go virtually unnoticed. Today, farming and agriculture is a $70 billion industry in North Carolina alone, but a farmworker’s average annual salary is less than $12,000.

Lent is a season for seeing things clearly, a time for level-headed reality checks about our complicity with counterfeit conveniences. Dietrich Bonhoeffer described “cheap grace” as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” When it comes to food in America, we enjoy a status quo that Bonhoeffer might describe as a “cheap abundance.” The paradox of cheap abundance is local stores without local food, calories without nutrition, farmworkers without food.

Farmworkers, like all different kinds of people in dire poverty, face challenges not only in getting enough to eat but also in other areas like housing and health. For example, farmworkers endure the highest rate of toxic chemical injuries and skin disorders of any workers in the country. Fewer than 20 percent of farmworkers receive health care.

But Lent is not the end of the story; resurrection is. Easter is coming. Jubilee is coming. The day is coming when those who sow seeds with tears into North Carolina topsoil will return home with shouts of joy because their hard work has been rewarded fairly. The day is coming when a worker who is hurt on the job can go to the hospital without risking his job, when a worker who is cheated can report his boss to the authorities. The day is coming when all farmworkers will earn living wages while living in safe, modern housing.

The only reason it hasn’t happened yet is because we’ve chosen to wait. We’ve tolerated an unfair status quo for far too long. Will this year be the year of change?

Closing Prayer

Worker God, who intends good for all your children, we seek your wisdom and courage as we work to change the harsh conditions under which so many labor. We remember the farmworkers, the growers, and the corporations. We ask that we might be your witnesses for good work, fair pay, and human dignity. Amen.

By Edie Rasell, NFWM Board representing United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries (http://nfwm.org/education-center/worship-resources/prayers)

Links

  • www.ncfarmworkers.org
  • www.ncfan.org

Intergenerational Questions

When you sit down to dinner, ask children if they have ever thought about the workers who helped pick the fresh fruits and vegetables in your meal? Ask them where their food comes from.

Help them to understand that food begins on a farm and there are many steps before it reaches your table.  Tell them that often their food is grown and harvested by migrant workers.

Read the story “Amelia’s Road” by Linda Jacobs Altman. Discuss migrant workers and some of the conditions that have an impact on them.  Explain that most migrant farmworkers receive low wages and are poor. They may be hurt as they work or become sick from the pesticides the farmers use. Healthcare may not be easily available to them. They often live in housing that is inadequate, crowded, and unhealthy.

Ask children if they can think of any actions they might take to understand migrant workers and to show their appreciation by helping them.

Intergenerational Activities

  • Arrange a visit to a local farm. Interview the farmer about the process of producing a crop and getting it on a family’s table.
  • National Farmworker Awareness Week is March 24 – 31, 2014. Visit http://saf-unite.org/farmworkerawareness for information.
  • Participate in the 28th Annual Pilgrimage for Peace and Justice, April 13-19, 2014. Get more information at http://www.wfpse.org/event/28th-annual-pilgrimage-peace-justice/
  • Organize a teach-in or presentation about farmworker issues. You can find farmworker facts here that you can use to create a presentation. And you can use short documentaries found here: http://saf-unite.org/content/fact-sheets; http://saf-unite.org/content/documentary-projects.
  • Host a farmworker-related film screening and discussion in your church.
  • Download farmworker factsheets and make table tents to put in your next meal at church.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Economic Justice, Farmworkers, Food, Immigration

Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

About Chris Liu-Beers, Former Program Associate

Chris worked on immigrant rights, farmworker justice, sustainability, worship resources, and the Council's website. He left the Council in 2014 to run Tomatillo Design, a company that builds affordable websites for nonprofits.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Raise the Wage
Raleigh Report – April 29, 2019
Raleigh Report – April 22, 2019

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Second Sunday in Lent: Poverty & Farmworkers

Latest Tweets

On 3/11 @afsc_org is hosting webinar discussing an indigenous healing modality, how it has been implemented in various communities to address harms & how leaning on Restorative Justice can lead to a world in which we rely less on police and incarceration. afsc.org/action/rest…!

About 7 hours ago

Moving away from fossil fuels is vital to loving our neighbor! Say so during the public hearing on the @DukeEnergy IRP on March 16th. Register today: dukesenergyplan.org/… pic.twitter.com/FD9u…

About 3 days ago

The #ForThePeopleAct (#HR1) just passed in the #House! We are one step closer to: ✅ Protect the freedom to vote ✅ Ensure the integrity of our elections ✅ Hold elected officials accountable ✅ End the era of big money in our politics pic.twitter.com/Mkhb…

About 4 days ago

"One day when the glory comes It will be ours, it will be ours" - John Legend, "Glory" Read our resolution at the link >> ncchurches.org/2021/… pic.twitter.com/y9Vs…

About 4 days ago

"Our knowing that divine reality exists gives us permission to be humble, gentle, and kind." Read more from Susannah Tuttle and her reflection for the third Sunday in Lent. >> ncchurches.org/2021/… pic.twitter.com/cEzo…

About 4 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

ICYMI: Elizabeth Brewington, Overdose Response Program Coordinator, reflects on the time of COVID for the 2nd Sunday of Lent. #EnoughforAll @ncchurches twitter.com/ncchurch…

About 10 hours ago

Glad to be on this journey with you! Another workweek in the books and another reason to be proud 💪 twitter.com/StampSti…

About 3 days ago

#harmreduction is love. twitter.com/HarmRedu…

About 5 days ago

RT @WakeMed Today marks one year since our state’s first #COVID19 case. #WakeMed staff, visitors and patients observed a #momentofsilence to honor the legacy of those we've lost and reflect on the strength and compassion of every essential worker, patient and family as we begin to heal. pic.twitter.com/E92V…

About 5 days ago

Dr. Satcher questioned the structures that have upheld health disparities in our communities. By laying the foundation for this work, we can continue taking meaningful action towards promoting a society where we can all thrive. #BlackHistoryMonth @HHSGov @Surgeon_General pic.twitter.com/zrw2…

About a week ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @CUREriver The bankruptcy filing by Brazos could destabilize the entire REC systems. The U.S. need to take action to avoid this in other places. We need to make investments in clean energy, energy efficiency, and grid modernization right now. #RuralPower ow.ly/6Erz50DMYPJ

About 4 days ago

RT @greenthechurch Be sure to read Green The Church's COO Kim Noble's op ed, "#EnvironmentalJustice in Focus this #BlackHistoryMonth", in the Texas Metro News! @Kimrenay22 #Austin #DFW #Houston #Texas #SanAntonio #EJ ow.ly/mOtw50DGQnN pic.twitter.com/IPOO…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @ActionAidUSA To build a truly just, equitable & sustainable world, we need to fight for a new #socialcontract. That means: ✔️ Defending democracy ✔️ Fighting for climate justice ✔️ Building equitable food systems ✔️ Supporting women’s leadership. Learn more: bit.ly/2M8xT40 pic.twitter.com/fEWv…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @interfaithpower IPL is proud to be a signer on this letter. The U.S. must provide bold and socially just leadership to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change, including the threats to our economy- @sbhendershot twitter.com/RealBank…

About 2 weeks ago

RT @interfaithpower "This is all of our country, this is our mother. It's difficult to not feel obligated to protect this land" - @DebHaalandNM with a powerful reminder of what she believes in. Her passion is exactly what we need right now; the Senate must #ConfirmHaaland! #ConfirmClimate

About 2 weeks ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2021 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine