REACHING OUT. . .
THIS IS HOW LUMC FIGHTS TERRORISM!
It has been two months since our illusion was definitively shattered. The idea that we could live in safety and security while billions of people know only poverty, chaos, and deprivation...that idea is now dead! So what do we do?? Neither "smart" bombs (nor "dumb" bombs) address the conditions which are the fertile ground for the growth of terrorism.
When 40% of the world does not have access to clean drinking water, your advocacy spurs the digging of a well. When the people do not have food to feed their families, you fund a program that provides vegetable seeds. When hundreds of millions of people in the world are trapped in illiteracy, you build a school---you fund scholarships for elementary, secondary and post secondary students---you even pay the salaries of the elementary school teachers.
When World Vision tells us that 29,000 children under 5 die every day from diseases which are easily preventable or treatable, you make possible a regular clinic where basic evaluations are done and basic medicines are provided. This incomplete list includes less than half of the many things you make possible in La Borgoña.

FAIR TRADED COFFEE

When you purchase fair traded coffee, you feed your soul while you nourish your body. Farmers are paid a guaranteed living wage, well above the minimum market price, with which they pay their expenses and have money remaining for family needs.  Coffee growers must use environmentally friendly, sustainable agricultural methods.  Our partner (Equal Exchange) provides business advice, preplanning credit, and requires that 5% of the profits go to a "kitty" to be used for community development projects.
With that money, the Zapatec farmers in Mexico built the first secondary school in their area, built a clinic, and established the first public bus transportation system in their region.  In El Salvador, farmers built a preschool, in Peru they've established comprehensive family social services.  The Nicaragua Co-op says "fair trade leads to better roads, better health, and better lives".
Plan to purchase fair traded coffee at our Alternative Christmas market on December.2; promote justice while you give a great gift to friends and family.
By Bob Miner
CLEAN ELECTIONS FOR FULL DEMOCRACY 
AND WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT
An Adult Study: January 6~February 3, 2002
Outreach is sponsoring this adult education study during 11th hour for the five Sunday mornings beginning on January 6, 2002 and running through February 3rd.  Ken Kreutziger will be leading the study.
During the winter last year, a church task force sponsored by the Outreach Committee presented a series on the issues of corporate rule outlining its nature, magnitude, and the urgency for an evolutionary change to American democracy.  For the church to move forward in this area the LUMC planning session for programs this year indicated the need for additional church wide education. 
This year’s study about the influence of corporations in our democracy focusing on the election process will expand our education and provide that additional opportunity for more people to become informed.  Titles for the five 11th Hour sessions follow.
January 6: The Clean Elections Crisis: Framing the Issue
January 13: How Corporations Influence the Political Process, Mislead the Public and Intimidate Public Officials
January 20: Case Studies: Corporate Political Contributions
January 27: Strategies for Clean Elections
February 3: Are We Up To It? What I Can Do!
By Ken Kreutziger

For the Outreach Committee by Bill Santelmann