Seeds of Hope Publishers

*Seeds of Hope Publishers*
Editor	Katie Cook
First issue	February, 1979
Based in	Waco, Texas
Language	English
Website	http://www.seedspublishers.org/
ISSN	0194-4495

Seeds of Hope Publishers is an American religious publishing company.

History[edit]

In 1977, a mission group at Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia (which was, at that time, a Southern Baptist church) came together with a common burden for people living with hunger and poverty. Gary Gunderson and Andy Loving, members of that group, sent out a mimeographed one-page newsletter to 600 Southern Baptists. This was the beginning of Seeds.^[1]

The next year the group produced the first issue of Seeds in magazine format (with the subtitle “Southern Baptists Concerned about Hunger”) and a “miss-a-meal” book of 30 meditations entitled Roots of Hope. The publication, Seeds Magazine, then began a bimonthly format with an alternating supplement called Sprouts. By 1982, the ministry had expanded to include other Christian groups, and the subtitle on the banner changed to “Christians Concerned about Hunger.” That year the editors published a Seeds Reader on Women and Hunger, which won the prestigious Hunger Media Award given by World Hunger Year.^[2]

In 1983, the Seeds folks created, with Alternatives for Simple Living, All Tied Up, one of the first weekend huger education retreats in the United States.

The next year, working with an ecumenical coalition of denominational hunger programs, Seeds published A Guide to World Hunger Organizations, by Lou Knowles. In 1985, Seeds won a second World Hunger Media award for another Seeds Reader on "The Church and Hunger."

A special tenth anniversary issue, produced in partnership with UNICEF, on Child Survival took the staff to West Africa, Brazil and Indonesia in 1987. Also that year, Seeds published the Hunger Action Handbook, by Leslie Withers and Tom Peterson, which can still be found on the desks of social workers and college professors who are interested in hunger issues.^[3] Seeds also won the Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation for Outstanding Nonprofit Management in 1987.

In 1991, Seeds of Hope, Inc. was formed in Waco, Texas, and, after a blessing ceremony at Oakhurst Baptist Church, the Seeds ministry moved onto the campus of Seventh and James Baptist Church, with Katie Cook as editor^[4] and Susan Hansen as business manager/associate editor. The Waco staff and Council of Stewards began by publishing Roots of Hope, Volume II, a book of 40 meditations on hunger, written by hunger leaders from different Christian denominations as well as other faiths. They continued publishing Seeds Magazine and the supplement Sprouts for six years. In 1984, they worked again with an ecumenical coalition of hunger programs to produce A Guide to World Hunger Organizations, Volume II by Michael Williamson.

In 1998, Seeds Magazine began its metamorphosis into Seeds of Hope Publishers. In its new incarnation, the staff and council continues the original Seeds mission to produce unique resources about issues surrounding hunger and poverty. After extensive polling among subscribers and church leaders, they first created Sacred Seasons, a series of worship resource kits with a biblical emphasis on justice issues, particularly hunger and poverty. The packets are designed for liturgical seasons, including Advent, Christmastide, Lent & Eastertide. A Hunger Emphasis packet comes out in late summer each year.

The next year, the Waco staff began negotiations with some of the same groups with whom the Decatur staff had worked, for a partnership that would produce Hunger News & Hope, a quarterly newsletter that has been distributed through religious denominations to thousands of hunger educators and other individuals. The original denominations were: American Baptist Churches USA; Baptist General Convention of Texas; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Christian Reformed Church in North America; Covenant World Relief, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Presbyterian Church USA; Reformed Church in America; and United Methodist Committee on Relief.

14 and 15 years later, the Seeds staff is still producing these two resources. When the world began to go online for its information, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship helped the Seeds folks to establish a website, so that most of the resources would be available for no charge to anyone needing help in keeping these issues on the minds of congregations. Most of the back issues of Hunger News & Hope and Sacred Seasons are readily accessible on the Seeds website, along with several special collections.

For three years, Seeds partnered with the American Baptist Church International Ministries program to produce worship collections on peace. With sponsorship from the Alliance of Baptists, the staff also created Speaking of Hunger, a collection of hunger sermons, and Hope Is in Our Hands, a collection of activities on hunger for children and youth. The staff also created Developing a Heart for the Hungry, a primer for churches that are planning a hunger emphasis for the first time.

In addition, the Seeds website and Facebook page feature two collections of dramatic monologues for children. One, called Easter Walk, includes twelve monologues from the events of Holy Week and is one of the most popular Seeds resources. The other, "With Our Own Eyes," includes seven monologues drawn from the resurrection narratives in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Photos from churches that have held Easter Walk events are posted on the Seeds Facebook page.

Current publications[edit]

In 1998, Seeds Magazine began its metamorphosis into Seeds of Hope Publishers. In its new incarnation, the staff and council continues the original Seeds mission to produce unique resources about issues surrounding hunger and poverty. After extensive polling among subscribers and church leaders, they first created Sacred Seasons, a series of worship resource kits with a biblical emphasis on justice issues, particularly hunger and poverty. The packets are designed for liturgical seasons, including Advent, Christmastide, Lent & Eastertide. A Hunger Emphasis packet comes out in late summer each year.

The next year, the Waco staff began negotiations with some of the same groups with whom the Decatur staff had worked, for a partnership that would produce Hunger News & Hope, a quarterly newsletter that has been distributed through religious denominations to thousands of hunger educators and other individuals. The original denominations were: American Baptist Churches USA; Baptist General Convention of Texas; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Christian Reformed Church in North America; Covenant World Relief, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Presbyterian Church USA; Reformed Church in America; and United Methodist Committee on Relief.

14 and 15 years later, the Seeds staff is still producing these two resources. When the world began to go online for its information, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship helped the Seeds folks to establish a website, so that most of the resources would be available for no charge to anyone needing help in keeping these issues on the minds of congregations. Most of the back issues of Hunger News & Hope and Sacred Seasons are readily accessible on the Seeds website,^[5] along with several special collections.

For three years, Seeds partnered with the American Baptist Church International Ministries program to produce worship collections on peace. With sponsorship from the Alliance of Baptists, the staff also created Speaking of Hunger, a collection of hunger sermons, and Hope Is in Our Hands, a collection of activities on hunger for children and youth. The staff also created Developing a Heart for the Hungry, a primer for churches that are planning a hunger emphasis for the first time.

In addition, the Seeds website and Facebook page feature two collections of dramatic monologues for children. One, called Easter Walk, includes twelve monologues from the events of Holy Week and is one of the most popular Seeds resources. The other, "With Our Own Eyes," includes seven monologues drawn from the resurrection narratives in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Photos from churches that have held Easter Walk events are posted on the Seeds Facebook page. A discussion of eight elements in the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, called ChristStyle, is also a popular Seeds resource. Written by Daniel B. McGee and Katie Cook, this essay is drawn from a series of articles about the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-6) from Seeds Magazine and has been presented in a number of retreat and seminar settings.

Art of Compassion[edit]

In 2002, Rebecca Ward, an art history student at the University of Texas in Austin, was given a grant to organize an art show for Seeds. In August of that year, the Art of Compassion: Images of Hunger and Hope show was launched at Seventh and James Baptist Church. The show featured illustrations from Seeds publications, plus a number of new creations in various media (including wood chippings, a decoupaged communion set, several large oil paintings and sculpture), mostly from artists who had contributed work to Seeds in the past. Rebecca and another University of Texas student, Elana Solano, organized a second show in 2004.

Sacred Seasons[edit]

In 1998, Seeds Magazine began its metamorphosis into Seeds of Hope Publishers. In its new incarnation, the staff and council continue the original Seeds mission to produce unique resources about issues surrounding hunger and poverty. After extensive polling among subscribers and church leaders, they first created Sacred Seasons, a series of worship resource kits with a biblical emphasis on justice issues, particularly hunger and poverty. The packets are designed for liturgical seasons, including Advent, Christmastide, Lent & Eastertide. For several years the staff produced an annual Ordinary Time packet. A Hunger Emphasis packet comes out in late summer each year. [1]

Hunger News and Hope[edit]

In 1999, the Waco staff began negotiations with some of the same groups with whom the Decatur staff had worked, for a partnership that would produce Hunger News & Hope, a quarterly newsletter that has been distributed through religious denominations to thousands of hunger educators and other individuals. The original denominations were: American Baptist Churches USA; Baptist General Convention of Texas; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Christian Reformed Church in North America; Covenant World Relief, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Presbyterian Church USA; Reformed Church in America; and United Methodist Committee on Relief. Hunger News & Hope has received a number of Associated Church Press awards over the years (see below). Each issue is posted on the Seeds website as it comes out.

Awards[edit]

Hunger News & Hope, a periodical about hunger, poverty, and food justice, is published quarterly by Seeds of Hope Publishers, in partnership with Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Churches USA, and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Recently, the newsletter received four Associated Church Press awards for work in 2022.

Hunger News & Hope has received the following Associated Church Press awards:

For work in 2014:

The “Best in Class” Award of Merit;

The Award of Merit for a Theme Issue for the Summer 2014 issue, "US Prisons and Poverty.”

For work in 2015:

The “Best in Class” Award of Merit;

The Award of Merit for a Theme Issue for the Summer 2015 issue, “Food Security and Immigration.”

For work in 2016:

The “Best in Class” Award of Merit;

The Award of Excellence for a Theme Issue for the Summer 2016 issue, “Women in Poverty.”

For work in 2017:

The “Best in Class” Award of Excellence;

The Award of Merit for a Feature Article for Chelle Samaniego's “The Perfect Storm: How Aid Cuts, Drought & War Will Kill 20 Million People This Year If We Don’t Help”;

The Award of Merit for In-depth Coverage for Linda Freeto's “Special Report: US Poverty, Food Security & the Federal Budget”;

Honorable Mention for a Theme Issue for the Summer 2017 issue, “How the Federal Budget Will Affect People in Poverty.”

For work in 2018:

The “Best in Class” Award of Merit;

Honorable Mention for a Devotional or Inspirational Article for “The Real Sermon” by Robert Darden;

The Award of Merit for a Feature Article for “How 2017 Natural Hazards Affected Food Security” by Rachel Boyle;

Honorable Mention for In-Depth Coverage for Linda Freeto's Special Report, “Water Issues at Home and Abroad”; and

Honorable Mention for a Theme Issue for the Summer 2018 issue, “From Water Crisis to Water Justice.”

For work in 2019:

The Award of Excellence for “Best in Class” in the newspaper/newsletter category;

The Award of Merit for an Editorial by Katie Cook, “New SNAP Measure Will Rule Out 668,000 People.”

For work in 2020:

The "Best in Class" Award of Merit

The Award of Merit for a News Story for "Grace Baptist Church Sees a Different Way," about a church that refused to close down its homeless shelter after a stabbing, by Dawn Michelle Michals, and

The Award of Merit for a Theme Issue for the Fall 2020 issue about COVID-19 & Minoritized Populations.

For work in 2021:

The Award of Excellence for “Best in Class” in the newspaper/newsletter category.

The Award of Merit to Dawn Michelle Michals for ”Women Taking Back the Power: A Microgrid in Yemen is Bending All the Rules.”

Honorable Mention in the interview category for Katie Cook’s interview with World Hunger Relief director Jonathan Grant, “World Hunger Relief Training Farm Getting Back to Work.”

For work in 2022:

The "Best in Class" Award of Merit

Honorable Mention to Sara Alexander for “Magnet for Exploitation: Haiti’s Long Struggle for Sustainable Recovery.

The Award of Merit in a Feature Cluster for Michael Williamson & Mitch Martina, “The War in Ukraine & the Global Food Crisis.”

Honorable Mention for Dawn Michelle Michals for “Why Millions of People Are Starving in Tigray.”

Christstyle[edit]

A discussion of eight elements in the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, called ChristStyle, is also a popular Seeds resource. Written by Daniel B. McGee and Katie Cook, this essay is drawn from a series of articles about the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-6) from Seeds Magazine and has been presented in a number of retreat and seminar settings.

Notable writers[edit]

Seeds of Hope publications have included contributions from number of notable writers, including such Nobel Peace Prize laureates as Mother Teresa,^[6] Jimmy Carter,^[7] and Muhammad Yunus,.^[8] Other writers include pioneers and leaders in the global anti-hunger movement such as Art Simon, founder of Bread for the World;,^[9] David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World,^[10] the late U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield,^[11] Frances Moore Lappé, founder of the Institute for Food and Development Policy (Food First),^[12] Ron Sider,^[13] and many others.

Hunger in God’s World Workshop[edit]

The Seeds staff has led numerous incarnations of a workshop called Hunger in God’s World (HIGW). The curriculum, created primarily for church groups, consists of four sessions. The first session is called “Who Is Hungry and Why?” and teaches participants about hunger around the world through group exercises. The second, “Hunger Has a Face,” introduces personal stories of hungry people and the realities they face. “What Does God Want from Me?” explores, in the third session, biblical teachings about caring for poor and marginalized people. “What Can One Person Do?” includes, in the final session, definite steps that churches and individuals can take in responding to the needs of hungry people. HIGW has been presented to youth groups, confirmation classes, seminary classes and adult study groups, including the staff of the Atlanta Food Bank.

Through a partnership with Caritas of Waco, the Seeds staff trained Linda Yoon, a student in the Baylor University School of Social Work, to conduct the workshop. Among other uses of the curriculum, Yoon translated it into Korean and presented it a children’s group.

Conway Del Conti, Hunger Coordinator for the Waco Regional Baptist Association (WRBA) in Waco, TX, paired HIGW with the innovative “Cooking Matters” program from No Kid Hungry to help women in a housing development find ways to overcome hunger and create community in their neighborhood. Later, Kristi Pereira of World Hunger Relief, Inc., conducted the workshop in the Central Texas area, using another cooking program. The WRBA then granted Seeds the

funds to print HIGW and Developing a Heart for the Hungry for looseleaf binders and distributed them in the region.

Current staff and volunteers[edit]

Seeds of Hope Publishers is led by editor L. Katherine Cook.^[14] Its business manager is John Segrest. The lead copy editor is Ellen Kuniyuki Brown. The lead artist is Sally Lynn Askins, a professor of theatre design at Baylor University. Writing and art used in publications are donated by writers and artists from the United States and around the world who believe in the cause of ending hunger. These people are joined by a number of local volunteers and students from local colleges and high schools who work as interns for class credit. The work is supervised by the Council of Stewards, which acts as an editorial board, with help from a board of advisors.

Much of the work of Seeds of Hope Publishers is done by editor <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editor-in-chief> Katie Cook. Its business manager is Kathy Gardner. The lead copy editor <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_editing> is Deborah E. Harris. Writing and art used in publications are donated by writers and artists from the United States and around the world who believe in the cause of ending hunger. These people are joined by a number of local volunteers and students from local colleges and high schools who work as interns for class credit. The work is supervised by the Council of Stewards, which also acts as an editorial board <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editorial_board>, with help from a board of advisors <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advisory_board>

The 2018 Seeds of Hope Council of Stewards: Sara Alexander, Guilherme Almeida, Sally Lynn Askins (Vice President), Meg Culler, Meg Cooper, Derek Dodson, Linda Freeto, Sandy Londos(Recording Secretary), and B. Michael Long (President)

The 2018 Seeds of Hope Board of Advisors: Daniel G. Bagby, Dale A. Barron, H. Joseph Haag, Andy Loving, Kathryn Mueller, Jo Pendleton, Jacqulin L. Saxon, Ken Sehested, Jon Singletary, David Wilkinson, and Leslie Withers

References[edit]

^ "Oakhurst Baptist Church: Our History". Retrieved 2012-06-13.
^ "Hunger Articles Win Prizes". The New York Times. 1 December 1982. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
^ Withers, Leslie (1987). Hunger Action Handbook. Seeds Magazine. ISBN 978-0944434000.
^ "Magazine on hunger transplanted to Waco". Houston Chronicle. 10 August 1991. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
^ "Home". seedspublishers.org.
^ ”God’s Understanding Love,” Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Seeds Reader, Vol 6 No 10, October 1983, page 16.
^ ”Who Really Cares for the ‘Least of These?’”, Jimmy Carter, Seeds Reader, Vol 6 No 10, October 1983, page 32.
^ ”Hunger, Poverty and the World Bank,” Muhammad Yunus, Seeds Magazine, Vol 16 No 3, March 1994.
^ “Hope,” by Arthur Simon, Seeds Magazine, Vol 7 No 8, August 1984, page 14; see also “Why Don’t They Just Quit Having So Many Babies?” Seeds, Vol 8 No 10, October 1985, page 20; “Hunger Myths from the Horn of Africa,” Seeds, Vol 15 No 5, May 1993; page 6.
^ ”Transforming the Politics of Hunger,” by David Beckmann, Seeds Magazine, Vol 15 No 12, December 1993, page 23.
^ “Will Is the Glaring Omission in the Politics of Hunger,” by Mark O. Hatfield, Seeds Magazine, Vol 7 No 8, August 1984, page 9;
^ ”Hunger Myths,” by Frances Moore Lappé, Seeds Magazine, Vol 5 No 10, October 1982, page 19; see also “Root Cause of Hunger is Scarcity of Democracy,” Seeds Magazine, Vol 9 No 8, August 1986, page 10.
^ “Ambulance Drivers or Tunnel Builders,” by Ronald J. Sider, Seeds Magazine, Vol 3 No February 1980, page 4; “How Western Christians Live Their Lives,” Seeds Magazine, Vol 3 No 11, December 1980, page 13.
^ "Katie Cook | Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America". Bpfna.org. 2012-08-04. Retrieved 2012-08-20.