US Christians to lobby the Capitol for justice and peace
-30/01/05
With a new presidential term, a new congress and a renewed interest in how faith and politics connect, hundreds of US Christians are planning to descend on Capitol Hill from 11-14 March, for the third annual set of Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice.
Their presence will be a direct challenge to the dominance of the religious right in issues of public morality and political life.
More than 30 faith-based groups are sponsoring or supporting this yearís event, which will provide church leaders and lay people with a mix of worship, music, prayer, issue briefings, plenary speakers and advocacy training workshops, capped with visits to US senators and representatives or their key staff.
Participants will gather to assert to their representatives that it is time for a new vision of American policy that includes a much more complete understanding of moral values.
During the last election, media attention focused on moral issues related to abortion and same-sex marriage. This gathering will affirm that moral values start with building a just global community that nurtures peace, alleviates poverty, and protects the integrity of Godís creation.
ìAt this crossroad in our nationís history, it is critical that we speak out as people of faith against those things that we believe are immoral and sinful. We believe that the Bible clearly mandates that we act as peacemakers, uplift those who live in poverty and take care of Godís creation,î said the Rev Dr Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA.
He added: ìWe will be calling on lawmakers to enact foreign and domestic policies that reflect these moral imperatives.î
The 2005 Ecumenical Advocacy Days will highlight the urgency of pursuing sensible and peaceful solutions to conflicts as well as the need for aid, debt and trade policies that benefit impoverished people worldwide.
Bishop Vashti McKenzie, presiding bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the first woman to be elected to the bishopís council, and Elder Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA, are among the speakers who will address the assembly.
Also addressing the participants will be Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love, a professor at Catholic University of America and a US foreign policy and international affairs expert; and Baldemar Velasquez, the founder/president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, which recently settled a labor dispute with Mt. Olive Pickle Company following more than five years of public action.
This yearís theme, ìMake All Things New,î is based on Godís promise as recorded in the New Testament, say organizers. It will be developed in eight learning tracks. Participants will attend workshops that examine US policy, and things that would make for positive change, impacting Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, global economic justice, global security, eco-justice and domestic issues.
In 2004, more than 600 advocates representing a wide range of churches and organizations worldwide gathered for Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Because of local, national and global crises, organizers are expecting an even stronger turnout this year.
US Christians to lobby the Capitol for justice and peace
-30/01/05
With a new presidential term, a new congress and a renewed interest in how faith and politics connect, hundreds of US Christians are planning to descend on Capitol Hill from 11-14 March, for the third annual set of Ecumenical Advocacy Days for Global Peace with Justice.
Their presence will be a direct challenge to the dominance of the religious right in issues of public morality and political life.
More than 30 faith-based groups are sponsoring or supporting this yearís event, which will provide church leaders and lay people with a mix of worship, music, prayer, issue briefings, plenary speakers and advocacy training workshops, capped with visits to US senators and representatives or their key staff.
Participants will gather to assert to their representatives that it is time for a new vision of American policy that includes a much more complete understanding of moral values.
During the last election, media attention focused on moral issues related to abortion and same-sex marriage. This gathering will affirm that moral values start with building a just global community that nurtures peace, alleviates poverty, and protects the integrity of Godís creation.
ìAt this crossroad in our nationís history, it is critical that we speak out as people of faith against those things that we believe are immoral and sinful. We believe that the Bible clearly mandates that we act as peacemakers, uplift those who live in poverty and take care of Godís creation,î said the Rev Dr Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA.
He added: ìWe will be calling on lawmakers to enact foreign and domestic policies that reflect these moral imperatives.î
The 2005 Ecumenical Advocacy Days will highlight the urgency of pursuing sensible and peaceful solutions to conflicts as well as the need for aid, debt and trade policies that benefit impoverished people worldwide.
Bishop Vashti McKenzie, presiding bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the first woman to be elected to the bishopís council, and Elder Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the Presbyterian Church USA, are among the speakers who will address the assembly.
Also addressing the participants will be Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love, a professor at Catholic University of America and a US foreign policy and international affairs expert; and Baldemar Velasquez, the founder/president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, which recently settled a labor dispute with Mt. Olive Pickle Company following more than five years of public action.
This yearís theme, ìMake All Things New,î is based on Godís promise as recorded in the New Testament, say organizers. It will be developed in eight learning tracks. Participants will attend workshops that examine US policy, and things that would make for positive change, impacting Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, global economic justice, global security, eco-justice and domestic issues.
In 2004, more than 600 advocates representing a wide range of churches and organizations worldwide gathered for Ecumenical Advocacy Days. Because of local, national and global crises, organizers are expecting an even stronger turnout this year.