Faithful Budget Organizing Webinar: Sept. 27 12:00pm ET

Dear Friends in Faith,

Daily Faithful Budget Prayer vigils were held on Capitol Hill over the summer. Would you hold a vigil in your state or district?

A Congressional “Super Committee” has been charged with finding $1.2 trillion to cut from the federal budget by November 23. This could impact every federal program under the sun: Social Security, Medicare, services that feed the poor, foreign aid, the military, tax breaks and more. These cuts would be coming at a time when the U.S. poverty rate is at a 45 year high and one in eight people live in poverty.

This Tuesday, join the faith community working for a Faithful Budget to learn how these decisions will affect you and your community. Meet others working for a just federal budget in your community, and learn what you can do to protect people living in poverty from devastating program cuts. Details for sharing in your networks are below.

Topic: Faithful Budget National Organizing Webinar
Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Time: 12pm Eastern Time, 11am Central, 10am Mountain, 9am Pacific
Meeting Number: 687 149 705

The Faithful Budget Webinar will give you the basics on what’s happening in Washington and how you can get involved. Faith leaders will offer some words of inspiration and motivation to fuel your work for justice. We’ll also connect you to others in your community who share your concerns through state break-out calls immediately following the presentation.

Please RSVP to Shantha Ready Alonso: shantha@nccendpoverty.org
——————————————————-
To join the online meeting (Now from mobile devices!)
1. Go to
https://pbucc.webex.com/pbucc/j.php?ED=132591542&UID=0&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D

2. If requested, enter your name and email address.
3. Click “Join”.

Joint Faithful Budget work in the DC faith advocacy community began in Summer 2011, and was widely covered in the news. Now, we realize our coordination and organizing must extend further.

If you are unable to join the webinar, you may join for the audio conference portion:  Call-in toll-free number: 1-866-699-3239  Access code: 687 149 705

Also, click here to check out our Action Toolkit for a Faithful Budget.

The webinar will be immediately followed by conference calls with others in your area, if you are in the state of a member of the Super Committee. The call-in details for these break-out calls are posted below. They will also be posted at the end of the webinar If you are not in one of the Super Committee members’ states, you have the option to remain on the national call to continue brainstorming and networking.

TO JOIN THE BREAKOUT CALLS: 12:35pm ET/ 11:35am CT/ 10:35am MT/ 9:35am PT
ARIZONA (Sen. Kyl). Facilitator: Jordan, Church of the Brethren. Call-In #: (218) 632-0550.
Code: 948490#

CALIFORNIA (Rep. Becerra) Facilitator: Eric, Network, A Catholic Social Justice Lobby. Call-in #: (605) 475-4700. Code: 691392#

MASSACHUSETTS (Sen. Kerry). Facilitator: Amelia, Bread for the World. Call-in #: (530) 881-1000. Code: 178932#

MARYLAND (Rep.Van Hollen). Facilitator: Jessica, American Friends Service Committee. Call-in #: (605)475-4875. Code: 350900#

MICHIGAN (Reps. Camp & Upton). Co-Facilitators: Shantha, National Council of Churches and Ebony, Gamaliel of MI. Call-in #: (712) 432-3100. Code: 632922*

MONTANA (Sen. Baucus). Facilitator: Sr. Marge, Network, A Catholic Social Justice Lobby. Call-in #: (218) 862-6789. Code: 199126*

OHIO (Sen. Portman). Facilitator: Sr. Mary Ellen, Network, A Catholic Social Justice Lobby. Call-in #: (218) 339-4600. Code: 792226#

PENNSYLVANIA (Sen Toomey). Facilitator: Claire, Network, A Catholic Social Justice Lobby. Call-in #: (661) 673-8600. Code: 494680#

SOUTH CAROLINA (Rep. Clyburn). Facilitator: Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Presbyterian Church, USA. Call-in # (213) 417-9250. 247144#

TEXAS (Rep. Hensarling). Facilitator: Marty, Church World Service. Call-in #: (712)432-0180. Code: 741439#

WASHINGTON (Sen. Murray). Facilitator: Sandy Sorensen, United Church of Christ. Call-in #: (712)775-7000. Code: 100494#

Everywhere else: Facilitator: Doug, Ecumenical Advocacy Days, Call-in #: (218) 862-1300. Code:
563124*

Grace and Peace,

Michael Livingston

Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative

Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America, by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel

Growing Up Empty: The Hunger Epidemic in America, by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel. Jordan Blevins, Advocacy Officer with the Church of the Brethren, recommends this book.

Published in 2002, it gives an overview of the problem of hunger in the United States through various lenses – the middle class, the always poor, the working poor, the military, the homeless, and more. And, of course, this is a problem that hasn’t gone away, but rather gotten worse since 2002.

If you’ve read it or you want to, comment on the blog to start a discussion, or tweet us @NCCEndPoverty.

Do you have a book recommendation? Send it our way at info@nccendpoverty.org

September Newsletter

The September issue of the National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative newsletter is here.

Economic catastrophe was narrowly avoided this past month with the passage of dreadful legislation to avoid default for the first time in our nation’s history. With a trillion dollars in mandatory spending cuts, an already-hard life will become more even more difficult for millions of Americans. The unemployment rate remains stagnant and millions of out-of-work Americans are losing hope and feeling despair. Solutions to these problems do not lie in the hands of those who will be most affected by them.

Twelve legislators, the newly-appointed “Super committee” have been given immense power. Their proposals will have a tremendous impact on budgets for years to come. If partisan politics rears its ugly head and the committee fails to reach consensus then an additional 1.5 trillion in across-the-board cuts will become mandatory, decimating programs such as WIC, SNAP, and others. As people of faith we must stand and take action to protect programs that must be spared from looming budget cuts.

Please read our newsletter at

http://www.nccendpoverty.org/Newsletters/September2011.php

Grace and Peace,

Michael Livingston

Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative

Inside the September 2011 Edition of the Poverty Initiative Newsletter

Join the NCC in Working for a Faithful Federal Budget.

NCC Warns Politicians: You Cannot Ignore the Poor and Claim the Bible as Your Guide

United Church of Christ took part in a 5000-strong rally to safeguard public education in DC.

Teleconference Prayer Vigil for Inclusive, Affordable Healthcare for All: Sept. 14 at 12 ET.

United Methodists highlighted in NCC-commissioned TV documentary on hunger issues: “A Piece of Bread: Food, Earth, and the Future.”

Take the Food Stamp Challenge: October 27-November 6.

Click here to read these stories, find resources, and take action.