Food Stamp Challenge: Kick off!

Yesterday morning, food stamp users gathered together with members of Congress, representatives of the Obama Administration, rabbis, priests, and reverends outside a Capitol Hill Safeway grocery store to kick off the Fighting Poverty with Faith (FPWF) Food Stamp Challenge.

NCC President Rev. Peg Chemberlin and other other faith leaders were joined by: White House Special Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Congresspersons Emmanuel Cleaver, Barbara Lee, Jan Schakowsky, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Donna Christensen, as well as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Dr. Kathleen Merrigan. They broke into teams and joined a shopping experience guided by local food stamp recipients, using the national average weekly food stamp allotment: $31.50. The event closed with an interfaith sending forth prayer.

This national Food Stamp Challenge kick-off event was the first of over 35 events nationwide planned by the 50 organizations that make up Fighting Poverty With Faith.

A joint effort co-chaired by the National Council of Churches, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Catholic Charities, and involving 50 faith-based organizations, the Food Stamp Challenge is a component of Fighting Poverty with Faith’s 2011 mobilization: “Working to End Hunger.”

Click here to read more about the Food Stamp Challenge and sign up. (It’s not too late!) You can also see whether there is a Fighting Poverty with Faith event happening near where you live. Finally, if you are a social media user, you can follow the action on Twitter at #foodstampchallenge or keep up with us on Facebook.
With Faith in an Abundant Future,

Michael Livingston

Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative

Rotunda 11 Prayer Vigil at DC Superior Court, October 11, 2011

Closing Statement and Prayer

Offered by Rev. Michael Livingston; Director, NCC Poverty Initiative, Past President, National Council of Churches

Thank you for being with us this morning.  Your presence bears witness to our belonging together in the struggle to demand a government that responds to the deep need of its people in times of quiet desperation.  And that refuses to turn its back or hoard its God given treasure from the nee of the world.

I hope and pray our actions have deepened the resolve of people of faith to insist that our legislators raise revenue through closing corporate loopholes and requiring fair and just tax assessments on the wealthiest individuals in our nation and by cutting unnecessary defense spending.  We need to raise revenue and lift the poor. We need a faithful budget that cares for people and makes for peace.

Let us pray:

Sovereign One, God of many names:  You created a world of abundance, enough for all.  We fight and hoard, buy and sell what you intend for the whole human family and creatures great and small.  We plunder the earth beneath us and despoil sea and air for profit, empty gain.

Bless this small sacrifice we have made and the precious friends who gather round us.  May our witness be one spark among the many needed to ignite a still latent truth—we are one people sharing one destiny on the only planet we will ever  call home.

Compassionate God, protect the poor among us, we are they.  Almighty God, bring peace among us; every fallen soldier, every civilian casualty is a brother or sister needlessly sacrificed on an altar of folly.  Gracious God, surprise us with the joy of hope renewed in our willingness to stand up for another, to keep one another safe, to deny the luxury of the few for the well-being of many. Your will be done.

God be with us in courtrooms, in orphanages and hospitals, refugee camps, employment lines, classrooms and the chambers of government.  God be in the White House, with the family in a house facing foreclosure, on the hard benches and grounds upon which too many of us sleep.  God be with us now, and always, until, acting upon our faith, we make the world a better place for us all.  Amen.

Going to Court for a Faithful Budget

In July, eleven religious leaders, including myself, were arrested in the Capitol Rotunda while praying and protesting for a Faithful Budget that protects the most vulnerable. (If you missed the story, you can read about it here.)

Now, we are going to court. The status hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 11.

We welcome your prayers - not simply for us, but for the eventual passage of a federal budget that raises revenue rather than cuts programs that serve the most vulnerable among us. Join the virtual prayer community on Facebook, or on Twitter using the hashtag #FaithfulBudget.  Those who are able, please join us to pray outside the courthouse at 8:00am at the Washington D.C. Superior Court, 500 Indiana Avenue, N.W.

The Prayer Service program is as follows:

Opening Prayer – The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson Director, Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness

Reflection on the purpose of our faithful action – The Rev. Jennifer Butler Executive Director, Faith in Public Life

Reflection on the purpose of our faithful action – The Rev. Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause

Closing Prayer – The Rev. Michael Livingston, Past President, National Council of Churches, and current Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative

To plan a Faithful Budget prayer vigil in your home community at any time this Fall, click here to see our Faithful Budget Vigil Resources. Let me know if you’re planning something.

Grace and Peace,

Michael Livingston

Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative

The Church’s Calling and Challenge

By: Carlos Malavé, President of the National Association of Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Staff and Associate for Ecumenical Relations of the PC(USA)

The financial difficulties in our country have deepened and the markets seem to keep us in a whirlwind of suspense. My first thoughts when I hear the news of the fall of the markets have been ones of indifference. In the past I have worried about my 401k, but there is really nothing I can do about it. If historical trends come into play, the stock market will get back on track once again.

 I have to confess that to think in these terms is really a “luxury”. Hundreds of thousands of our neighbors could not care less about 401k’s since they don’t have anything. Their concern is what and where they will eat and sleep tonight. The situation for them is really getting bad. Many of the organizations that provide services for homeless and poor people are getting the worst out of these troubling times.  Increasingly states are cutting their budgets for these services. At least 31 states have projected shortages for fiscal year 2012, a sum of more than $86 billion. Assistance for the poor is not exempt from cutbacks.

 I guess this is not news for most of us; many of our agencies have been confronting this reality for some years now. I believe, in most situations, the Church will have to seriously consider its commitment to fulfill its responsibility towards the poor. A church leader has said: “Asking churches and other charitable organizations to pick up the slack won’t do the job of caring for the chronic poor completely.” The same leader added that the Church’s financial philanthropy represents a small response to poverty. “It doesn’t in any way counteract the government budget cuts that – we believe – are not in keeping with the extensive biblical mandate to care for the poor.”

There is a limit to what the church can do; there is also a limit to what the government can do. One of the important questions is: Are both doing their best effort? Can our churches honestly say that they are doing all they can? Or the best they can do? Do our church budgets reflect our verbal commitment to the poor?

 Our ecumenical and interfaith agencies must engage our churches in these critical conversations. It is time to set our priorities right. Our voices must not be silent.

                                                                 –Carlos Malavé

Faithful Budget National Call-in Days: Oct 4-5

In the face of the nation’s fiscal and employment crises, Congress needs to hear your voice: a moral voice of reason, calling for love of neighbor.

Twelve legislators, known as the “Super Committee,” have been given immense power over U.S. federal budget decisions that will impact many years to come. Social safety net programs such as WIC, SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and others are in danger of drastic cuts.

Please call your Senator or Congressman today and tomorrow October 4-5 and ask for a Faithful Budget that preserves the dignity and protects the well-being of God’s most vulnerable people. See call-in details and the Congressional Representatives that you should reach out to below. To get more involved, visit the Faithful Budget campaign page here.

Please forward this email to friends, family, and your faith community, and let us know if you made the call!
With Faith in an Abundant Future,

Michael Livingston

Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative

Call in number: 1-888-784-0527

(Note: This number will take you to the Capitol Switchboard. You will have to ask an operator to connect you to your Senator or Congressman’s office.)

Sample Call Script:

“Can I please be connected with (name of Senator / Representative– see list below) office?” (This may take a moment.)

Once you are connected with that office: “Hi, I’d like to leave a message about the federal budget.”

Once you reach the staffer or a voice mail, say something like:

“Hi my name is_______ and I am from _____ (city, state). As a person of faith, I am concerned that the federal budget negotiations are putting the most vulnerable peoples’ dignity and livelihood in peril. I believe programs that provide health care, nutrition assistance, shelter, education, and care for God’s Creation should be protected. I ask that you ensure options such as closing corporate tax loopholes and other revenue-raising opportunities remain on the negotiating table.”

Note: If you have time to call both your Senators and your Congress(wo)man, please do so. If you only have time to make one call, please prioritize calling the individual listed below. If you have a short personal testimony about how social safety net programs have helped your family or community, it is helpful to adapt the above script and include your story in your message. If you are unable to talk to anyone or leave a message, it is best to try back later.

If you’re a social media user, encourage your friends to call by linking up to this URL: http://www.nccendpoverty.org/budget/FaithfulBudgetCall-inDays.html on Facebook and Twitter (@NCCEndPoverty). Use the hashtag #FaithfulBudget to share on Twitter about the Faithful Budget call-in days.

Who to Ask for, by State:

AK –Senator Mark Begich (Senate Budget Committee member)

AL –Senator Jeff Sessions (Senate Budget Committee, Ranking member)

AR – Call your district representative or your senators.

AZ –Senator Jon Kyl (Member of “Super Committee;” also Senate minority whip)

CA –Rep. Xavier Becerra (Member of Super Committee); Rep. Nancy Pelosi (House Minority Leader); Rep. Kevin McCarthy (House Majority Whip), Rep. John Campbell (House Budget Committee & Appropriations designee); Representatives Ken Calvert, Tom McClintock, Mike Honda, and Karen Bass (House Budget Committee members)

CO – Call your district representative or your senators.

CT – Call your district representative or your senators.

DE –Senator Chris Coons (Senate Budget Committee)

FL –Senator Bill Nelson (Senate Budget Committee Member) ; Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Cathy Castor (House budget committee)

GA –Rep. Tom Price and Rob Woodall (House Budget Committee)

HI –Senator Daniel K. Inouye (President Pro Tempore)

IA – Senator Charles Grassley (Senate Budget Committee)

ID –Senator Mike Crapo (Senate Budget Committee); Rep. Mike Simpson (House Budget Committee & Appropriations designee)

IL –Senator Dick Durbin (Senate Majority Whip)

IN –Rep. Marlin Stutzman& Todd Young (House Budget committee); Todd Rokita (House Budget Committee)

KS –Rep. Tim Huelskamp (House Budget Committee)

KY –Senator Mitch McConnell (Senate Minority Leader); John Yarmuth (House Budget Committee)

LA – Call your district representative or your senators.

MA – Senator John Kerry (Member of Super Committee)

MD – Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Member of Super Committee); Senator Ben Cardin (Senate Budget Committee Member); Rep. Steny Hoyer (House Minority Whip)

ME – Call your district representative or your senators.

MI – Rep. Dave Camp or Rep. Fred Upton (Both are members of the Super Committee.); Senator Debbie Stabenow (Senate Budget Committee Member); Rep. Justice Amash (House Budget Committee)

MN –Rep. Betty McCollum (House Budget committee)

MO –Rep. Todd Akin (House Budget committee)

MS – Call your district representative or your senators.

MT –Senator Max Baucus (Member of Super Committee)

NC –Rep. Keith Schuler (House Budget Committee)

ND –Senator Kent Conrad (Senate Budget Committee Chairman)

NE – Call your district representative or your senators.

NH –Senator Kelly Ayotte (Senate Budget Committee); Rep. Frank Guinta (House Budget Committee)

NJ – Rep. Scott Garrett (Vice Chair, House Budget Committee); Rep. Bill Pascrell (House Budget Committee)

NM – Call your district representative or your senators.

NV –Senator Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader)

NY – Rep. Paul Tonko (House Budget Committee)

OH – Senator Rob Portman (Member of Super Committee, also on Senate Budget Committee); Rep. John Boehner (Speaker of the House); Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Tim Ryan (House Budget Committee)

OK –Rep. Tom Cole (House Budget Committee and Appropriations designee); Rep. James Lankford (House Budget Committee)

OR –Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (Senate Budget Committee); Rep. Earl Blumenaur (House Budget Committee)

PA –Senator Pat Toomey (Member of Super Committee, also on Senate Budget Committee); Rep. Allyson Schwartz (House Budget Committee)

RI – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Senate Budget Committee)

SC- Representative James Clyburn (Member of Super Committee); Senator Lindsay Graham (Senate Budget Committee);  Rep. Mick Mulvaney (House Budget committee)

SD –Senator John Thune (Senate Budget Committee)

TN –Rep. Diane Black (House Budget Committee; Ways & Means designee)

TX – Rep. Jeb Hensarling (Co-Chair of the Super Committee); Senator Jon Cornyn (Senate Budget Committee); Rep. Bill Flores (House Budget Committee); Rep. Lloyd Doggett (House Budget Committee)

UT – Rep. Jason Chaffetz (House Budget Committee)

VA –Senator Jim Warner (Senate Budget Committee), Rep. Eric Cantor (House Majority Leader)

VT –Senator Bernard Sanders (Senate Budget Committee)

WA –Rep. Patty Murray (Co-Chair of the Super Committee)

WI –Senator Ron Johnson (Senate Budget Committee); Rep. Paul Ryan (Chair, House Budget Committee); Reps. Reid Ribble and Gwen Moore (House Budget Committee)

WV – Call your district representative or your senators.

WY –Senator Mike Enzi (Senate Budget Committee)