BI-PARTISAN HEALTH CARE SUMMIT

TO WATCH THE CONFERENCE,
PLEASE CLICK HERE.

St. Valentine's Day

The Governors and the all volunteer Advocacy Team of  The Disciples Center for Public Witness wish you a very happy and meaningful St. Valentine's Day.

PRAYER:  Grant, we beseech you, Almighty God, that, like Valentine, we might be ready to lay down our lives for your gospel and the vision of shalom in which it is grounded.  We pray for all martyrs who give their lives for the cause of justice and peace, and we ask that we might be guided by their example, becoming more perfect witnesses to and instruments of your love.  In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen.

Please show your love this Valentine's Day by giving to help our sisters and brothers in Haiti.

To make a financial contribution through Week of Compassion, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

The icon of St. Valentine is by Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS, and available with other religious art at Trinity Stores.

United Church of Canada Calls for Release of Detainees in Philippines

The following is a statement by Omega Bula, Executive Minister of the United Church of Canada’s Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit, about the arrest of 43 health workers in the Philippines:

"The United Church of Canada strongly condemns the arrest by 300 government security forces of two medical doctors, a nurse, a midwife, and 39 health workers in the Philippines on February 6, 2010.

"We call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately ensure that their rights are respected and to order their release. . . .

"We call on the Government of Canada to condemn the arrest of the 43 health workers and call for their immediate release.

"We call on the Government of Canada to help safeguard the future of democracy in the Philippines by putting pressure on the Philippine government to take immediate and concrete steps to implement measures to stop and prevent election-related violence and human rights abuses."

To read the entire statement, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Faith Communities Pray for Criminal Justice Reform

Faith communities across the nation and as far away as Kenya and Iraq prayed this week for reform of U.S. criminal justice. Nearly 90 faith communities in 24 states, the nation’s capital, Puerto Rico, Kenya and a U.S. service member in Iraq participated in the National Day of Prayer for Criminal Justice Reform on Februry 7th.

Among the people of faith participating in this effort were members of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Baptists, Catholics, Disciples of Christ, members of the Church of God in Christ, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Mennonites, Methodists, Nazarenes, Presbyterians, Unitarian Universalists, members of the United Church of Christ, and members of non-denominational churches. There were also several organizations whose ministry is criminal-justice-related.

"Jesus’ times of prayer were consistently followed with caring for the most vulnerable in his society,” said Bill Mefford, Director of Civil & Human Rights for the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, who took the lead in coordinating this effort. "Likewise, as his followers, we know that our day in prayer for criminal justice reform will launch us into missional action to create a genuinely new system."

Mefford emphasized that faith communities throughout the United States and even across the world, came together because they know the U.S. criminal justice system is broken. “What we need is a system where victims are cared for, public safety is maintained, and emphasis is taken off of retribution against the accused and is focused instead on restoration back into society and reconciliation with those who have been hurt,” he said.

Three pieces of legislation are important to criminal justice reform this year, according to Mefford. They are the following:

1. Pass the National Criminal Justice Commission Act: This legislation will mandate the creation of a commission to study every aspect of the U.S. criminal justice system and then make recommendations for legislative fixes, Mefford explained.
2. Eliminate the Sentencing Disparity between Crack and Powder Cocaine: “We are advocating for change in the sentencing for possession of crack cocaine, which is currently 5 years for 5 grams, to be raised to equal the sentence given to powder cocaine, 5 years for 500 grams,” Mefford explained. “Those who carry these small amounts of dangerous drugs are in need of treatment and not mandatory long prison sentences.”
3. Reauthorize the Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Act: “We are advocating for the removal of youths from the adult criminal justice system,” Mefford said.

The next step in the awareness campaign, which is still in the planning stages, is a week of "Faith in Action to Support Our Youths." The week will begin March 29 and will include conference calls, direct call ins, and possibly meetings with members of Congress in their districts.

Children to Lose Health Care Unless Congress Acts

Last year's federal stimulus package provided $87 billion in fiscal relief to states, helping them to prevent cuts to social service programs. This relief allowed states to continue to serve children, youth and families at a time of increased need and falling state revenues.

This assistance is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2010, in the middle of most states' fiscal years. Unfortunately, state revenues are not projected to increase in the coming fiscal year; in fact, states currently face shortfalls totaling $140 billion in fiscal year 2011. This means that without additional fiscal relief, states will have to institute massive new budget cuts and tax increases at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, when unemployment is expected to remain at or near double-digit levels and the economy will likely still be fragile.

Contact your member of Congress today: (202) 224-3121.

Already Governors around the country are proposing severe cuts to programs benefiting children and families. For example: Arizona's governor is proposing a budget that would eliminate the state's children's health insurance program (KidsCare), which covers 47,000 children; Colorado's governor is proposing a delay in payments to Medicaid providers and cuts in payment rates; New York's governor is proposing more than $400 million in reduced payments to health care providers and about $100 million in other health-related cuts; and South Carolina's governor is proposing capping total enrollment in the state's children's health insurance program.

Contact your member of Congress today: (202) 224-3121.

Urge your representative to act now to avoid cuts in vital services to children, youth and families by extending the The Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) and state fiscal stabilization assistance in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). In addition, the FMAP extension should continue to apply to both Medicaid and Title IV-E (foster care), and the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) should be extended beyond Medicaid to include the Children's Heath Insurance Program (CHIP).

Contact your member of Congress today: (202) 224-3121.

Faith Leaders Launch Nationwide Mobilization for Immigration Reform

In an unprecedented show of religious support for just, humane, comprehensive immigration reform, religious leaders from across the theological and ideological spectrum and Members of Congress kicked off a nationwide mobilization for immigration reform today on a conference call with reporters.

“Together, Not Torn: Families Can’t Wait for Immigration Reform,” includes the delivery of hundreds of thousands of pro-reform postcards – more than a million within the next month – to Members of Congress from people of faith in their states and districts and 100 events across the country during President's Day recess and into early March.

Thousands of people of faith at 100 local events across the country throughout the month of February and into March will deliver the moral message on immigration reform to state and federal legislators, reminding them of the urgent need to pass immigration reform that protects our values as a nation.

"The faith community is ready to lead our nation’s return to a place of welcome and opportunity for everyone," said The Rev. Jennifer Kottler, a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), director of policy and advocacy at Sojourners, a senior advisor to The Disciples Center for Public Witness, and spokeswoman for Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. "Let there be no question of where the faith community stands collectively on this issue: we stand on the side of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger among us."

Nationwide events and postcard deliveries organized as part of "Together, Not Torn: Families Can’t Wait for Immigration Reform" are sponsored by members of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Justice for Immigrants Campaign, and We Were Strangers, Too: The Jewish Campaign for Immigration Reform.

New Report Released on Religion And Human Sexuality

America’s religious leaders must do a better job of promoting sexual health, education and justice in congregations and communities, the Religious Institute asserts in a new report released today. Sexuality & Religion 2020: Goals for the Next Decade argues that, despite notable progress over the last decade--including greater inclusion of women and LGBT people, and increased attention to sexuality education in faith communities--most religious leaders and institutions are not meeting their responsibility to address the sexuality needs of congregants.

"Sexuality & Religion 2020 articulates the vision that by the year 2020, all faith communities will be sexually healthy, just and prophetic," said The Rev. Debra W. Haffner, executive director of the Religious Institute. "Achieving this vision is the work of clergy and congregations, of denominations and seminaries, and of advocates and activists of all faiths who believe we must change the conversation around sexuality and religion in America."

At a press conference highlighting the report, Dr. Martin E. Marty, a widely known and well-respected church historian and professor emeritus at The University of Chicago, said, "The religious have always paid the sexual dimension of human existence great compliments by being engrossed with it--whether to keep it at a distance or often by overreacting to it as a threat. The goals of Sexuality & Religion 2020 will help to spread information among the religious, thus helping them disclose and appreciate the promise associated with this sexual dimension, whenever it is openly and creatively addressed."

To download a copy of the report, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

For Haiti, A Modest Proposal

by Michael Kinnamon and George Hunsinger

A headline ricocheted around the Internet this week, requiring no further comments. It read simply:

"GDP of Haiti: $8.5 billion. Goldman Sachs bonus pool: $20 billion."

Even before the recent earthquake alerted us to Haiti’s misery, Goldman Sachs was uncomfortable about the attention its bonus system was attracting. Last September Lloyd Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs, acknowledged that "Compensation continues to generate controversy and anger." "In many respects," he added, "much of it is understandable and appropriate." The New York Times reported (October 12, 2009) that Goldman Sachs has considered improving its image by making a sizable charitable donation.

Now Haiti's disaster, on the front of every newspaper, has given Goldman Sachs an unequalled opportunity. A simple act of generosity could bring it front-page publicity, one that would do much to allay the controversy on everyone's lips.

To read more of this proposal, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Dr. Hunsinger is the Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Kinnamon is the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches.