wfn.org | NCC's Edgar Endorses Bush's Faith-Based Partnership Plan

[Carol Fouke <carolf@ncccusa.org>]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2252
Weekend: (Dr. Edgar) 917-821-0852; (News Staff) 917-690-6075; 212-662-9999
E-mail: news@ncccusa.org    Web: www.ncccusa.org
NCC2/8/02 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCC's EDGAR COMMENDS BUSH, ENDORSES FAITH-BASED PARTNERSHIP PLAN

February 8, 2002, NEW YORK CITY - General Secretary Bob Edgar of the
National Council of Churches has written to President Bush expressing
support for the "Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment" (CARE) bill
advancing the President's faith-based initiative in Congress, and commending
President Bush for his leadership on the issue.

At the same time, Dr. Edgar cautioned that the plan must receive adequate
funding for the public-private partnership to succeed.

"We will encourage others to support the 'CARE' proposal and will work for
its passage and implementation," Dr. Edgar wrote, adding that "those in need
must not be made to wait. Religious and community agencies offer great gifts
to the provision of social services?and charitable giving can be fostered in
their support."

Dr. Edgar, a former six-term member of Congress, and NCC Deputy General
Secretary for Research and Planning Dr. Eileen Lindner were both
participants in the bi-partisan consensus group organized by Senator Rick
Santorum and former Senator Harris Wofford to study the complex issue of tax
support for private and religious social services.  Many of the group's 29
recommendations are incorporated in the proposed legislation.

The letter underlined what Dr. Edgar had emphasized in a meeting at the
White House with President Bush last week:  the importance of "an overall
increase in the funding available for this public-private partnership to
assure its capacity to address the concerns of those on the margins of
society."  Dr. Edgar said he is encouraged by the projection of modest
increases but, "in the present economic climate the prestige and leadership
of the White House will be required to secure more federal resources to
provide adequate services to the needy."

"We know how to work with the unemployed, the poor and many of the disabled
in their struggles to gain employment, to fully support their families and
to be productive citizens. It would be tragic if we lacked the vision and
the nerve to make that investment. We look to you for the leadership to
enable this partnership to flourish in ways that strengthen all of us as a
people and a nation," Dr. Edgar concluded in his letter to President Bush.

The National Council of Churches is the nation's largest ecumenical
organization, with 36 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican member communions
comprising 50 million adherents in 140,000 local congregations.  The full
text of Dr. Edgar's letter to President Bush follows.

February 8, 2002
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the National Council of Churches -- 36 communions, 140,000
churches and 50,000,000 Americans - I write with gratitude for your
leadership in bringing forward the Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act
of 2002.

A year ago your faith-based initiative stimulated a broad, national debate
on the role and efficacy of religious and community-based organizations in
the provision of social services. From the perspective of many in the
religious community, the stakes included this nation's treasured guarantees
on the separation of church and state and also the ability of religious
bodies to critique public policies with integrity.

These important issues have been addressed in a number of venues in recent
months. We have worked hard to contribute to those discussions, particularly
within the bi-partisan process initiated by Senator Rick Santorum and former
Senator Harris Wofford. We are especially pleased to see the fruits of this
remarkable consensus group so fully reflected in the proposed legislation.

Mr. President, we salute you and your administration for encouraging the
democratic process to work. As a result, the present bill should enjoy the
broad support of Americans concerned both for those in need and for the
independence and integrity of religious bodies.

We will encourage others to support the "CARE" proposal and will work for
its passage and implementation. Those in need must not be made to wait.
Religious and community agencies offer great gifts to the provision of
social services that empower recipients, and charitable giving can be
fostered in their support.

As a former member of Congress, I know how difficult it can be to craft
legislation that will address a pressing need and engage the most effective
mechanisms to get the job done. The CARE bill is an example of such
leadership.

In our meeting with you last week, Mr. President, I noted the importance of
an overall increase in the funding available for this public-private
partnership to assure its capacity to address the concerns of those on the
margins of society. I am encouraged by the projection of modest increases
but know that in the present economic climate the prestige and leadership of
the White House will be required to secure more federal resources to provide
services to the neediest among us.

 We know how to work with the unemployed, the poor and many of the disabled
in their struggles to gain employment, to fully support their families and
to be productive citizens. It would be tragic if we lacked the vision and
the nerve to make that investment. We look to you for the leadership to
enable this partnership to flourish in ways that strengthen all of us as a
people and a nation.

May God's grace sustain you.

	Sincerely, Bob Edgar, General Secretary, National Council of Churches