wfn.org | Religious Leaders Urge Action On Poverty

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CONTACT: 	Thomas S. McAnally
(10-21-71B){191}
		Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470	 March 31, 1998

NOTE: This story is accompanied by a sidebar, UMNS #192.

Diverse group of religious leaders
warn of poverty crisis, urge action

by Woody Woodrick*

CARBONDALE, Ill. (UMNS) -- A poverty crisis looms just over the horizon,
and it must be addressed immediately, religious leaders decided at a
gathering near here.
A diverse group representing virtually all mainstream faiths gathered
March 24-25 at Great City State Park to prepare a statement on the moral
challenge of poverty facing the religious community.
The statement urges a cooperative effort among the public and private
sectors and the faith community to "free all those who are trapped in
poverty." The statement will be distributed among the various groups
represented at the meeting.
The gathering was sponsored by the Public Policy Institute at Southern
Illinois University-Carbondale. The institute's director, former U.S.
Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois, led the roundtable discussion, which
included about 20 groups and faiths.
Participants came from diverse backgrounds, ranging from the Nation of
Islam to Judaism, from the Southern Baptist denomination to the
Unitarian-Universalist church. The event also drew leaders from the
United Methodist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, the Christian Church, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian
Church, the Armenian Church, the Reformed Church in America, the
Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the
American Baptist Church. White House and Illinois state officials also
attended.
Bishop Jack Meadors of the Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference was
one of three United Methodists on the panel. He was joined by retired
Bishop Leroy Hodapp of Evansville, Ind., and layman James M. Wall,
editor of The Christian Century and a member of the United Methodist
Church. Hodapp also served as an adviser before the meeting. Wall, who
lives in Chicago, advised the panelists on how to spread the statement's
message through the media.
"For that diverse group to agree on the necessity of a response to
poverty was incredible," Meadors said. "We all affirmed our beliefs. We
moved beyond personal beliefs to unite in this statement."
The Rev. Herbert Martin, pastor of the Progressive Community Church in
Chicago, agreed.
"I think, given the diversity of the group, it is impressive that we
have come up with a consensus statement that is a step into the 20th
century. This document will greatly impact policy.
"Congregations, temples and synagogues are strongly urged to commit
their money and human resources," said Martin, a native of Mound Bayou,
Miss.
The statement points to statistics that indicate 21 percent of the
nation's population lives in poverty. It also urges congregations to
look beyond the current economic climate and to begin preparing for less
prosperous days.
The need for preparation was emphasized at the meeting's start by Bill
Wilson, a professor at the JFK School of Government at Harvard
University and an informal adviser to President Clinton.
The participants also heard personal stories from two women involved in
Illinois' programs to help welfare recipients become self-sufficient.
"We call upon our state and federal governments to re-examine what they
are doing as servants of all Americans, and we call upon congregations
of every religious persuasion to examine their actions and 'inactions,'"
the leaders said in the document.
"Working with the poor is an essential part of the religious life and is
an effective way of conveying what our faith compels us to do. We gather
as people of faith to call upon citizens of all religious traditions to
join in a common commitment to set free all those who are trapped in
poverty."
Meadors, who chairs the Bishops' Initiative on Children and Poverty, and
John Buehrens, president of the Unitarian-Universalist Association, made
a point of emphasizing the needs of children in the statement.
"I'm very pleased the document identified the crisis among children,"
Meadors said.
The statement urges government to work with the private sector in
meeting the needs of the unemployed, especially those who are difficult
to employ. The document also calls for programs that emphasize training,
mentoring, child care, transportation and medical care. Programs and job
policies should be constructed to encourage families to live together,
the religious leaders say.
"It is important to recognize that we have moved from government social
programs to partnerships," Meadors said.
Congregations also have a role to play, especially in addressing
emergency and long-term needs and providing "voices on behalf of the
people who have no voice in the struggle for equal opportunity,"
according to the document.
The statement includes questions that congregations should ask
themselves regarding their efforts to help the poor. Among the
questions:

	Are there creative, new ways for transportation needs to be met?

	Are members of our congregation taking in foster children?

	How many members of our congregation are providing volunteer
mentoring or tutoring services?

	Do we have any direct contact with people who are on welfare? Do
we understand their problems?

	Is our congregation reaching across racial barriers, either
through membership or through our congregation's activities?

	What services, if any, are we providing for the homeless?

	Can we do something to establish family-to-family links between
our congregation and those who are struggling?

	What can we do to establish ties either with an inner-city
congregation or with people in the inner city who are poor?

	Can our congregation place some of its investment dollars at the
service of the poor?

The closest any of the participants came to arguing was when they worked
on the statement's wording. Meadors said using the right words was
vital.
"It was important for the statement not to contribute to the problem by
speaking down to people in poverty," he said. "It's important to
recognize the poor have gifts to enrich the life of society. In the
faith community, we need the poor to save our souls."
The group tentatively plans to meet after the 1998 Congressional
elections and evaluate the statement's impact.
Said Meadors: "What I hope comes out of this is a commitment at every
level -- federal, state, public, private and faith -- to be in ministry
to speak to the powerful for the powerless."
				# # # 
*Woodrick is editor of the Mississippi United Methodist Advocate, the
newspaper of the Mississippi Conference.

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