wfn.org | Washington Office Awards Go To Rep. Clayton and New Covenant

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Presbytery 19-June-1998 
GA98112 
 
Washington Office Awards Go To Rep. Clayton and New Covenant Presbytery 
 
                         by Nancy Rodman 
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--"We have all come from different places, but we have all 
come to the foot of the cross because of our common bond in the love of 
Jesus Christ.  We have come to proclaim again that God is still at work in 
the world," The Honorable Eva Clayton said to open her keynote address as 
the 1998 Presbyterian Washington Office Public Policy Advocacy Awards were 
presented Thursday.  Washington Office Director Elenora Giddings Ivory 
presented the awards to  Congresswoman Clayton and the Presbytery of New 
Covenant.  
   Congresswoman Clayton, the first African-American woman to represent the 
state of North Carolina and a recently ordained elder at Cotton Memorial 
Presbyterian Church in Henderson, was recognized for her strong advocacy 
for education and vocational training, economic development, rural health, 
the minimum wage, and reducing teenage pregnancy. 
   "This General Assembly and dinner represent a time for us to come 
together to reflect on our unique opportunity and responsibility to be 
faithful to God's will," Congresswoman Clayton said.  She commended the 
General Assembly for being active and proactive in social justice.  Noting 
the end of the Ecumenical Decade of the Churches in Solidarity with Women, 
she outlined the role women can play in partnership with men through the 
church.   
   Women can take a greater role, not only politically but as citizens, 
being active in advocacy and engaged in debate about issues and policy. 
They can work to improve the lives of our children as advocates for public 
education, effective and accessible child care and early childhood 
intervention, health care for all, equity in pay, and the reduction of 
teenage pregnancy.  
    "Where is the church?" Congresswoman Clayton asked as she spoke of the 
need to engage youth constructively to reduce destructive behavior such as 
smoking and violence.  She cited statistics of violence against women: four 
million women battered every year, one every 13 seconds.  Our charge, she 
said, is to love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with our God. 
   New Covenant Presbytery was honored for its sponsorship of an annual 
"Church in Washington" legislative seminar in which more than 130 persons 
have participated in the last five years.  Participants from the 
Houston-area presbytery, which includes seven congressional districts, meet 
with Washington Office staff, hear from other church-related advocacy 
groups and visit their Members of Congress. 
   When the participants return home, they lead public policy advocacy 
training for their congregations.  The key to the success of the program is 
the commitment to educating participants on the Reformed theological and 
biblical understanding of justice, issues facing our nation, and effective 
advocacy techniques. 

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