NCC Poverty Update - August 2002

SPEAKING OF POVERTY:
'Mr. President, We Want
Our Slogan Back'
In an opinion column widely distributed via Religion News Service in mid-July, Marian Wright Edelman, founder of Children's Defense Fund (an NCC partner ministry), had strong words for those in government regarding the needs of poor children. Here's an excerpt:

    To the surprise of many, President Bush's new welfare reform plan requires states to dramatically increase the work requirements for families moving from welfare to work, raises the number of hours mothers of small children must work to receive benefits, and does it all with not one thin dime of additional federal funds for child care.
    This is surprising because during his 2000 campaign President Bush was so intent on showing his compassionate conservatism and interest in the futures of the youngest, most vulnerable Americans that he co-opted the Children's Defense Fund's own motto to "Leave No Child Behind."
    Mr. President, we want our slogan back.
    The Bush Administration's welfare proposal as outlined undermines the very aim he says he espouses. . . . To read the rest of this article, click here.

REGIONAL ECUMENICAL ACTION:
State, Local Councils
Address Poverty Issues
A midsummer survey of state, local and regional ecumenical organizations by NCC's Erika McCullough discovered these initiatives and ideas for fighting poverty:

Portland, Maine:
The Maine Council of Churches has led in pressing for action by the Governor's task force addressing a 100% increase in homelessness in Maine over the past decade. The Council also successfully challenged proposed budget cuts that endangered the health and safety of the poor: children, the elderly, the infirm, the mentally challenged and lower income workers. For more, click here.

Sacramento, California:
California Church IMPACT is a legislative project of the California Council of Churches whose goal includes assisting low-income mothers, hungry children, elderly, immigrants, and the homeless who cannot afford high priced lobbyists at the state capitol. The Council project address issues such as welfare reform, expanding access to health care, gun violence, civil rights, and the protection of religious liberty. More details are available on the CCC website: click here.

Richmond, Virginia:
The Virginia Council of Churches refugee resettlement program finds and supports sponsors (such as churches and families) who are interested in helping incoming refugees. Sponsors offer friendship, prayer and the basic immediate needs that one might require during resettlement such as housing, furnishing, clothing and food. To check details: click here.

Tacoma, Washington:
Project Interdependence, sponsored by the 200 congregations of Associated Ministries of Tacoma and Pierce County, is a collaborative effort with the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). The goal is to provide a team of volunteers who build caring and supportive relationships with individuals and families transitioning from welfare to work. To read more about it, click here.

NCC PovertyUpdate
. . . appears each month on the NCC website, www.ncccusa.org. Tell colleagues and friends about this service, and if you have a website, please link to us. Suggestions for content? E-mail news@ncccusa.org.

Here are links to Poverty Updates for:

March 2002. . . April 2002 . . . May 2002 . . . June 2002 . . . July 2002 . . . August 2002 . . . September 2002 . . .October 2002 . . . November 2002 . . . December 2002 thru February 2003

Pastor Fred Day visits with South African child

Above: Philadelphia pastor Fred Day visits with a young South African during the NCC-Habitat for Humanity build in Durban. His reflections on the experience appear below . . .

PREACHING ABOUT POVERTY:
'Ubuntu' on Elephant Way: Report from South Africa
Fred Day, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Germantown, Pennsylvania, (see photo above) was one of 45 volunteers on the National Council of Churches team that participated in the Habitat for Humanity Jimmy Carter Work Project in Durban, South Africa, earlier this summer.

The project built more than 100 homes in partnership with the South African families who now are the proud residents of these clean, safe dwellings. On June 15, Dr. Day shared his experiences with his home congregation. To read his message in full, click here.

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FUNDING INITIATIVES:
HHS Offers Funds To Assist Faith-Based Organizations
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the availability of $30 million in funds to help level the playing field for faith- and community-based organizations competing for federal grants and other funding.

The Compassion Capital Fund represents the first appropriated federal funds that are specifically targeted to assist grassroots organizations since President Bush announced the faith-based and community initiative last year. Under the Compassion Capital Fund demonstration program, nearly $25 million will be made available to 15-25 organizations that will provide technical assistance to help faith-based and community organizations. Source: HandsNet.

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FACTS AND FIGURES:
'Priorities' Website Offers Federal Spending Data
The National Priorities Project, a nonprofit database available on the Internet, carries tables showing what different areas of military spending cost each state's taxpayers and what that money could buy to meet local "people" needs instead. Breakdowns include the cost of nuclear weapons; missile defense; the proposed increase in military spending for FY2003 and the cost of jet fighter programs.

Each area of spending is contrasted with how many children could receive health care coverage or attend Head Start programs; how many affordable houses could be built or how many elementary teachers could be hired. To find out the trade-offs in your state, click here.

MOBILIZATION RESOURCES:
New Website Empowers Low-Income Communities
Citing research indicating 50 million Americans are currently underserved by available Web-based resources, The Children's Partnership with the Markle Foundation has launched the Community Contentbank, an online resource that provides low-income communities with information and tools to serve their unique needs. Unlike most online resources, the new Web site promotes the creation of original content tailored to the needs of poor, limited-literacy and non-English-speaking populations, who are often ignored by conventional information channels. Source: AScribe Newswire.

NCC MEMBER COMMUNIONS
African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Alliance of Baptists
American Baptist Churches in the USA
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Church of the Brethren
The Coptic Orthodox Church in North America
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Friends United Meeting
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Hungarian Reformed Church in America
International Council of Community Churches
Korean Presbyterian Church in America
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
Mar Thoma Church
Moravian Church in America Northern Province and Southern Province
National Baptist Convention of America
National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
Orthodox Church in America
Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Polish National Catholic Church of America
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
Reformed Church in America
Serbian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and Canada
The Swedenborgian Church
Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America
United Church of Christ
The United Methodist Church

NCC MINISTRY PARTNERS
Bread for the World
Call to Renewal
Children's Defense Fund
Church World Service
Families USA
Good Schools Pennsylvania
Habitat for Humanity
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
National Jobs for All Coalition
National Religious Partnership for the Environment

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Produced by the Communication Department, National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, NY10115. Comments/ suggestions: 212-870-2227 or news@ncccusa.org. Copyright 2002 by National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA.