Welcome to NCC's
Poverty March 2003

 

Introduction by Bob Edgar

Guide to this Website

Important Dates During March

The task of ending poverty may feel particularly daunting today. Not only are we faced with the prospect of a war likely to drain precious resources away from poor individuals and families, but many parts of our country are also entrenched in recession.

We can rejoice, however, in the marvelous anti-poverty work that is being done right now in every corner of our nation. This special web resource, developed by the NCC's Economic Justice and Domestic Poverty Working Group, reminds us that there is always hope to be found, even in desperate times. The stories included here are guaranteed to inspire and provide comfort – there are wonderful people doing important ministry everywhere.

During this decade, the Council is committed to mobilizing Christians to take seriously the issue of poverty.  Each year, we are turning the spotlight up extra bright during the month of March, to give us a clear picture of where we are, and where we still need to go. Through this website (as well as last year's Poverty March website, still accessible by clicking here) and in many other ways, we will Network among member communions and partner organizations, Challenge each other to excel in our quest for solutions, Communicate promising ideas, and Celebrate the best practices of those working effectively at the task. 

Thank you for joining us in this ministry of action!

Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary,
The National Council of Churches

Finding Your Way Around the Poverty March 2003 website:

 

 

Introduction by Bob Edgar

Guide to this Website

Important Dates During March

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• Week One: Jobs and Income
• Week Two: Health Care
• Week Three: Hunger Issues
• Week Four: Housing and Homelessness

We hope this web resource will enable its viewers to:

• Inform: Each week we will offer fact sheets and information about current issues related to jobs, health care, hunger and housing in the United States.
• Act: Opportunities to take action and link up with national campaigns will also be offered on a weekly basis.
• Reflect: Stories of programs and ministries from around the country will illuminate the variety of ways that people approach issues of unemployment, lack of affordable, accessible health care, hunger and homelessness. We have grouped the stories into several different approaches:
  
  -    Listening to and including those most affected by poverty…
  -    Meeting people’s basic needs…
  -    Empowering people for transformation…
  -    Advocating for systemic change…
  -    Developing alternative thinking and approaches…
  
  These stories will provide a way for people to critically reflect on why they do their work the way they do. Resources will be offered for revisiting and renewing ministry commitments.
• Worship: We will offer worship resources for the first four Sundays in Lent, beginning with March 9, 2003. Devotions from the Micah 6 Prayer and Devotional Guide are the focus of these Lenten reflections. The NCC’s Micah 6 program offers a variety of resources for congregational renewal, and encourages Micah 6 churches to integrate works of justice, acts of kindness and the humble path of discipleship into all aspects of church life. For more information, visit www.micah6.org .

The 2003 PovertyMarch web resource is a presentation of the National Council of Churches Economic Justice and Domestic Poverty Working Group. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful. As an added resource, the 2002 Poverty March website is still accessible anytime, by clicking here.

Important Dates During March 2003

Introduction by Bob Edgar

Guide to this Website

Important Dates During March

Return to the top

• March 10-16, Cover the Uninsured Week
• March 11-14, SCUPE, Congress on Urban Ministry
• March 13-15, Agricultural Missions, Annual Event
• March 15, University of the Poor, School of Theology Gathering

March 10-16, 2003 -- Cover the Uninsured Week.    Lack of access to affordable health insurance is one of America’s biggest health challenges. More than 41 million Americans are uninsured and their numbers are growing as the economy weakens. As a result, more people are living sicker and dying younger. And being uninsured is not just a problem for the unemployed. Eight out of 10 uninsured Americans are in working families.

In response to this escalating crisis, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and some of the most influential organizations in the United States, including many faith groups, will cosponsor Cover the Uninsured Week (CTUW). This unprecedented weeklong series of national and local activities, March 10-16, 2003, will seek to raise public awareness of the uninsured to the level of top national priority and to demonstrate broad agreement that a solution must be found.

Expect to see involvement by celebrities, national religious leaders and elected officials. Former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter have already agreed to serve as honorary co-chairs of this unique, nonpartisan effort. CTUW will conclude with interfaith activities, including prayer breakfasts around the country on Friday, March 14—events that will convene community religious leaders of many faiths to pray and speak together about the problem of uninsured Americans and to seek possible solutions. For more information on CTUW and/or planning interfaith activities in your community, contact Ginger Plummer at 202-572-2842.

March 11-14, 2003 -- "The Witness of the Church Amidst Poverty and Plenty," SCUPE Congress on Urban Minisry, Chicago, Ill.    Hundreds of urban ministry practitioners from across the country will gather in Chicago March 11-14, 2003, to nourish their witness in a land of economic extremes, to shine the gospel light on poverty and plenty.

They will gather as the 2003 Congress on Urban Ministry, a biennial event sponsored by the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE). SCUPE, which is based in Chicago, is an interdenominational organization offering innovative programs of graduate and continuing education for urban ministers, service agency staff, community developers and others “seeking to do God’s work in the city.”

For more information or to register for the 2003 Congress on Urban Ministry contact SCUPE at 200 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 502, Chicago, IL 60601. Phone: 3112-726-1200. E-mail: congress@scupe.com.

March 13-15, 2003 – “Sustainable Rural Communities in the Global Economy – Restoring the Church’s Vocation to the Land”, Waveland, MS. This year’s Agricultural Missions event comes amid the crisis that rural peoples and their communities face as a result of increasing globalization of the world’s economy. This has caused economic and social hardships as well as damage to the environment. In addition to addressing these issues, the study session will also focus on the role that the churches need to play in addressing the injustices on God’s creation, resulting from economic globalization.

March 15, 2003 -- A Day of Reflection, Renewal, and Resistance in the Christian Tradition, Little Portion Friary, Mt. Sinai, NY. Offered by the University of the Poor’s School of Theology. This day will bring together leaders of grassroots poor people’s organizations and community activists for shared conversation on economic human rights and Christian theology. The gathering is designed with times for rest, walking the labyrinth, worship, and creative pursuits, punctuated by provocative presentations and shared reflection. The event will offer an opportunity to explore what sustains us in our ongoing organizing. A delicious lunch is provided featuring homemade bread.

The Friary is set on a sloping, wooded hill adjacent to the Long Island Sound. Come and join us for this renewing time. The gathering is free (donations are welcome) and will began at 9:00 am and end at 4:00 pm. To register contact Little Portion Friary at 631-473-0553.