"What One Can Do" - The Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation blog

An blog update for YOU!

2010-01-19T16:18:00.001-06:00

Hey friends and fans! We've moved the blog.
The new address (so you can update your RSS feeds and readers) is http://e4gr.wordpress.com/. Please update your lists!

We recently asked our wonderful team of bloggers if they had interest keep up writing and posting, and from this group there was little time and availability. However--we would LOVE to add your voice to the mix!

If you are interested in writing, posting and keeping us all in the loop on making a difference towards achieving the MDGs--we need YOU! Please email Executive Director, Devon Anderson at e4gred (at) gmail (dot) com or leave us a comment here and we'll contact you right away!

This blog will be removed soon, but each and every single post has been archived and saved, and is completely searchable anytime at http://egrarchive.wordpress.com/

Thanks and look forward to seeing you all at the new space!

Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation
End Poverty. Unite the Church. Heal a Broken World.
http://www.e4gr.org
http://e4gr.wordpress.com/

Diocese of MD and MDGs

2009-10-12T14:57:00.005-05:00

Exciting times are here again this year in the Diocese of MD - we have 10 applicants for the Diocesan MDG grants - including many new applicants. The Committee is excited to learn of the work parishes are doing in alleviating extreme poverty and the variety of ministries they are participating in. The Committee will make our recommendations to Diocesan Council in November. Our website is http://www.globalmission.ang-md.org/

E4GR Half the Sky - MDG#3

2009-09-07T12:51:00.002-05:00

Dear E4GR Friends:

I try to track news coverage of the MDGs via a Google News Alert, and I have to say there is little in the US press about extreme poverty and the attempts to address it.

Thus I was delighted to see the significant coverage around the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, by Pulitzer Prize winning authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. My copy should be arriving this week.

There was a major piece in the New York Times Book Review section a couple of weeks ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/magazine/23Women-t.html

And last night on Dateline, Ann Curry interviewed Nicholas Kristof and Mukhtar Mai, one of the heroines of the book -- a woman who turned her rape into incredible efforts to build a new society in rural central Pakistan, by building schools for girls. See more on the story here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032600/

Kristof and WuDunn have not only written a book, they are starting a movement for women's rights, and have set up a web page on the movement, here:

http://www.halftheskymovement.org/ . The Get Involved section shows some of the many organizations working for women's rights, education, maternal health, stopping sex trade trafficking and more.

Perhaps some of these resources can be helpful to us as we plan our MDG campaigns.

--
Eleanor Braun

Diocese of Virginia Co-Coordinator

Millennium Development Goal #1 – by John G. Miers

2009-08-09T15:04:00.002-05:00

Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger

“I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
- Matthew 25:31-46

Extreme Poverty and Hunger. Have you seen it? Are you sure? People are quick to say “sure, I’ve seen hunger and poverty….just downtown earlier this week.” I’m sure they saw some hunger and poverty, but that is not exactly what this goal is speaking to. This Goal is to Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty. It also refers to this eradication as being done throughout the world, not just “downtown.”

What is meant by “Extreme?” Just what does it mean? How hungry can you be before your hunger is “Extreme?”

This is a hard question, because there are many definitions of hunger.

If a person doesn’t have lunch, is he or she hungry?
If a baby does of malnourishment in its home is he or she hungry?
What about one who dies in the hospital?
If a school age child only eats junk food for lunch, is her or she hungry?
If there is a crop failure in Nigeria, will the people be hungry?

The same set of questions can be used as to just what defines “Poverty.” How poor do you have to be before your poverty is “Extreme?”

I think that the terms for the title of MDG #1 were chosen carefully. I believe that what the MDG-drafters were – and are – referring to is a pair of root and basic situations where many people do not have sufficient nourishment or wealth over an extended period of time, with not much hope to turn the situation around.

The MDGs were crafted to force us to look away from “downtown” and to a bigger picture, one that is world-wide, one that is “over there.” Poverty and Hunger can, indeed, be “Extreme” here, close to home, but the odds are much greater that they will be “Extreme” when you go to another part of the world. It is these places to which our attention must be directed, and our plentiful resources need to be directed “over there.”

How should this be done? How can we tend to our own people as well as tending to the others? This is a hard question, and one that is not easy to answer. Part of this difficulty is that when we see Poverty and Hunger in other places, the causes are often significantly different than they are “downtown,” and the ways to deal with them are also different than the easy ways that work over here. An entirely new way of thinking is needed; creativity and imagination are essential. We need the proverbial new set of lenses.

One of the most far-reaching impacts of the MDG effort will be the shifting in our perspectives from “downtown” to “over there.” This will be the most long-lasting and valuable effects. I hope that we can be “opticians to the world,” issuing everyone a new set of lenses!

We are currently in the series of Gospels where Jesus states that “I am bread.” Not the short-lived manna, but the long-life bread. This is what we need to give to the world.

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He serves on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.

The EGR Volunteers

2009-07-16T14:56:00.004-05:00

By John Hammock

Today my thoughts go to the EGR volunteers here at Convention—and all over the country—that have been so tireless in their work to promote the MDGs. It is a testament to their faith and their commitment to the Gospel. It is the volunteers who have led the charge in getting the 0.7% reinstated into the Church budget. It is impossible to name all the people who have contributed to this team effort. But we have had folks working the booth, selling t-shirts and passing out literature on the MDGs and EGR. We have had people testifying for the EGR supported resolutions; we have had volunteers handing out leaflets to delegates as they enter Convention to remind them of tonight’s U2charist. And we have had our EGR members and Board members as delegates working tirelessly to get specific legislation approved.

Today I want to spend a moment reflecting on the volunteer work of the EGR Board. We have a Board meeting today. It will be a short meeting where we welcome Devon Anderson as our new Executive Director. It is hard to believe that we have made a transition of Directors right in the time leading up to Convention! Devon has been front and center in the legislative EGR work at Convention—as has been Ian Douglas and Jeffrey Rowthorn. Dahn Gandell, in addition to being a Delegate to Convention has been tireless in organizing the work at the EGR booth and the U2Charist. Her energy and drive put together much of the EGR presence at Convention—very much helped by Debbie Shew, who spent countless hours at the booth with me day after day. For the first week of Convention we were joined in the booth by Arington Chambliss and in the last few days we have been joined by Board member Gary Cartwright. Yesterday Craig Cole joined us, though he is looking after the Five Talents booth also. And Laura Smith has been in and out—letting us know about what has transpired. Truly the Board members at Convention have been involved—given their time and talents to the EGR work.

I focus on the Board because this is an active board—one that takes time to work on the real issues. As Board Chair it is a pleasure to work with these committed individuals. And here at Convention we see directly the passion of our other volunteers—folks who make all the work possible. I cannot thank everyone by name, though in my next blog I want to single out several of the volunteers that have been so helpful.

With our wonderful booth and our legislative presence, some people may think that we have a large paid staff and a large budget. Neither is true. We have a staff of one and a half and a budget that is about $150,000 a year—for all that we do. And our Board is committed to keeping this a volunteer organization—building a movement for social change and personal transformation. With the help of all our volunteers, the Episcopal Church (TEC) has recommitted itself to the MDGs. Thanks be to God.

Not Just Another Day

2009-07-16T11:06:00.003-05:00

We have a big day today. First let me thank you all AGAIN for your fabulous legislative work -- despite the slashing of the budget ($23 million) -- MDGs came out clear and strong. This is a direct result from all of you who showed up and spoke at hearings, as well as everyone out there praying and advocating from a distance. THANK YOU.

We said good-bye yesterday to Jason Long who volunteered all last week for EGR and said hello to our own Mike Kinman. God is good.

Tonight: U2charist--Dahn suggested making the time a bit later for the service with which I wholeheartedly agree. It's Dahn's call. Stay tuned. We'll keep you updated!

Short and sweet--but filled with HUGE gratitude.

Devon

Press Release: EGR Applauds Critical Funding for MDGs

2009-07-15T18:58:00.003-05:00

Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Contact: The Rev. Devon Anderson
Executive Director, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation

EPISCOPALINANS FOR GLOBAL RECONCILIATION
APPLAUDS CRITICAL FUNDING FOR MDGs

The budget for the Episcopal Church presented to the joint session of the House of Deputies and House of Bishops today includes over $800,000 (or 0.7% of the budget), for the Millennium Development Goals. If approved, the funding will be directed to the Nets for Life program through Episcopal Relief and Development.

“The inclusion of the MDG line-item is a courageous and prophetic expression of faith,” said the Rev. Devon Anderson, Executive Director of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation.

“Tough financial times require us to make heart-wrenching choices, separating the urgent from the important. The budget reflects the heart of our church. While we realize that this is a sacrificial budget, the heartbeat of mission beats the loudest. And for this reason, we can be very proud as a church.”

“We are so grateful that the 0.7% for MDGs was reinstated and that domestic mission will also enjoy a 0.7% line-item. God is calling us to mission and these investments will equip us to be faithful to this call.”

Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation is a grassroots organization serving Christ in the extreme poor around the world. Earlier this week, both Houses passed D019, which called for the reinstatement of the MDG line-item at the 1% level. The line-item had been removed by Executive Council in its draft budget sent to General Convention. D019 was sponsored by the Rev. Dr. Ian Douglas, EGR and Dr. Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies.

The line-item can be found in the budget, page “B 8 of 11” on line 405 and amounts to $803,694 total over three years (2010-2012).
###

Today is BUDGET DAY

2009-07-15T09:24:00.002-05:00

Good morning EGR friends!

Well, today is the day--the budget for 2010-2012 will be revealed to both the House of Deputies and bishops today at 2:30 pm by the Program, Budget and Finance Committee. If you haven't sat in the visitor's gallery at the House of Deputies, today would be an excellent time.

The U2charist flyers are ready to be passed out--again, can I tell you how awesome they look!?! Folks willing to help pass out U2charist flyers to deputies as the come into the convention center this morning please meet Tim and Debbie outside at 8:45 am. We will meet again tomorrow--so tell your friends that are in Anaheim, we would love to have a bunch of people helping. We are still looking for a few extra friends to help at the U2charist itself, stop over to the booth--again, easy work--HUGE impact.

KEEP THE FAITH and keep praying that despite the fact that PB&F had to strip $9 million from the triennium budget, that MDGs prevailed.

See you today in the booth at lunch time.

Another FANTASTIC and busy day

2009-07-14T15:39:00.002-05:00

Hello friends and fans! How is everyone doing?

We are over the hump. On the floor of the House of Deputies yesterday we seemed to turn some kind of corner -- no longer did we have time to play around with floor procedure antics and word-smithing amendments requiring a vote. We are still considering resolutions from Legislative Day 4 and today begins Legislative Day 7.

Today Arrington (EGR Board Member and Secretary) leaves for home and I'd like to thank her for all of her help and support for EGR this week. She's been a great presence at the noon-day lunchtime speakers and she and I had a great meeting yesterday over a hurried turkey-sandwich dinner. Today we will also welcome board member Gary Cartwright who will be with us for the duration of GC.

We are in great shape for MDG funding at the 1% level. As you know D019 passed both houses before the Sunday at 6:00 pm deadline. The budget will be presented to both houses in a joint session on Wednesday from 2:30 - 3:30 on the floor of the House of Deputies. ERD Sunday is still stuck in my legislative committee -- I've tried to get it considered higher on the queue but the chairs anticipate a bit of resistance and want ample time for conversation in committee. I expect it will go through, we just need to hear people out. I will move to have it added to the Consent Calendar once it passes. We are not clear on where D018 is , but we will let you know as we know. Thanks to Tim for his tenacity around legislation. This has been a tremendous contribution.

The booth is happy and lively. Thanks to John and Debbie and Jennifer in particular who are putting in the long booth hours. Next GC I think we should have daily "behind the scenes hero" awards given out to the stellar EGR volunteer of the day -- because we definitely have no shortage of behind-the-scenes-heroes this General Convention.

Dahn says the plans for the U2charist are coming along nicely. We have not received any responses to our invitation for EGR affiliates to help us hand out fliers on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Can you or do you know someone who can help? Let us know! Stop by the booth. Its an easy way to make a huge difference.

That's about it for now.

HANG IN THERE -- this is the point when we (and SO many others at General Convention, you are not alone) are running on fumes and I ask you to be resolute in knowing that our collective efforts are making a huge difference. Thanks for your leadership, creativity and commitment.

With gratitude,
Devon Anderson, Executive Director

A note to the team

2009-07-13T23:35:00.002-05:00

Dear EGR friends:

We had a GREAT day yesterday in the march toward the eradication of global poverty. D019, in an 11th hour floor maneuver to get considered before PB&F's 6:00 pm deadline, PASSED the House of Deputies yesterday. Ian and I were poised and in-line to speak, but that wasn't necessary. Someone called the question after a few random folks stood to support (much more powerful anyway) and the resolution passed resoundingly.

While we can all breathe a collective sigh when we actually SEE the budget, we are in very good shape for 1% for MDGs, and specifically Nets for Life. This is very good news and a prophetic statement to the world that no matter how tough things get financially, we will not back away from the poor. I was proud of our church yesterday.

THANKS to each one of you for the part you played in making this happen. Between the participation at the various legislative and budget hearings, to providing hearing testimony, strategizing with our new best friends ERD, handing out buttons, talking to people, distributing talking points, and communicating on-line we made a GREAT effort and it has paid off.

This morning in my committee we have discussion on a resolution regarding same-sex union blessings. I will move that we schedule the vote for ERD Sunday for tomorrow.

Love,
Devon Anderson, Executive Director

U2charist--Don't Miss Event at General Convention

2009-07-13T03:19:00.002-05:00

And on Facebook here.
Be there.

The view from the booth-- a couple of items.

2009-07-13T01:38:00.003-05:00

Today I saw just how active the EGR Board is at the Convention; this is no armchair quarterback board! Several board members happened to meet at the same time at the booth today. Ian Douglas, Bishop Rowthorn, Dahn Gandell and Devon Anderson on the front lines testifying and drafting resolutions. Laura Smith who ran in to the booth seconds after the House of Deputies passed the 1% resolution on the MDGs. Arington Chamblis, Debbie Shew and myself at the booth--listening to so many stories of people doing the education and fundraising work on the MDGs in their churches. And we are blessed with volunteers who are making sure that EGR and its message are everywhere at Convention. This is an active, volunteer board. Its strategic vision is paying off.

Next Thursday EGR is hosting a U2Charist at Convention. Today we handed out leaflets to hundreds of Convention participants as they walked to the Sunday Worship Service. It will be a rocking time on Thursday night.

The major worship service today was just awe inspiring, with literally hundreds and hundreds of participants singing, praying and having communion together. Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori asked us all to travel lightly for Jesus. Tonight there was a totally different type of Worship Service--a Taize service of song, praise and prayer. About 50 people gathered together. It was a quiet, peaceful moment in a Convention filled with meetings, pageantry and bustle. It was a time to stop and give thanks. We are blessed. "Jesus remember me when you come into your Kingdom."

The view from the Booth

2009-07-12T01:25:00.002-05:00

EGR has unveiled a Crabby for Change project--asking people to give up coffee and/or smoking and give the money they save to EGR. As you can see here, the attractive poster of the new campaign has a big crab on it. So, there we were, in the booth, and along comes a priest from Maryland who wants several copies of the poster--not because of the campaign itself, but because of the crab.

He showed me why: his unique business card has a crab on it. Distinctive, so very Maryland--a true crab for change fellow.

On a more serious note a doctor stopped by today. He told the story of a woman in Malawi who was ready to die. She had HIV/AIDS and no medicine. She had to be on a waiting list. The doctor mentioned this to a friend who then gave the small amount of money to tide her over to get the medicine. A year later she is fine, living a normal life. Her son has a mother and is not an orphan.

This is what this whole thing is all about: What one person can do--save a life and family.

Rule of Life: In Practice

2009-07-11T15:22:00.003-05:00

It is amazing the people we are meeting in the EGR booth in Anaheim. Like this, one story from yesterday.

One woman had joined EGR's Rule of Life last year. She came by the booth to make sure we had a change of email address for her. What did the Rule of Life mean for her?

She started to go to the Cameroon where she was involved in a building an orphanage.
She became aware that they were over $50,000 short to be able to finish the project. Though not a fundraiser at all, she put herself to the task.

As she said, "there is no doubt in my mind that it was my being part of the EGR Rule of Life that made it possible for me to raise the money needed between Thanksgiving and Christmas." I was humbled and awed by the power of community, of prayer and of the Holy Spirit at work.

To join the EGR Rule of Life go to
www.e4gr.org and go to Rule of Life.

ERG, MDGs and Global Poverty In the News

2009-07-11T12:37:00.003-05:00

News from around--check out these articles:

Bishops Support Increasing MDG Committment to 1%
Jerald Hyche, Episcopal Life Online

"This really caught the imagination of many of my small churches in Western Kansas," Adams said. "They really got behind it and they put that .7 percent in their budgets. They won't be able to do 1 percent. They barely did .7. And they're going to feel like they failed somehow.

Dr Schori stresses essentials and recession at Convention
Pat Ashworth, Church Times

“Our time right now is tough, but it is marked by another type of tough times, marked by terrorism and the declining economy. . . In June, it was announced that the first half of 2009 pushed another 105 million people into hunger, raising the total number of hungry people in the world now to more than one billion.” She commended the 50 per cent of Episcopal churches that have embraced the MDGs as a mission focus.

Global economics a 'crisis of truthfulness,' Archbishop of Canterbury tells convention
Matthew Davies, Episcopal Life Online

Introducing the forum, Bishop Greg Rickel of the Diocese of Olympia welcomed the more than 70 international visitors to General Convention. "It's important that we look outward to the wider world. Our life as Christians compels us to see global poverty as our collective problem," he said.

As heard in the hallway news:
Last night 4 from the ERG team testified at the PB&F hearing.
Today, there was some amazing testimony given to the D018 Resolution--calling for a spiritual look at the global financial crisis.
More as the day rolls on.

EGR Booth: You Never Know What You'll Find

2009-07-11T12:18:00.003-05:00

The EGR booth (live and virtual) at convention is a lively place.

It is a place to meet and greet people; it is a place to do emails on the three computers set up by EGR for this purpose; it is a place to rest on the couches and have meaningful conversations.

Just today I looked up and there was a fellow in an army uniform looking down at me. He didn't say a word. I could just not place him. It took a long time but then it dawned on me. He had been a visiting priest at St Stephens church over 20 years ago! He had joined the army and had served as Chaplain in Iraq, Central America, and elsewhere. He had recognized me and there he was. What a treat!

Yesterday I had a long talk with a young woman who wants to run for office in Texas. The booth is not just a place to talk about the Millennium Development Goals and about EGR. It is also a lively meeting place--to make new friends and meet old, old ones. A welcoming place, a place where one can feel the presence of God.

Lunchtime Speaker Marshall Ganz

2009-07-10T17:27:00.003-05:00

Today @ the EGR Booth

Marshall Ganz today spoke at the EGR booth about the public narrative project. He said that for change to take place it was essential to train leaders. Leadership training was a key to success as was timing. There was no point in embarking on a process of change if people were not fully trained, especially because the training helps to sustain people over time.

Devon Anderson spoke about the public narrative pilot project in Minnesota. Here they had success in four churches out of five in getting congregations to increase their giving for the Millennium Development Goals.

In the discussion there was discussion on who would take on the public narrative after Convention. It was clear that EGR was well placed to take on this organizing work within the Church. It seemed that there was momentum in the church for the public narrative project and for the Millennium Development Goals. The discussion was joined by several members of the EGR Board of Directors, each who expressed strong interest in this community organizing model.

Dr. John Hammock is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy & The Fletcher School, Tufts University. He is currently on leave until September, 2008 and working with fellow EGR board member Sabina Alkire in founding the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative, where he is a senior research associate. He is also the managing director of the Global Equity Initiative at Harvard University, where his work has centered on the Human Development and Capability Program, with particular focus on policy issues and implementation. John was raised in Cuba, served as Executive Director at Oxfam America from 1984-1995 and as Executive Director at ACCION International from 1973-1980. John is a graduate of Denison University and the Fletcher School. He has also worked at the Global Equity Initiative. John's Publications.

Don't forget: The "Virtual Booth" is open!

2009-07-10T15:59:00.003-05:00

The 'Virtual Booth' is up.
Daily podcasts, news, and more.

Check it out if you haven't already.

And if you haven't seen it yet--there is a great article by Jerald Hyche up on Episcopal Life Online.
Check it out!

Bishop Jim Adams of Western Kansas said he agreed, but expressed concern for those churches that might not be able to keep up.

"This really caught the imagination of many of my small churches in Western Kansas," Adams said. "They really got behind it and they put that .7 percent in their budgets. They won't be able to do 1 percent. They barely did .7. And they're going to feel like they failed somehow.

Reinstate .7%: a symbol for our church

2009-07-10T15:07:00.005-05:00

Testimony heard on the floor yesterday by
The Rev. Devon Anderson (C1, Diocese of Minnesota) and Executive Director, EGR

I am here regarding the reinstatement of the 0.7% line-item for MDGs, and its increase to 1% in the budget PBF presents to GC.

I want to speak about the MDG line-item as a symbol for our church. Symbols convey with an image our stories, core values, and faith in God. Think about the rainbow, the dove, the olive branch. Think about wine and bread, water and blood, the cross and the empty tomb. These are all symbols that convey to the world who we are and what we believe as a Christian people.

Likewise the 0.7% symbol tells the world who we are in relation to the world’s poorest people. It shows CLEARLY, without relying on additional math or examination of our budget, that we are taking seriously repeated requests from our own church and from the Anglican Communion to share our resources with the billions of people who don’t have enough to eat in God’s world. The symbol is a model to the dioceses, congregations and individuals to continue making a similar proclamation with their budgets, remembering that budgets are moral documents that reflect what is in our hearts. And, the symbol gives us critical weight in lobbying our elected leaders so the US can achieve its 0.7% promise – making it clear that we are not asking our country to do anything we are not already doing ourselves.

We are faced here with a defining moment about whether to recommit to this symbol, or break it down into smaller parts and back away. But as we read in 1Corinthians: “If the trumpet sounds an uncertain call, who will follow?” It’s easier to do the right thing when there’s nothing to lose. But we’re in lean financial times, and a choice to be faithful to God’s call to the MDGs will cost us. But isn’t this what we’re about as a church? We have an opportunity to refuel this symbol – to tell the world that under no circumstances will we compromise or water down our promises to the poor. Please re-fund the MDG line-item at the 1% level as a symbol to the world of where our heart is as a church.

Thank you.

We Have Been Living a Lie

2009-07-09T12:02:00.002-05:00

Rowan Williams at Convention last night said we have been living a lie. Yes, we have been deceiving ourselves by living three lies:

--that life and economics is all about growth and wealth
--that somehow we do not have to worry about the environment and the climate change
--that individually we can go along merrily living as we now do

He said our role now was to speak the Truth. That if we as Christians could not stand up to speak the Truth, then we were not being true to our faith. He called on economics to focus on well being, not just growth and to work within environmental limits. He noted that government has lost the trust of people (he particularly stressed the UK government) and thought that civil society was crucial. Again, the role of the church was particularly keen, since churches are effective at the grassroots level.

In listening to Rowan Williams I had two thoughts: EGR and OPHI.

EGR has been speaking the truth about the MDGs and about the growing hunger and poverty in the world for some time. At a time when some church leaders think that the budget should be cut for the Episcopal Church work with the MDGs, we have been calling for just the opposite. This is a defining moment for us. We need to take up the challenge to redouble our efforts on behalf of those left out (no, more than left out, they are singled out) of any economic strategy. EGR needs to continue to build its movement at the grassroots level. As Rowan Williams says, it is up to those who people can trust to build up that trust through transparency and thoughtful action.

Yesterday I met our Presiding Bishop and introduced myself. Her reaction when she heard I was the Chair of the Board of EGR was that we had helped mount a tsunami—a groundswell of support for reinstating the MDG funds into the Church budget. It is up to us to continue to have that tsunami expand so that we recommit to the MDGs and then leave Convention ready to organize to make the MDGs a conversion experience and a beacon of what a faith community can do.

The second thought I had while listening to Rowan Williams was OPHI. I work for the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). Our goal, under the leadership of Sabina Alkire, also on the EGR Board, is to build a new economic framework based on the work of Amartya Sen. This is a framework that focuses on the wellbeing of all people, not just growth. Over the last two years we have been setting in place the building blocks for this new economics. And it is now working and being discovered. Our work is now having an impact in Chile, Mexico, and Bhutan to mention just three places. But the exciting thing is that what we are doing fits exactly into the general thoughts offered by Rowan Williams. I would love to see Rowan Williams, Amartya Sen and Sabina Alkire discussing this!!

In any event, there is no doubt that this Convention has the opportunity to have the Church take up the defining moment—and to let its faith and not economic shortfalls—dictate its mission. A big thank you to Rowan Williams for his vision and his willingness to speak the truth. We have been living multiple lies. And they are catching up with us. It is time for us Christians to lay down those lies and take up the truth—though it may hurt and may make us change our living patterns. God calls us to repentance and new living. The time is now.

If you are interested in more information of OPHI, please email me john.hammock(at symbol)tufts.edu or go to our website www.ophi.org.uk

A great article from tonight

2009-07-09T02:10:00.002-05:00

The article from Episcopal Life Online about tonight's event, Global Economic Forum with Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, is just wonderful.

So--we commend it to your reading pleasure and in the mean time, we are gathering up a round up of sorts of legislation and news from around the booth and throughout all of convention--to share with all of you the excitement and overwhelming commitment that has been outpouring in support of the MDGs and global poverty.

From the gallery

2009-07-08T21:04:00.002-05:00

It has been a great day for the MDGs and the worlds poor.

Right now we are writing from the press box and just heard the Archbishop of Canterbury give his address to a full room.

One of many hope-filled words he gave us tonight:
"If you want to see the MDGs realized, you have to count on the small faith-based communities and churches to accomplish that."

More to come!

An incredible (not quite) first day!

2009-07-08T03:44:00.004-05:00

General Convention has not even officially opened yet--but you would hardly be able to tell by the energy and passion heard in today's PB&F Hearing. If you have not had the chance to see the video--check it out here. It is quite a range of voices all standing up giving witness to the world's most poor and vulnerable, and our commitment as a church to the ongoing work with the MDGs. Additionally, this was an exciting and historic witness as it was the beginning of a coalition forming with EGR, ERD and ECW.

A few highlights of testimony for you today, here reprinted with permission not only to share--but for you to please continue to share. PLEASE, share our words with everyone who has ears to hear.

From Kay Meyers, President of the Episcopal Church Women

Episcopal Church Women have been doing and living into the Millennium Development goals since our very inception with the beginning of the domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and the Women's Auxiliary. We have expanded our hearts and minds through participating in recent years in the United Nations Committee on the Status of Women and beginning to attack the cessation of Human Trafficking and Genital Mutilation and other horrifying atrocities.

We are the largest network in the church representing thousands of women in the pews on every level of the church. Our national budget comes mostly from them and 17% of it currently goes to meet the MDGs. AND on top of that, they individually and in parishes, dioceses, convocations and deaneries and provinces give far more in money as well as in time, prayer and energy. We are working toward 0.7% line-item for each entity within the network.

And Devon Anderson, Executive Director of EGR

On behalf of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation I am standing in solidarity with Episcopal Relief and Development and the Episcopal Church Women to advocate for the top priority of global mission and the MDGs.

There is a great saying of which I am fond: Never waste a crisis. We are feeling the constraints of the global economic crisis on every level of the church. And no one is exempt from having to make heart-wrenching choices. But we also have an opportunity to define ourselves as Christians in the midst of that crisis. We have before us nothing less than a defining moment.

The MDGs have been our #1 budget and programmatic priority for the past triennium. Your leadership in 2006 was the spark that literally set the church on fire. We have started to build momentum. We have started to learn how to translate national goals to local action. Because of this momentum, we should make every sacrifice to invest in building on this initial foundation and sharing this learning for other mission imperatives.

We need your leadership again to model that despite every reason not to, despite every competing interest – it is time to recommit to the poorest of humanity and to keep going at full throttle, and not back away. For these reasons I am asking that MDGs be designated a priority among priorities for the triennial budget.

Thank you.

An Inspiring Word to Begin General Convention 2009

2009-07-06T12:11:00.005-05:00

Well, the hours are clicking away, the booth is coming together (further than what you see here!) and the team is so excited as we move towards the beginning of the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

In preparation--the prayers are ascending, and we are re-reminding ourselves of why we are doing what we are doing. So with that, we'd like to share with you this sermon, from Sabina Alkire. She is currently the director of the Oxford Policy and Human Development Initiative at Oxford University. Her publications include Valuing Freedoms: Sen’s Capability Approach and Poverty Reduction, as well as articles in philosophy and economics.

We hope you enjoy her words as much as we have, and may they help you remember why we do what we do. And THANK YOU, for what YOU are doing.

In the late 4^th century, Basil preached three powerful homilies aimed at stirring his Caesarean congregation to share with the starving, not simply as a gesture of kindness but as a straightforward Christian obligation. Indeed he took a year out himself to work in a refuge with the poor. Why? The context had changed, and in a time of famine and drought, Christians had to respond – not out of guilt, but out of unfeigned love.
Every year, the international financial institutions produce a bureaucratic statistical report monitoring progress on the Millennium Development Goals or MDGs – a set of goals to reduce hunger, put children in school, improve the health of children and mothers, address key diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, provide clean water and sanitation, etc by 2015. It is produced by analysts for whom poverty is not shocking – rather it is their professional speciality. But this year, the cover of the report shows darkening shadows and turbulent boiling clouds. The title is blunt, and not quite so professional. Written in red on a black background, it reads: 2009: A Development Emergency.

Poor people concur with this bureaucratic report. Kevina, a 60-year old woman farmer in Uganda, said, Poverty is a cruel wild animal. If you doze, it eats you up. So people are not sleeping...

On the start of Christian Aid week I would like to talk with you about global poverty and how, as it is evolving, we are invited to respond differently this year – not out of guilt, but because we are people of love.

Imagine for a moment that all of us in this chapel represented the globe. If you were to look around you, you would notice that one in five of us earned less than 83 pence per day, which is the new $1.25 a day poverty line. One in six of us – perhaps an entire section – was malnourished. But as you were looking around, you would notice a long line of people waiting to be re-seated in the poorest section. In terms of actual numbers, the line would contain at least every single inhabitant of England and Wales – and perhaps also Scotland, Ireland and half of Spain – waiting to be seated in the poorest pews.

Where did this queue come from? Poor people’s sloth? No, our financial crisis. A bit of background may be in order.

In 2005, the UK had a ‘make poverty history’ campaign to instigate actions that sharply reduce hunger, illiteracy, extreme poverty, malaria, tuberculosis, aids, and the proportion of child and maternal deaths. Here in the UK, the post offices stocked a ‘rough guide to a better world’ to share how each person could lend their strength to this common goal. Tremendous progress was made – although not at the hoped-for pace. Instead of giving up, in 2007 and 2008, in the face of the fuel and food crises, leaders, including the UK urged for a redoubling of commitment.

In September 2008, crisis struck. The 1929 crash had reduced global inequality. Of course it touched the poor, but it struck the rich countries, and the rich within those countries most. In contrast, insofar as we can tell, the current crisis is not hitting the richest the most.

Neither is it hitting the naughtiest the most. Due to our interconnectedness, countries that had sound policies are now in recession. And while opinions are divided about which individuals bear most responsibility, all candidate culprits share one characteristic: they are wealthy and likely to remain so.

If the crisis is not mainly striking the rich or the naughty, who is affected? People like me watch the numbers – we wait for new poverty numbers to come out each year, praying for progress. Dark clouds are unmistakable. In 2007 854 million people were hungry; by September the number will climb past 1 billion for the first time ever. And according to recent estimates 55 to 90 million people will fall into extreme poverty this year – hence the image of the queue for re-seating in chapel.

So we have a situation in which actions by a small number of elite are resulting in tragedy, poverty and the associated human pain for others. This might be considered a situation of injustice. From the darkened clouds come hoarse grumbles of the prophets.

Further, because of a natural concern with poverty in their home countries, many citizens, churches, philanthropists, and governments are reducing their support for global poverty reduction abroad. Even those such as Sweden who are maintaining the same percentage will give less, because their national income is falling.

So in a nutshell the arc of poverty is widening, and given shrinking responses, will widen further. It is this that causes even a secular bureaucratic report on poverty to be tinged with dread, even alarm. And this is why I ask you to take Christian Aid week this year particularly seriously.

An Episcopalian church movement that supports spiritual renewal and commitment to global poverty reduction calls the present financial crisis ‘God’s defining moment’. But that is not exactly right. God already has defined God’s purpose. Particular aspects of the missio dei or mission of God to humanity do not seem a great mystery. Jesus’ very name, his true essence, means the Jehovah of salvation. And God is drawing all people to fullness of life – to salvation. This includes attending to people’s physical nourishment, health, and understanding as well as loving relationships, vocation, holiness, and prayer.

No – it is not God for whom this financial crisis and the development emergency is the defining moment. It is the Church. And that is you and me, and this our Chapel, and the Anglican leaders gathered in Jamaica who generate email messages with many words. God has defined God’s mission; God is already out there, out there in the queues, among those who have been poor for decades and with those who will tomorrow endure a fast less voluntary than Bono’s, with those whose faith and prayer are stronger than ours, who are being purified and strengthened. It is this active God in whom we are called to abide as branches on a vine, as people of love – each in different ways. It is a defining moment for us because our own identity will be chiselled by how we respond to an evolving situation not of our making, and whether we join the God who is already responding.

The reading from 1 John began with this sentence: Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. The sentence is beautiful and it is forceful. It is worth pausing to reflect how we do this. Yet in the epistle of St John, the sentence also responds to a question, posed in the verse that directly preceded it: How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? … The implication is, it doesn’t. Rather we must love in truth and action. Given the changed context, we must love the distant poor, the silent poor among whom God walks, as well as those in our towns and streets.

There are many ways to give and many important debates about what are the best ways which we could discuss over lunch. But any giving boils down to giving time– be this in prayer, volunteering, or one day through your own professional work – or giving money. I heartily commend both. People say that money is not the answer, and I fully agree. But no one says that money is the answer. Money can be spent in many ways. It mainly pays people who do have the time, vocation, skills, attentiveness, and energy to attend to a particular situation full time. We will vary greatly in how we will prefer to give of time and money – some prefer local charities, others campaigns – but the point is to try to abide in God, and join our efforts to what God is already doing.

Magdalen traditionally has been the biggest supporter of Christian Aid - and is active on these issues in many other ways. We are not like Dives, who ignored Lazarus at his Gate. We are not, to quote Martin Luther King, “Conscientious objectors in the war against poverty.”¹ How, this year, will we respond to the poor by abiding in God, and in doing so renew our church?

When I was a student here, I was not very good at dinnertime banter – a trait which continues. On some occasion I was seated next to Tony Smith, then president of Magdalen. This was not a good situation. At all. Being a sacristan I tried to ignite a conversation, with some hint of desperation, using some vague and incoherent enquiry like what his hopes for the Chapel community were. To my greatest relief, he answered with clarity and conviction. He said something like, ‘I wish that they would stand up on the tables in hall [I’m sure about the tables bit], and say how privileged we are, and incite action.’

During Christian Aid week, the chapel community are invited to take some new action in our own small ways – all through prayer, some through donations, some through volunteering, and perhaps even some through standing on tables. Little children, let us love in truth and action.

Resolution A178:Establishing the First Sunday in Lent as ERD Sunday

2009-07-04T09:46:00.003-05:00

Good MorningE4GR Friends!

Here is the 3rd of the 3 resolutions we are actively working on at General Convention this year. As you know, there are many other legislative initiatives which E4GR wholeheartedly supports and will advocate to pass, specifically those surrounding just economy, and unsustainable debt in the developing nations. But in these last three--this is where our planning, time and efforts has gone.

Thank you, for standing with us but more importantly those who without you would not have a voice, the poor.

A178: Establishing the First Sunday in Lent as ERD Sunday
(read the resolution here)

Background
In 2008, our Presiding Bishop designated the first Sunday in Lent as ERD Sunday and advocated for an annual celebration of ERD’s role in our collective mission to seek and serve Christ in all persons.

Since that time, six dioceses have submitted resolutions to General Convention to establish this practice across the church (in the form of several “C” resolutions) and over 30 dioceses officially observe ERD Sunday on the first Sunday in Lent already. This initiative enjoys widespread support as a set-aside Sunday to recognize and celebrate ERD.

Talking Points
Our church, at General Convention 2003 and 2006, placed peace and justice as expressed through the Millennium Development Goals at the top of our programmatic and budget priority list.

ERD is our church’s relief and development agency – the “on-the-ground” ministry in far-reaching places across the globe to alleviate extreme poverty and preventable disease.
Designating a special Sunday for ERD would provide the church opportunities to:
• Celebrate the reality that when we as individuals combine our resources, prayers, and intentions through ERD we can make significant change in the world
• Learn about – and delight in – the work of ERD which is saving lives on a daily basis on our behalf as a church
• Draw attention to the needs of the “bottom billion” of the world who live in extreme poverty.
• Raise our voices together in worship through song and prayer in giving thanks for God’s abundance and reminding ourselves of our baptismal promise to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” ERD Sunday can remind us that one way to be responsive to this promise is to participate in ERD’s ministry.
• Designate a “loose plate offering” on ERD Sunday for the ministry of ERD
• Lend our own organic creativity to new ways of observing this Sunday across the generations and sharing it with each other

Resolution D019: Recommit to MDGs as Mission Priority

2009-07-03T10:43:00.003-05:00

OK - Here is the second of three installments--getting to know the resolutions E4GR is working on for General Convention. Do you feel called to testify? The Virtual Booth for E4GR is OPEN! Find out more about who to talk to and how to testify at the Virtual Booth--and in Anaheim, in the Convention Hall in the E4GR Booth.

D019: Recommit to MDGs as Mission Priority
Ready for you to download, click here.

Issue
Reinstate the 0.7% for MDGs into the 2010-2012 budget and increase it to 1% as a “cost-of-giving” adjustment.

Background
Resolution D022 from 2006 General Convention established “achieving the MDGs as a stated mission priority of the Episcopal Church” and urged each diocese, congregation and parishioner to give 0.7% of their annual income toward the goals. The resolution also called for a line item equal to 0.7% in the Episcopal Church’s 2007-2009 budget for work supporting the MDGs. The 2007-2009 budget DID pass with 0.7%. In those years about $924,000 was dedicated to the MDGs through ERD. Since that time 82 of the 110 dioceses in the Episcopal Church have designed a 0.7% line item in their annual diocesan budgets as have hundreds of congregations and countless individuals.

The draft 2010-2012 budget submitted by Executive Council at its January 2009 meeting suggested – as a cost-saving measure in the current economic climate – eliminating the 0.7% line item for MDGs.

The good news: the budget going to General Convention is a draft, and General Convention will have the final say. We have a huge opportunity to affect the final decision.

Talking Points

We must not back away from our commitment to MDGs as a church, but rather reaffirm our promises and deepen our commitment.

• Promises made to the poor are particularly sacred.

• We have promised ourselves, God, the world, and particularly our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion that we will join with the global community to end extreme poverty through 0.7% giving.

• We have reiterated these promises in the House of Bishops over the past three years and at Lambeth last year.

• As a church we have identified the MDGs as our #1 budget and programmatic priority.

• We have covered a lot of ground, but we are far from finished! The MDG movement is through 2015 and there is much to do.

• Dioceses, congregations, individuals are still learning about the MDGs and looking for ways to connect themselves and their faith lives to MDGs and make them concrete within the life of the parish.

• This is the time to intensify our efforts, mobilize people in deeper, intentional, effective ways – not move on to something else!

We need the 0.7% line item (with the 1% cost of giving adjustment) as a powerful symbol of our commitment to ending the world’s misery.
• Symbols are very important. They are one way we communicate our stories, deepest-held values, and passion.

• A separate, 0.7% line item is the Episcopal Church’s symbol – its clear declaration -- of its commitment and intent to play a serious and significant role in eradicating global poverty. It signals our intentions and faithfulness. It reflects what is most important to us.

• The fact that the Episcopal Church has taken the leadership step of committing 0.7% is powerful leadership by example.

• 82 out of the 110 dioceses in the Episcopal Church have followed the example of the Episcopal Church by committing 0.7% of their annual budgets toward MDGs.

• A budget reflects what is in our hearts as a church. The world’s extreme poor are in the center of our hearts as a Gospel people. A budget is also a moral document, in that it illustrates what we most believe by where we place our resources.

• If we erode or eliminate the symbol it signals that we are backing away from our promises.

In these tough financial times, this decision is a defining moment for our church.

• God’s call to us has not changed: we are to be the Body of Christ in bold and powerful ways in worship, praise, and service – particularly among those who have the least.

• In this defining moment, God gives us the opportunity to proclaim our faith to the world at a moment in history when it is particularly challenging to do so.

• In its March Pastoral Letter, the House of Bishops called us to repentance, claiming that we have “too often been preoccupied as a Church with internal affairs…to the exclusion of concern for the crisis of suffering both at home and abroad,” and “our commitment to the eradication of extreme poverty through the MDGs moves us toward the standard of Christ’s teaching…”

• Our wealth is determined by what we give rather than what we own.

• In a time of economic scarcity the Holy Spirit invites us to hope. We are Gospel people, called to break through barriers of fear and anxiety. Call to share how Christ has reshaped our hearts and lives through the increased engagement with each other in ministries of compassion across the communion that our MDG work has fostered.

• We want to be that church that even in the midst of a global economic crisis we were able to stay faithful in our commitment to the poorest of the poor.

Resolution D018: Addressing the Global Economic Crisis

2009-07-02T07:17:00.005-05:00

Over the next few days in the lead up to General Convention, we want to equip YOU--our best allies and friends--to help us lead the church in to not only keeping and renewing promises made to the worlds poor, but taking it a step further and leading in new bold ways. Please join with us.

We will present to you the pieces of legislation that we will be focusing our attention on, equipping you with the resolution itself and some talking points for you to use when talking to your deputation or if you feel called--to testify!

As always, please email us with any questions. We are so thrilled to have such an amazing group of leaders who are mobilizing our church to heal the world.

D018: Address the Global Economic Crisis

Resolution D018: The full resolution and text, here.
Issue

To equip our church to begin to engage the global economic crisis as faithful, gospel-centered Christians.

Background

This resolution has four parts:

Makes the claim that we in the Episcopal Church are complicity in the financial crisis because we have embraced an unrestrained free-market form of capitalism that results in predatory practices of lending and income generation divorced of accountability,

Thanks the Archbishop of Canterbury for his leadership and teaching around Christian response to economic crisis,

Invites dioceses and congregations to focus on Lent 2010 as a time of penitential reflection on the brokenness of the global economic order

Urges diocesan deputations to address the global economic crisis in their own contexts using Public Narrative and community organizing models.

Talking Points

This resolution asks Episcopalians to understand and confront our complicity in the current global economic crisis and to be converted anew through prayer, study, giving, advocacy, acts of mercy and ACTION.
The global economic crisis is as much as spiritual, moral and ethical crisis as it is a financial crisis.
Given the household of the world, we are threatened in our future existence because of an unsustainable economy and environmental practice that requires a turning around and a realignment of our values with God’s vision for the wholeness of creation.
We do this by opening ourselves to God’s vision of unity for the world and how, as people of faith, both at home and to the ends of the earth – we can participate in a just, equitable, sustainable economy.
God’s mission is to restore all people to unity.
It’s not about the church.
The question as Christians is – how have we participated or not participated in the economy of God?
We are calling the church to a season of reflection, repentance, and amendment of life. This amendment of life would understand study, repentance and prayer as a foundation that leads to ACTION.
We are calling on congregations, dioceses, individuals to seek models that assist in mobilizing people to act (Public Narrative being one such model) for a just economy.
Utilize PN methodology to come together in their parish and dioceses to tell their stories in God’s economy, discover who we are together, and what we are called together to do given that we are on the brink of peril.
We are asking that Lent 2010 be set aside by the church as a season of study, reflection, repentance, and action concerning the global economic crisis.

Re-Commit to 0.7%

2009-07-01T17:39:00.006-05:00

Dear EGR Board Members, Deputy Friends, and EGR Leadership:

The 76th General Convention will be a defining moment for the Episcopal Church. In it we can recommit ourselves as a church to the MDGs. We will have the opportunity to choose to deepen our partnership with the world's bottom billion-those that live on less than a dollar a day-or we can choose to back away from them.

At General Convention we can reaffirm, with renewed resolve, the promises we have made as a church to the world's poorest people. Simply, we can lead this effort anew, calling on all dioceses, congregations and individuals to stand with us. Despite progress we have made, we are not finished.

The world needs us--actually, YOU--more than ever.

EGR is embracing General Convention's opportunity with anticipation and joyfulness. Please join with us, inviting our church to face this moment with courage and confidence in the abundance of God.

Put MDGs back in the budget-and back in our hearts

Recommit

Although the MDGs have been our church's number one budget and programmatic priority since 2006, the draft budget coming to General Convention actually cut the MDGs line item. Our highest legislative priority is to reinstate the 0.7% line item for MDGs in the budget for the Episcopal Church. More than this, EGR proposes that this line item be increased to 1% as a cost-of-giving adjustment. EGR will work to reinstate the MGDs line item through two venues: the budget process and resolution D019.

Two other priorities are to:

1. Encourage all levels of our church to address the global economic crisis by dedicating Lent 2010 to prayer, study and action on the MDGs (D018).

2. Establish the first Sunday in Lent as ERD Sunday (A178).

You can view all these resolutions here: http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation/

Please help! Give your heart to this mission through some simple actions.

Contact your diocesan deputation TODAY!

* Get their commitments to support these initiatives through their votes and testimonies.
* Ask members of your diocesan MDG network and other justice networks contact deputies, too.
* Let us know you've contacted your diocesan deputation and networks. Contact us at e4gred@gmail.com so we can continue to build on your work.

Testify on behalf of the MDGs at General Convention!

* EGR will provide talking points, testifying tips, and connections to our two EGR Legislative Coordinators: Tim Baer and Debbie Shew. We'll also save you a place in line!
* Hearings will be held in several committees, including the Program, Budget and Finance Committee, which sets the budget.
* If you will testify with us, please contact Tim Baer, our EGR Legislation Coordinator at: tbaer@gmail.com. He'll answer questions and provide everything you need.

Follow us on EGR's General Convention Virtual Booth

* We are re-launching our Web site - www.e4gr.org - very soon. For the duration of General Convention it will be known as the "Virtual Booth." Though this site you will be easily linked to ERGs presence at General Convention.
* There you will find easy links to stay up to date on news and events through the blog, Facebook page, and Twitter.
* Participate in the new campaign "I'm Crabby for the MDGs", play virtual Bishop Bingo, or view a noonday speaker.

With your help, we can make a bold and prophetic statement to live the Gospel faithfully through the MDGs, even in this current economic climate when making faithful choices seems to cost us the most. But the bottom billion need us and we have promised them-we have promised God. Thank you for your help in this good and necessary work.

Faithfully, and in God's abundance,

Rev. Devon Anderson, Executive Director
Episcopalians for Global Reconcilliation
email: e4gred@gmail.com
web: http://www.e4gr.org

"Millenium Development Goal #6" - by John G. Miers

2009-06-23T15:53:00.004-05:00

Millennium Development Goal #6
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

"Jesus went throughout Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues and
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and
curing every disease and every sickness among the people."
- Matthew 4:23

Curing every disease and every sickness among the people……

When I read this Bible verse, I naturally thought of my career in the federal service. I worked for the National Institutes of Health for nearly forty years. Others in my family have worked there and some still do. My mother was a nurse. Health is in my family. Health is important to me.

When I read the text about “curing EVERY disease” I am stunned as to how large a task that must have been. I am continually overwhelmed by what it must be like to be a member of a medical team in a foreign country. There are so many diseases in evidence. HIV/AIDS and malaria are cited in this goal, but so are “other diseases.”

Other diseases, too. There are infectious diseases, life-threatening diseases, disfiguring diseases, childhood diseases, easily diagnosed diseases, hard-to-diagnose ones, visible ones, and invisible ones. How do we prioritize just what to treat? How are conditions different in developing countries? What can we do here in the developed world to try to assist others? I still am astounded that the Millennium Development Goals were agreed to in 2000 by 189 heads of state and government -- including the United States. This was in response to the deepest material brokenness in the world today. Poverty the likes of which we just don't see within the United States. Poverty levels that lead to a child under 5 dying every three seconds from preventable, treatable causes, and 8,000 people (more than died in the September 11 attacks) dying each day of HIV/AIDS.

When I visit doctors here in the US I always give thanks for what we have here for our medical care. But I also worry about what other people don’t have. This is why this is such a crucial MDG goal. Medical care must be made available in all parts of the world. This is not a complicated project, but it is both expensive and hard to attain. I think of invisible diseases. These are the really tricky set of those “other diseases.” These include addictions, mental illness, heart disease, diabetes, malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and other illnesses and disorders that often go unnoticed by both the patients and medical staff. Each can lead to long-term illness and incapacitation, but medical teams often have their hands full with the gruesome and visible disabilities. All must be addressed.

The MDGs seek to provide treatment to all people in the developing world who suffer from these diseases, both visible and invisible. Jesus healed “every disease and sickness.” We can do no less. Jesus was obviously capable of doing this; we need to provide needed resources so his example can be followed.

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He served on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.

Goals 4 & 5: Child and Maternal Health News

2009-06-22T17:42:00.002-05:00

An article for you from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Maternal, Child Health Lag Behind Other Millennium Development Goals, Study Finds
Despite signs of progress in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria and childhood diseases, efforts to reduce maternal and newborn health as part of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) lag behind, according to the 2009 Report of the Global Campaign for the Health Millennium Development Goals released Monday, Inter Press Service reports.

The study "highlights practical ways to 'reduce the continuing and unnecessary death toll in developing countries,'" including : "increased political mobilisation; adequate financing and effective delivery; streamlined and harmonised aid operations; free services for women and children at the point of use and the removal of access barriers; skilled and motivated health workers at the right place at the right time; and accountability for results with robust monitoring and evaluation," according to IPS.

To implement these changes, the study "calls for scaling up health services to the tune of 36-45 billion dollars by 2015, over and above the current spending (and cumulatively about 114-251 billion dollars from 2009 to 2015)" – a gap the authors of the report hope can be closed during the G8 meeting in July, IPS writes (Deen, IPS, 6/15).

"Women and children are facing even graver health threats because of the global economic downturn. Even before the crisis, women made up 60 percent of the world’s poor, and maternal mortality was the worst health inequity in the world," U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said during a luncheon ceremony to release the report. "Your influence, your individual passion and your institutional commitment can help us succeed. Together, we can achieve a long-overdue breakthrough for women and children in the developing world. The consensus outlined in this report provides a clear way forward" (ISRIA, 6/15).

"We welcome this report's timely emphasis on the need to increase investments in women's health despite the current economic crisis," Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the UNFPA, said. Obaid added that an investment in the health of women and girls worldwide does not only improve lives, but can generate economic growth as well.

"If we balk now in our efforts to achieve the health MDGs, we will put our present and future generations at risk," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "But if we rise to the challenge, we can set the world on course for long-term prosperity and stability" (IPS, 6/15).
This information was reprinted from kff.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives, and sign up for email delivery. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Death in Birth

2009-06-01T03:26:00.002-05:00

Important article about the realities of childbirth - Maternal Health - Please Read!

Death in Birth: Where Life’s Start Is a Deadly Risk
By DENISE GRADY
Published: May 24, 2009, New York Times

More than half of the 536,000 women who die each year in pregnancy and childbirth are in Africa, according to the World Health Organization.

Go to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/health/24birth.html

Millennium Development Goal #2 - by John G. Miers

2009-05-11T20:12:00.000-05:00

Millennium Development Goal #2
Achieve Universal Primary Education

"Jesus said to them,
'Let the little children come to me;
do not stop them;
for it is to such as these that
the Kingdom of God belongs."
- Mark 10:14

Achieving Universal Primary Education will be a long process. It will be a very long process and all-encompassing task, an extremely complicated one that has many layers of problems, kind of like an onion!

Each of those four words – “Achieving,” “Universal,” “Primary,” and “Education” – is hard and is important. Each builds on the other three. Each can be done by itself, but the whole will be much stronger than the sum of the parts, which is why this goal is made up of all four.

But it will be an investment – one that will pay off handsomely; not for many weeks or many months or even over many years, but the payoff will be seen for generations into the future.

It will not be easy….we will have to do it differently in different places, and we will have to keep at it, and keep at it, and keep on keepin’ on. That means that we also need to convince people and their leaders that it will be worth doing. There is one other piece of the provision of education that many people don’t see in their first glance: We also need to be concerned about many other aspects of education provision, too, such as food for lunches and breakfasts, facilities for schooling, and health care so that people can be schooled– this even required eyeglasses and laptop computers. There is also the need to train people to be the teachers. And to be the teacher’s teachers. Yes, a large system is required. It is both expensive and complicated, and it must be widespread.

Yes, education not just for little children, but for all people. Everyone needs it at least once. Some need to catch up, but everyone needs to be trained, both to ensure that they live well, and so that they see the value of education. Notice the second word “universal.” A parent who is educated, and has discovered the value of such education, will be much more inclined to ensure that his or her child will also be educated. An educated adult will help ensure that education is available.

Is primary education enough? Probably not, but we have to start somewhere, and, as noted above, once you get someone convinced on the value of education, they will probably do their best to go beyond merely the primary level.

The title of this MDG is “Achieve Universal Primary Education.” Is “Achieve” the right word? Probably not, but we have to start somewhere.

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He serves on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.

Renewing the Call

2009-04-25T01:24:00.002-05:00

This has been a hard week for me here in Tanzania, lots of frustration and delays. I was feeling incredibly disconnected. So much so that I felt that I had NOTHING to blog about. I have put this off all week, not being able to come up with a single thing to say.

Finally this morning, I decided to go back and read past blogs of mine and of others, hoping to be inspired.

I came across a speech I gave on Stewardship, over a year ago to the General Convention in Ohio. I spoke of feeling the opposite of how I am feeling this week. So, I have used parts of the speech for my blog this week. Hoping to re-inspire myself to feel connected to the MDGs, to my work here in Tanzania, and to that feeling that anything is possible.

... but listening, really hearing other people is what stewardship is all about. Because only when someone is heard can their mission – whatever that might be – be truly empowered. Only when we really listen can we find the best ways to serve those around us. Being a good steward isn’t doing what you think is right, or what makes you feel better. Being a faithful steward is about hearing from those in need what would make their lives better and helping to make it a reality.

I have found that stewardship isn’t easy. It requires effort. But if you are listening with your whole heart it is much easier than we think. I had no idea why I felt the need to go to Africa, of all places. But now I do. Now I understand that by hearing that calling within myself, and following through with what amounted to a leap of faith, I was able to bring stewardship into my life in a way that I hadn’t before. Faithfulness is listening. Faithfulness and stewardship are about realizing that there is an overwhelming abundance in our lives and in turn it is our job to utilize our treasures and our talents in order to help others. It is what God is calling us to do.

My time in Africa drastically changed the path of my life. My whole perspective was changed. I will never be able to go to the mall the way I did before. Or the grocery store. And definitely not Costco. I will never see American children as I did before. Or the nightly news. Most importantly, God has changed for me. Before I lived in Africa, lots of things in life seemed impossible. I always feared that I was being asked to do something that I couldn’t. Fear was a part of the way I perceived everything. I’m not afraid anymore. God will never ask me to do anything that is impossible. It is a huge relief to know that if I feel called to do something, then I will because it is possible.

The possibilities of what we can do to change the shape of the world are incredibly exciting. Most exciting is the fact that the Episcopal Church has become a part of this. By embracing the Millennium Developments Goals, the church is forcing all of us to step outside of our comfort zone. In many ways the MDG’s do not really affect us here at home as critically, after all child mortality is not an issue threatening our country, women dying in childbirth are a thing of the past, primary education is already universal in America, and we have the most empowered female population, I would argue, anywhere in the world. The MDGs bring us face to face with that which is literally foreign to us. We are forced to face our fears about the unknown, about those third world countries that we have been ignoring.

"Confirmation Sunday" by Craig Cole

2009-04-22T05:16:00.003-05:00

I am continually thankful to be part of the worldwide Anglican Communion in part because of its interconnectedness. There is a thread that ties us together as brothers and sisters in Christ no matter where we find ourselves in the world. There is almost always a recognizable church nearby that is a member of the Anglican family.

During this Easter season, I am reminded of this kinship by a story that happened to me about the same time, 12 years ago.

I woke up to the roosters arrogantly crowing at 5 a.m., or maybe it was a little earlier. All I knew was that it was dark out. I also knew I was not where I wanted to be - and I was where I wanted to be all in the same moment.

It was Confirmation Sunday at the Chapel of St. Andrew in Boca Raton, Fl. The confirmation class, I had helped teach, was going through the sacrament that confirms their belief in Jesus Christ. As the Book of Common Prayer says, “In the course of their Christian development, those baptized at an early age are expected, when they are ready and have been duly prepared, to make a mature public affirmation of their faith and commitment to the responsibilities of their Baptism and to receive the laying on of hands by the bishop.”

I was going to miss confirmation. I had cleared my schedule to be there. I had taken every precaution necessary. Yet, a change of plans at the last moment left me feeling like I had let my kids down.

God, however, had not let me down. He had given me another place to be - literally - in the middle of nowhere. It was Sunday morning, and I was in a little village called Cange about 1,000 feet above a huge reservoir in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

The church in Cange, The Good Saviour, didn’t have an organ, but an electric guitar, bass and drums. I also couldn’t understand much Creole but the service was exactly the same so I felt at home despite the language barrier.

Finally, it was time for Holy Eucharist. Not just the remembrance of the last supper, but a chance to be united with Christians anywhere in the world; no matter race, or country, or culture. Holy Eucharist only knows the boundaries man has set for it.

After the adults received communion, I was in for a surprise. I, along with another member of my group, were each given two huge bags of candy by the priest. Then, almost at once, there was a long line of children streaming down the aisle and out the door. So, for the next 30 minutes as the music played in the backround, my companion and me sat at the front of the altar as children, some dressed in beautiful white dresses, others in jeans, came forward to receive their own sweet “Communion.”

As we sat there with this multitude of children endlessly parading by, I sneaked a glance at my watch. I almost laughed out loud. God, in all his thoughtfulness, had provided me with an unexpected experience at just the right time. It was just past 10:30 and the Confirmation service at St. Andrew’s had just begun. God’s timing is perfect.

Every time I think about that experience, I thank God for his love for me and for those beautiful Haitian children whose smiles couldn’t have been brighter despite their poverty. Also, for God’s love for the confirmation class back in Boca Raton.

This story reminds me that as Christians, and as Anglicans, we are all connected by God to each other, no matter who we are, where we live, or how rich or poor.

"Social Entrepreneurs and the MDGs" by John Hammock

2009-04-18T08:47:00.001-05:00

Social Entrepreneurship and the MDGs

At the end of March I attended the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. This brought together over 800 people from 65 countries interested in using the power of the private sector for social good. The range of people included heads of non-profits, private businessmen, venture capitalist, academics and social entrepreneurs. As the Skoll website puts it:
“Social Entrepreneurship is about solutions and transformations that will benefit individuals, communities and, ultimately, society at large…
Tackling complex challenges from the ground up, social entrepreneurs work in areas such as climate change, sustainable business, public health, education for the poor, human rights, conflict, and water scarcity. Social entrepreneurs are at the forefront of a growing movement to scale-up positive, sustainable change…
With a focus on learning, leverage and impact, the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship connects prominent social entrepreneurs with essential actors in the social, academic, finance, corporate and policy sectors—all working to accelerate sustainable social benefit.” The Forum brings together over 785 delegates representing 65 countries.” Skoll Foundation: http://www.skollworldforum.com/
People who work with poverty often think the solutions must come from Government or Churches. Clearly I believe strongly in the role of both. But it is also important to think of how to harness the power and creativity of the private sector in our battle against poverty. Business does not have to be about just profit. Businesses exist that make a good profit but also have a positive impact on the society in which they work. And it is not just the enterprise; it is also the philanthropist that can be a positive force for good by focusing on venture philanthropy—philanthropy that supports social entrepreneurs.
Micro-finance, fair trade, social entrepreneurship, and socially responsible business all are practical methods for realizing this new economic framework. Growth and profit are tangible economic goals, as are a vibrant private sector and a responsible government sector, but the enhanced framework must also encompass other social dimensions that people value and have reason to value. Micro-finance is not just about loans and repayments; not just about business profit. It is also about cultivating individual and social empowerment, about instilling dignity and overcoming shame and humiliation. Micro-finance is a tool—not a panacea—which can either advance human development or exacerbate inequalities when applied without an understanding of the multiple dimensions of
Social entrepreneurs want to bring about change. How do we go about measuring that change? Is there a way using one tool to measure the various dimensions that social entrepreneurs think are important?
I work with the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). It has developed a robust and workable method of incorporating a number of dimensions or categories into a new OPHI-designed measure of poverty or well-being. This multidimensional measurement methodology was applied by Bhutan to devise its Gross National Happiness Index.
This same approach has private sector applications where there is concern with quality and process as well as growth and income. The OPHI multidimensional measurement methodology can be applied by social entrepreneurs to measure the type of multi faceted economic, social and environmental change that they seek. Work is currently underway on a project focused on fair trade that will use this OPHI methodology.
[OPHI is also in conversations with a number of governments about adopting the measurement tool to redesign their existing income-based poverty measures. In so doing, governments can apply this method to put into practice a more accurate poverty line—based on several dimensions—not just income.]
Those of us in churches need to reach out to our members in the private sector to engage in a discussion on how the private sector can combine profit and social change. It is possible. There are companies and entrepreneurs doing it.

"Privilege and Bearing Witness"--By Reynolds Whalen

2009-04-17T03:03:00.003-05:00

Often, “privilege” in our society is defined in terms of money or an exclusive social status that grants you access to VIP rooms, first class, and luxury accommodations. On Easter this year however, my privilege was walking several miles through ankle deep mud in the middle of a moonless night in rural Rwanda.

For the past few weeks, I have been documenting the 15^th commemoration of the Rwandan genocide through writing, photography, and film. After five months of living in the small town of Nyamata, I have established many close relationships with friends who have graciously offered me access to stories that are often difficult to hear. These are stories of brutality, loss, and inconceivable suffering. But amidst the pain, there are often glimmers of reconciliation and hope.

On Easter, I was invited by a friend to an overnight commemoration ceremony in his hometown of Kibuye, where he (and several others I know well) watched their entire families brutally murdered with common tools such as machetes, axes, and hammers. Like most survivors I have met in Rwanda, he knows the people who killed his family personally.

As we trudged through the long muddy path up an enormous hill with no light to guide us, I couldn’t help but think of our risen Christ, who three days previous in the liturgical calendar made a similar journey bearing similar loads in the form of a cross. I could feel him walking beside us.

As we reached the top, we joined many others who were sitting around an enormous fire and sharing stories in hushed and heavy tones. As the night progressed, these stories were shared more publicly through music, short films projected on a screen, and personal testimonies given by individuals using a microphone. At about 1:30 a.m., candles were passed around and a portion of the crowd gathered in a tight circle around the fire. These were survivors coming together to bear witness to each other’s grief. One by one, they went around the circle describing in as much detail as they could muster the gruesome horrors they witnessed and atrocities they themselves experienced. After each recollection, the others responded with a stanza from a song whose main chorus proclaimed with a striking simplicity: “Remember.”

In the same way as the disciples and friends of Jesus who gathered in solidarity to mourn the loss of their great friend and Teacher, these Rwandans found strength in the sacred bonds of community. I do not believe either the disciples or my Rwandan friends could have faced their grief alone. In both cases, Jesus appeared among them again only when they were gathered together.

I believe I witnessed an Easter miracle on Sunday night: a miracle of hope in the face of immense trauma and suffering, a miracle of remembrance, and a miracle of the power of bearing witness. I am posting a short film clip from this experience to give you a chance to share in that witness. I was invited to film this event because these people want their stories told. They want the rest of the world to hear their stories and stand with them in solidarity to face the struggles of moving forward together. Watching this clip will not be easy and it will not be for everyone. But after having this experience, I must provide that opportunity.

This was the first Easter of my life not to be in a church. For the past four years, I have participated in a beautiful Easter vigil in which the liturgy coincided with the rising of the sun. The service began in darkness with readings about creation and the valley of dry bones, picking up momentum until the first shouts of “Alleluia” were proclaimed with the first shining rays of light.

This year, I had the immense privilege to witness a different vigil. However, the movement of the “liturgy” was the same. And as the sun peaked over the rolling hills of Kibuye, I knew my Rwandan friends had found a glimmer of the risen Christ in the same way as you and I do every day: through each other.

"Millennium Congregations and Millennium Villages"--by Reynolds Whalen

2009-04-01T14:58:00.004-05:00

This eight-part film is one I made recently in my current home of Rwanda about the partnership between Millennium Congregations (MC) and the Millennium Villages Project (MVP).

A new American-based movement has emerged to promote an inter-faith response to extreme poverty, offering faith communities opportunities to support the incredible work of MVP and combat poverty in Mayange, one of Rwanda's poorest sectors. Interviews with staff in Rwanda and MC's founder, Jay Lawlor, help tell the story of this partnership in the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Within this framework are proven interventions in agriculture, education, business development, infrastructure, and health.

This initiative offers the chance for unity among religions in a time of increasing divisions, as we join in a common life of caring for the suffering and the destitute. And we may just learn something about ourselves along the way.

"Find Your Way Home: Words from the Street, Wisdom from the Heart" -- a review of a book by the Women of Magdalene

2009-03-28T18:46:00.004-05:00

We have dedicated ourselves to end global poverty because we believe that the brokenness of the world -- particularly when some benefit from the brokenness of others -- prevents all of us from enjoying the abundance of life God dreams for us. That's why we call our movement Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. Because it's not just about providing a meal, or even an education ... it's about healing the brokenness. It's about the church's mission to "reconcile all people to God and each other in Christ."

The women of Magdalene are some of the most remarkable people I have met on this journey. They are a community of women based in Nashville, TN. They come from as deep brokenness as you will find on this planet. They are survivors of lives of violence, prostitution and drug abuse. And they have not only survived that life but have found that abundance of life Christ dreams for all of us not just from help from above our outside but in the eyes, ears and arms of one another.

"Find Your Way Home" (Abingdon Press) is an accumulation of the wisdom of 11 years of community living of these women who were given a chance to escape their former lives in the intentional community known as Magdalene House. It is exquisite in its simple power. It's a book you could read in an hour --- but it took me days. Because every brief chapter. Every piece of wisdom. Every story pregnant with humanity begs to be pondered, sat with, prayed and even wept over.

Find Your Way Home is a Rule of Life from this community of women. It's a handbook of wisdom that has helped them survive and thrive. Like all Rules of Life it's essentially a community interpretation of THE Rule of Life of Holy Scripture. And like our Christian faith itself, it is Word incarnate ... enfleshed in the lives of the women that leap out from the pages.

I have had the honor of spending time with this community of women on several occasions, and so there were times when I heard their voices and saw their faces as I turned the pages. But you don't need to have spent time with these women to have this book change you. As Magdalene's amazing founder, the Rev. Becca Stevens, says "While our story is particular, the problems of prostitution, violence and drugs are universal. We have residents from all over the U.S. and Latin America and have met with women from widely scattered regions of the world, including Russia, Ecuador, Botswana, Rwanda, Sudan and Thailand, all of whom tell similar stories about how sexual abuse, not prostitution, is the oldest form of abuse."

As I turn the pages, I see the faces of pain and brokenness not just from our city streets but from the mining communities in Western Ghana, where girls who should be in Brownies sell themselves for food. But this is a book and these are lives that are not about despair .. but a sure and certain hope that is pure Gospel. A hope that does not ignore or sugar-coat the brokenness of the world but says with a clear and beautiful voice that death in all its forms does not have the last word. That Christ has the last word -- always -- and Christ, for these women, was found when two or three gathered in his name. When they became the Women of Magdalene.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I know I will read it again and again and again, finding new wisdom each time. I hope it will do more than that, though. I pray it will give me the strength and desire to put the book down and go out in the streets and meet the saints of God who walk there. And spread Christ's love to them as these women have spread it to each other.

Joe Chambers/Waters of Hope leading March Gladness!

2009-03-28T08:53:00.000-05:00

EGR's March Gladness is through the Sweet 16 with a new leader ... Joe Chambers playing for Waters of Hope (www.watersofhope.org).

All of Joe's Final Four are still alive and he has the Pitt Panthers cutting down the net, so if things keep going his way, the majority of the pot will be heading to excellent water projects in Swaziland and Sudan.

But there are other people in the hunt.

Scott Cain, a former sportswriter from Arkansas, had a big Sweet 16 and has moved into second place. He's got Michigan State upsetting Louisville tomorrow and also has Pitt as the eventual winner ... so that West Regional Final will be key for him. Scott is playing for the Samaritan Community Center in Springdale, Arkansas.

Scott is tied with Amanda Shea -- who also has Pittsburgh winning it all. Amanda has been among the leaders the whole tournament and is playing for Chila Inc, a wonderful nonprofit of medical students and medical schools building clinics in Guatemala! www.chilainc.org.

... and I've got to announce an exciting darkhorse coming around the outside -- 10-year old Schroedter Kinman! Schroedter moved into fifth place last night when Michigan State beat Kansas. He picked UNC to win it all, but his big gamble is faith in his dad's alma mater, Missouri, to beat UConn today and go to the Final Four. Schroedter is pretty pumped up about it ... and he's playing for the Central Asia Institute, 'cause he's reading Three Cups of Tea together and he wants to help build schools in Pakistan.

For full results go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/group/15404

Millenium Development Goal #5 - by John G. Miers

2009-03-23T08:29:00.003-05:00

Millennium Development Goal #5 Improve Maternal Health"

Then Jesus said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home." - John 19:27

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “Maternal Health?”

Many people think of Maternal Health as ensuring that a woman gets through the childbirth process safely. I think that it is much larger than that, however.

It is different from Children’s Health, which is another of our MDGs. At first, I wondered it if was a chicken and egg situation (no pun intended); can you have one without the other? If so, which should we worry about first?

At a church service recently, I saw a woman who had been widowed. She had been brought to the service by her son. He doted over her, took her up for communion, watched out for her. This is also maternal health. What can be done to encourage this type of responsibility?

I think that we should use this very important goal as a springboard to encourage, justify, and validate just what we should be doing anyway, caring for all. Yes, maternal health is very important, but it is only a segment of our responsibility to each other. And, as noted above, maternal health can be much broader than just what is first thought of. Caring for your mother is a life-long process. Caring for your mother is something to be taught to children. Caring for your mother can be the cornerstone to a caring society.

But then, I started to think in a broader, more inclusive way.

Why does this goal only speak to maternal health? What about paternal health? As I write these blogs, I am often struck by the value of these 8 MDGs. They are so universal and all-encompassing. But they are also so limited. By that, I mean that if you are taking them literally, it is easy to be constrained or restricted by them. But God doesn’t want us to be restricted – ever. As we ponder these 8 goals, it is simple to allow them to lead you on broader and more inclusive paths.

So, for this one, “Improve Maternal Health,” it is simple to see that not only all types of health for women must be included, but that we are also led to improve all types of health to all people. Isn’t this what the Lord really expects of us? Improving Maternal Health is the first step on this journey. People have spent their entire lives on this journey. We should, too. That means examining each situation with which we are presented, and wondering just what HE would want us to do…..and then doing it.

As of March 16, there were 3,291,805,000 females in the world, and the world’s population was 6,615,852,000. This means that females are 49.76% of the world’s population. Simply focusing on Maternal Health can take care of almost 50% of the people. Worrying about everyone boosts that by a factor of two. WWJD?

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He serves on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.

"On Sacred Ground" -- by the Rev. Becca Stevens

2009-03-23T07:43:00.002-05:00

It could have been the sun
Blushing from kissing the day goodbye,
Or the reflection off a creek on a late afternoon.
It could have been an early Redbud blooming,
Startled awake by the beauty of the day,
Or a field of fire-pink rising from the ashes of winter.
It called as deep calls to deep.

I followed it deep into the hollow of my woods.
It was fear and liberation walking down the aisle
Toward the altar and the author of life.
I kicked off my shoes so I could feel my feet
Bound for seasons, walking on a wet, cold ground.
I wanted to fall to my knees but hope outweighed despair.
In the whitest flames I was consumed,
And felt a Pentecostal crown set upon my head.
In dancing shadows I felt the pain of poverty
And the burden of riches that feel like death.

I heard nothing but God’s voice rising,
Not just from the flame, but the woods itself.
My face, hot to the touch, was soothed by salty gratitude.
The smell of lavender, olive and geranium
Rose like incense uncontained on upward drafts.
The vision was of fire, or maybe desire.
It melted my heart as easily as iron in the kiln.
My heart was fashioning itself to love.
Ash and sacred oil clung to my skin like manna.

Turning away with an aftertaste burning my heart,
I grieved this specter may never light this ground again,
But pray its light carries me through interminable nights,
Unforgiving waters and undue seasons.
Putting my shoes back on my beloved feet,
I turn from myself so that this fresh heart of flesh
Can grow and flower in its transfigured grace.

The Rev. Becca Stevens is a priest, author, rector of St. Augustine's Church in Nashville, TN and founder of Magdalene House. She has worked with her parish to found a school in Ecuador and to support women's industry in Rwanda. Read her bio here.

Shea and Walker lead after first round of March Gladness!

2009-03-21T07:04:00.002-05:00

We're through the first round of EGR's March Gladness (if you don't know what this is, click here!) and we have co-leaders: Amanda Shea and Max Walker, each of whom picked 27 of the 32 games correctly.

Amanda is playing for CHILA Inc., - http://site.chilainc.org - a project supported by the medical school at East Tennessee State University, where her husband, Ryan (who is tied for 3rd, BTW) attends. It's a great group working on health issues in rural Guatemala. Here's what they're doing:

1.) Construction/Maintenance of a Clinic in Rural Guatemala (exam rooms, water source, laboratory, medical equipment)

2.) Business/Product Development with Q’ana Tz’uul Taq’a, an indigenous women’s group dedicated to promoting local herbal medicine in Guatemala (natural medicine product marketing for sales in tourist destinations, food/spice products, handicrafts)

3.) Development of a “Healthy Schools” Program with local children of villages of Chisec, Alta Verapaz (training members of women’s group to facilitate dynamic classes with children in local elementary schools on basic health topics)

4.) Future International Medical Missions (doctors, dentists, nurses, and medical students will participate in short medical mission trips when clinic is established)

Also, Amanda is an AMAZING professional photographer. Check out some of her work at http://www.amandasheaphotography.com/.

Max is playing for Waters of Hope ... http://www.watersofhope.org/ ... a group riding bikes around the Diocese of Missouri to raise money for water projects in Sudan and Swaziland.

Waters of Hope is a great cooperative effort of the dioceses of Iowa and Missouri. The water projects they are funding include digging wells in the diocese of Lui in Southern Sudan and great portable water purification systems in Swaziland.

Check out both these great nonprofits ... and why not click and make a donation while you're at it.

Second round starts today. Check back on Monday for the leaders going into the Sweet Sixteen!

For full results go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/group/15404

"MDG #2 so many children out of school" by Meredith Bowen

2009-03-10T01:44:00.003-05:00

I currently live and work in a very rural area of Tanzania, in the town of Karatu. The population of Karatu is approximately 220,000.

Each morning I drive to work and each afternoon I drive home. And every day I am shocked by how many children I see on the road - as opposed to being in school. Children herding cows or goats, or carrying buckets of water home.

Beautiful little children; full of potential. But potential that will never be fulfilled if they don't attend school.

Living here is Tanzania, I meet needy kids each and every day. Kids who need medical treatment, kids who need better nutrition, and always kids who need scholarships to go to school - whether tuition for private school (since so often teachers don't show up at government schools to actually teach their classes) or simply funds to pay for a uniform and a writing tablet for local government schools.

Recently I met a little girl named Winnie.

Winnie is ten years old and is in Standard Five (the basic equivalent of 5th grade). At the end of the 2008 school year, Winnie scored the highest score on the government standardized test of any child in the entire Karatu region.

But only a few years ago, Winnie wasn't even in school. Her parents had both passed away. Her mother from AIDS and her father from an "unknown illness" - probably AIDS as well. Winnie was suddenly orphaned, which meant no uniform, no books, no pencil - no school.

And yet, here she is, only a few years later, the smartest 5th grader in the region. Winnie was lucky enough to be taken in by her loving aunt and uncle, and she was fortunate enough to get a scholarship in order to study at the best school available in Karatu.

But without these lucky breaks, Winnie would be just one more little girl with a bucket of water on her head on my drive to work. No school, no future.

How many of the children I pass each morning and each afternoon are as gifted and bright as Winnie?

"Everyday Miracles" by Karen-Schmidt of Miller-McCune.com

2009-03-09T16:14:00.001-05:00

Forty-something years ago, when I was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., I was a sickly thing. I weighed only 6 pounds. I had a strep infection and wouldn't eat. The doctors put me in an incubator and treated the infection, and within a few weeks I was well enough to go home to my family's split-level in the suburbs.

A few years ago, a 9-year-old boy named Samson came down with strep. But he lived in rural Rwanda, not suburban Pittsburgh, and his family did not have the pennies needed to take him to the clinic to be treated. He developed rheumatic heart disease that damaged his heart valves, and for years he was too ill even to attend school.

After spending 10 years of my career in global health, five of them in Rwanda, I know the numbers. Samson is just one of hundreds of thousands of children in Africa whose minor illnesses go untreated every year. Worldwide, a child under 5 dies about every three seconds. Up to a third of those die within weeks of birth. The rest die primarily from pneumonia, measles, malaria and diarrhea — all preventable or treatable illnesses. It's an overwhelming tragedy, all the worse because it's avoidable. Rwanda's child mortality rate has shown remarkable improvement in recent years, but more than 10 percent of babies still don't make it to age 5.

How is it possible that in 2009, a baby just like me would likely not survive if she had the bad luck to be born somewhere like Rwanda? How can it be that even in the United States we have yet to put into practice the simple logic of making sure sick people get treatment so they don't get sicker?

Solid primary health care isn't really hard; in fact, it's kind of boring. Most ailments are routine. Many can be prevented. It's only when the little things don't get managed that things become — disgracefully — interesting.

Thirty years ago, the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma-Ata, in what was then the USSR, adopted the Declaration on Primary Health Care, a sweeping document that launched a movement to make primary health care "a fundamental human right." Last October, back in the same city — now known as Almaty, Kazakhstan — another international gathering marked the publication of a World Health Organization report titled "Primary Health Care: Now More than Ever." In her introduction to the report, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan acknowledged that "despite enormous progress in health globally," the failure to make primary health care essentially universal was "painfully obvious."

The classic indicators of health have certainly improved worldwide in the past three decades, but progress has been desperately uneven: Gaps between rich and poor have widened, and some of poorest countries have actually lost ground. Although the global under-5 mortality rate has been cut in half since 1970, the United Nations reports that 27 countries in the world, most of them in Africa, made no progress from 1990 to 2006 in reducing child death. In 1977, life expectancy at birth in sub-Saharan Africa was 48. By 2006 it had only risen to 50. Even in places that are better off overall, such as India and the United States, health disparities within countries remain stark. The American Cancer Society reported in December that African Americans are 48 percent more likely to die of colon cancer than white Americans. The Institute of Medicine estimated that 18,000 people died in the United States in 2000 because they didn't have health insurance; an update a year ago by the Urban Institute reported that the figure has risen steadily, reaching 22,000 a year in 2006.

It doesn't have to be this way. Whether the solution for preventing serious disease is cancer screening, the prompt treatment of malaria, blood pressure pills or a measles shot, the most logical place to provide it is through a functioning system of primary health care that is accessible - geographically and financially — to everyone. Over the years, policy wonks have defined primary health care in many ways and rebaptized it many times: It's been called close-to-client care, patient-centered care and, more recently, medical home. At the simplest level, though, commitment to primary health care is as an approach that starts with preventing and treating the easy stuff and only gets more sophisticated when the patient needs it.

Where Samson lives, in Rwanda's Bugesera district, the clinic was barely functioning a few years ago. Mayange Health Center had a solid building but no power, almost no medicine and an unmotivated, poorly compensated staff. The center saw only a few patients a day, and every month almost all the expectant mothers in the area delivered at home rather than pay the cost of delivery at the sparsely equipped maternity room. Throughout the country, health centers were called death centers.

Read the whole article here.

"A Time of Transition for EGR" -- by John Hammock, President, EGR Board of Directors

2009-03-07T07:45:00.003-06:00

As President of the EGR Board of Directors, I want to dedicate this blog to reporting on Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation in this time of transition. Michael Kinman is stepping down as Executive Director at the end of March after over three years in that position. Michael began as Executive Director just as EGR became a legalized not- for-profit. From the beginning our mission has not been just to promote the Millennium Development Goals, but rather to lift up the Gospel of Jesus as we called for conversion—in our personal lives and in our commitment to end poverty. Michael never wavered from this commitment. His leadership, enthusiasm and dogged determination have helped EGR become a beacon of hope for many and an example of what a new type of organization can be.

EGR decided early on that it did not want to grow its own institution. Rather it was to grow a movement, building on the work of individuals, churches and Dioceses. EGR has kept its staff to the Executive Director and one half-time administrative assistant—even as its programs have extended nationwide and as it has sponsored event after event using the internet. EGR is the epitome of a non-hierarchical agency modeling a new approach to organizations within a very hierarchical church.

As EGR transitions to a new Executive Director the organization is committed to continue this organizational model. In our first three years, EGR has focused on the MDGs—first raising awareness and commitments on the 0.07% target for giving and later also on education and advocacy on these goals. This continues to be a primary focus of EGR.

From the very beginning EGR has reached out to young people. We have felt that a movement to eradicate poverty was a way to reach out to young people and to get them involved in the work of the church. The dynamism and active involvement of young folks in our work has proved us right.

This past year we instituted a Rule of Life and offered this up to our members. The idea was for people to commit to daily prayer and action and to know that a group of Christians were working to support each other in our commitments to end poverty. We will continue to look for ways to deepen this type of personal commitment and support structure—giving us a concrete way to show our daily solidarity with those who are less fortunate.

This past November the EGR Board decided that it could not be silent in this defining moment of our Church and our society—a time when the economic crisis engulfs not just those who are poor but many of those who have felt financially secure. EGR has begun a series of internal discussions on what its role should be, how it should frame the debate on this economic crisis—and its impact on the MDGs, poverty and the church as we know it. This will be a core challenge for EGR—to hold fast our commitment to personal conversion and personal action as we build a movement, to continue to promote the MDGs through individual, church and Diocesan action and, in addition, to begin a dialogue within the Episcopal Church to deal creatively with the financial and economic crisis we now live, seizing it as a defining moment in our lives. As such, how we respond is essential for us as we struggle to be Christians in today’s changing world.

I ask all of you who are concerned about EGR and its work to keep us in your prayers as we go through the process of finding a new Executive Director. I also ask you to pray for Mike as he moves on to his new challenges in St. Louis. Together we will continue to make a difference through EGR; together we will continue to be creative, breaking traditional boundaries and conventional thinking, building a movement that puts Christ at its center—calling for personal conversion and a personal commitment to living out our faith.

Thank you for your support, for your prayers and for your steadfast commitments to making a difference in this world.

Dr. John Hammock is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University and works with Sabina Alkire as a research associate at the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative, John was Executive Director at Oxfam America from 1984-1995 and Executive Director at ACCION International from 1973-1980. He is the EGR board president

"Millennium Development Goal #4 Reduce Child Mortality" -- by John G. Miers

2009-03-05T08:10:00.002-06:00

"Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more." -Jeremiah 31:15

Rachel is weeping. I would be, too. There is a special bond between a parent and child. This also extends beyond parents, however. It includes grandparents, too. It also goes to Godparents, Aunts and Uncles, and then to Cousins and just regular friends. People see potential and hope in these children, (whatever their relationship may be). People see the future. Each child is seen uniquely and separately, a gift from God, and treasure to be cherished and prized. Each is special.

Several weeks ago, I went to a local hospital, to visit the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, known as “the PICU.” There were many sick kids there, some very ill. There were family members there trying to soothe each other, trying to be there for each other, trying to be there for the sick child. There were subdued voices and frightened faces. There was not much weeping; there was a lot of hope. People were there hoping for healing, expecting healing, assuming that healing would come and come soon. The doctors and nurses and technicians were all bustling around. But there was hope. Always.

This was here in the US. But what about “over there?” What about places where there is not so much technology as we have here? There are places where supplies are short or non-existent. Stethoscopes, maybe; monitors, no way. But there are children there who are sick, many of whom are quite sick, and have been sick for a long time. Each is special, and each is prized. But is there hope? Sometimes. How can we ensure that “sometimes” will increase to “most of the time,” and that “most of the time” will increase to “always?”

This is the key to having MDG #4 – to “Reduce Child Mortality.” This is a goal that everyone can identify with. People see sick children everywhere, and we must remind them that things are more drastic “over there.” In order to “Reduce Child Mortality,” it has to be done there, too. It is harder to do it there, for several reasons. First, more children are sick, and there are fewer resources to care for them expertly.

This is where this MDG comes in. Through various arms and agencies, it encourages and allows us all to help. Those of us “over here” are encouraged to help those who are “over there.” Funds and resources are needed. We can donate time, resources, and funds, the ‘Time, Talent, and Treasure’ about which we have learned. We have so much “over here” that it is obvious where it is needed – and needed desperately. How can we ensure that Child Mortality will be reduced? How can we ensure that Rachel will weep less? Find an agency with international ties. Find a foreign hospital. Support them, and help Rachel stop weeping.

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He serves on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.

"Will Africa Let Sudan Off the Hook" -- by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

2009-03-03T17:37:00.002-06:00

This Op-Ed appeared in yesterday's New York Times.

THE expected issuance of an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan by the International Criminal Court tomorrow presents a stark choice for African leaders — are they on the side of justice or on the side of injustice? Are they on the side of the victim or the oppressor? The choice is clear but the answer so far from many African leaders has been shameful.

Because the victims in Sudan are African, African leaders should be the staunchest supporters of efforts to see perpetrators brought to account. Yet rather than stand by those who have suffered in Darfur, African leaders have so far rallied behind the man responsible for turning that corner of Africa into a graveyard.

In response to news last July that Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the court’s chief prosecutor, was seeking an arrest warrant for President Bashir for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the African Union issued a communiqué to the United Nations Security Council asking it to suspend the court’s proceedings. Rather than condemn the genocide in Darfur, the organization chose to underscore its concern that African leaders are being unfairly singled out and to support President Bashir’s effort to delay court proceedings.

More recently, the Group of 77, an influential organization at the United Nations consisting of 130 developing states and including nearly every African country, gave Sudan its chairmanship. The victory came after African members endorsed Sudan’s candidacy in spite of the imminent criminal charges against its president.

I regret that the charges against President Bashir are being used to stir up the sentiment that the justice system — and in particular, the international court — is biased against Africa. Justice is in the interest of victims, and the victims of these crimes are African. To imply that the prosecution is a plot by the West is demeaning to Africans and understates the commitment to justice we have seen across the continent.

It’s worth remembering that more than 20 African countries were among the founders of the International Criminal Court, and of the 108 nations that joined the court, 30 are in Africa. That the court’s four active investigations are all in Africa is not because of prosecutorial prejudice — it is because three of the countries involved (Central African Republic, Congo and Uganda) themselves requested that the prosecutor intervene. Only the Darfur case was referred to the prosecutor by the Security Council. The prosecutor on his own initiative is considering investigations in Afghanistan, Colombia and Georgia.

African leaders argue that the court’s action will impede efforts to promote peace in Darfur. However, there can be no real peace and security until justice is enjoyed by the inhabitants of the land. There is no peace precisely because there has been no justice. As painful and inconvenient as justice may be, we have seen that the alternative — allowing accountability to fall by the wayside — is worse.

The issuance of an arrest warrant for President Bashir would be an extraordinary moment for the people of Sudan — and for those around the world who have come to doubt that powerful people and governments can be called to account for inhumane acts. African leaders should support this historic occasion, not work to subvert it.
Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

"NetsforLife Distributes Millionth Net to Eliminate Malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa and Launches a New Website" - by Devon Wallace, Nets For Life

2009-02-27T10:54:00.002-06:00

Three years after delivering the first long-lasting insecticide-treated net to a remote community in rural Zambia, NetsforLife® has concluded Phase 1 of its implementation by distributing its millionth net.

The Hon. James Orengo, Minister for Land and other local dignitaries, Mr. Asiko, President of the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, NetsforLife® Executive Director Shaun Walsh and 4,000 others participated in dramatic and musical events celebrating the completion of NetsforLife® Phase 1 in Kisumu, Kenya on December 10, 2008.

NetsforLife® is a collaborative partnership of ExxonMobil Foundation, Standard Chartered Bank, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, Starr International Foundation, White Flowers Foundation and Episcopal Relief & Development. NetsforLife® implements integrated malaria prevention through a network of local faith-based organizations and NGOs in 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The program is managed and monitored by Episcopal Relief & Development in 15 countries and by Christian Aid in two.

Sleeping under an insecticide-treated net dramatically reduces malaria transmission, but because so few people have access to nets the disease remains a scourge of sub-Saharan Africa, the epicenter of 86% of the world’s 247 million annual cases. Nearly a million people die each year from malaria, 91% in Africa. More than 75% of those who become sick and die are children under the age of five. This disease causes needless death and suffering, and cripples development on the continent.

NetsforLife® has already achieved remarkable success. The program encourages people to sleep under long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, trains local malaria agents who distribute nets, provides education on how to recognize symptoms of malaria and teaches communities about environmental management and malaria control. For example, household long-lasting insecticide-treated net use by children and pregnant women, the two groups most vulnerable to the disease, increased dramatically in all countries of operation. The percentage of pregnant women and children sleeping under nets went from 12% to 88%.

In order to continue its work to eliminate malaria, NetsforLife® has launched Phase 2 of the program. During the next five years, the organization will expand its work to 17 countries, train thousands more malaria agents and distribute at least five million more nets.

As part of the Phase 2 kick-off, NetsforLife® is launching its new website, www.netsforlifeafrica.org. The innovative and user-friendly website has several features to engage those interested in efforts to eliminate malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. These include expanded information on program practices and activities, a blog with postings from different NetsforLife® field sites and headquarters and video clips presenting NetsforLife® in action.

“We are thrilled with the impact that Phase 1 of NetsforLife® has had on reducing malaria in remote communities in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Shaun Walsh, Executive Director of NetsforLife®. “We know from our project monitoring data that using the Church to reach communities at the end of the road is a successful way to instill a net culture and get people to sleep under treated nets. This is a true reason to rejoice and celebrate. Our new website provides an easy way to learn about the program and its success,” Walsh continued.

"A Biblical mandate to serve God's mission" -- by the Rt. Rev. Arthur Walmsley

2009-02-25T23:01:00.000-06:00

The vision of the Millennium Development Goals is not new. For people who draw their faith from the Bible, it is as old as scripture. There is a Biblical mandate to serve God’s mission ... and scripture offers us an understanding of the global crisis which has the potential to move us beyond the paralysis of the present to an affirmation and a way of being grounded in hope.

The doorway to this understanding starts with Jesus. And as with him, it is important to begin where he began, with scripture. For him, that was of course the Hebrew scripture. Beginning more than a thousand years before his birth, a number of texts became definitive for Jews, notably the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, which sought to establish the Torah, the Law. Then came the accounts, more or less historical, of the judges and kings of Israel. Beginning in the 7th century, the pronouncements of the various prophets were added to the generally accepted canon of readings. In addition are books which reflect spiritual struggle, like the Books of Psalms and other so-called wisdom literature.

For Israel, the defining event of its history was the Babylonian exile, a time of unrestrained grief and dislocation, of exile and persecution, which yet gave rise to the vision of an order of fulfillment, of community, and accountability. Isaiah declares the generosity of God as an encounter of a living God and a living people, in which all are invited to enjoy the rich abundance God had fashioned out of the preexisting void:

I am creating new heavens and a new earth; the past will not longer be remembered nor will it ever come to mind. . . The wolf and the lamb will feed together and the lion will eat straw like an ox. . .Neither hurt nor harm will be done in all my human mountain. (Isa. 65)

In short the Old Testament God yearns for the fulfillment of human community.

It is in this reality that Jesus begins his preaching, which he does powerfully and with no mincing of words. All four Gospels move quickly as they begin their accounts of the adult Jesus. His first sermon at Nazareth, right after his baptism in the Jordan River, is from another text from Isaiah (Isa 61):

The Spirit of the Lord God has taken control of me! The Lord has anointed me, and sent me to announce good news to the poor, to proclaim release for prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind; to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Jesus then rolls up the scroll, gives it back to the attendant, sits down. All eyes in the synagogue are fixed on him.

Today in your hearing this text has come true.

Initially, they marvel at how words of grace should fall from his lips. But not for long. He challenges their faith, and they turn on him, drive him out of town. And then the split begins, between those who come to see him as uniquely living out the promises of God and those who see someone undermining traditional Jewish values or stirring up the Roman authorities. Even his own mother and brothers come to him, questioning his sanity or at least his judgment. It then begins slowly to emerge among the growing band of his followers, that in him God has taken a decisive step in respect to the world. God has entered the world in our flesh, confronting in person the human sense of alienation and exile – Father, take this cup from me, he pleads, and from the Cross, My God, why have you forsaken me? Yet he takes there responsibility to bring about the healing and restitution for which the world longs. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. It is finished. Into your hands I commit myself.

The reality of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is not a departure from the mission of reconciliation, justice, and peace entrusted to Israel. Jesus did not come to break down the Law but rather to fulfill it. In the text with which he began his preaching, in the extraordinary ways he reaches out to outcasts, the sick, the poor, those on the edges of society, he demonstrates solidarity with them. His is a living demonstration of God’s transforming power to bring together those who are separated, what some Liberation theologians in Latin America call God’s "preferential option for the poor."

We need to see, then, that the Old Testament vision is one of restoration and renewal, lived out in hope, as God’s mission to restore the creation through a public process that curbs the raw exercise of power. It is yet unfulfilled, the not-yet-future to be sealed by the sending of Messiah, the anointed one, who will be God’s sign of the deliverance from exile and alienation. Where Christians differ from their ancestors and partners in faith is that Jesus is the Christos, the anointed one:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

When Jews are truest to their tradition, and we to ours, the promise of faith is not only that our personal lives are to be transformed by encounter with the living God, but that we are swept up into God’s mission for the creation, called to be bearers of the vision of a restored, reconciled world of shalom, peace as it is understood in scripture and in theological teaching through the centuries as the presence of justice and right order, not simply the absence of war and violence.

My friend, the late Bill Coffin puts it very well in a collection of his writings, titled Credo.

Credo – I believe – best translates "I have given my heart to," he begins. "However imperfectly, I have given my heart to the teaching and example of Christ. . . .To learn from one another and to work together towards common goals of justice and peace – this surely is what suffering humanity has every right to expect of believers of all faiths.2

No sermon on love can fail to mention love’s most difficult problem in our time – how to find effective ways to alleviate the massive suffering of humanity at home and abroad. What we need to realize is that to love effectively we must act collectively, and that in collective action personal relationships cannot ignore power relations. Until Christians learn this truth of a technological, complex world, we shall be in this world as lap dogs trying to keep up with the wolf pack.3

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, describes the effect of Jesus’ self-emptying as creating

a pathway or an open door between earth and heaven that no turn of events in the world can ever again close. A place has been cleared where the act of God and human reality are allowed to belong together without rivalry or fear: the place where Jesus is. It is a place where human beings have only to be open to what is offered and where God demands nothing and imposes nothing but simply abides in unceasing love, a love that can only be imagined in the human world and human language in terms of vulnerability. It is thus a place where human competition means nothing; a place where the desperate anxiety to please God means nothing; a place where the admission of failure is not the end but the beginning; a place from which no one is excluded in advance.4

Which shall it be? People immobilized by fear, or people empowered by hope who dare to join together for the welfare of the globe, which is, after all, our own welfare writ large. Halfway through the last century, when the world was staggering through the Great Depression and later a devastating world war, a President foresaw the possibilities of both peace and justice, drawing on his faith as an Episcopalian. From it, Franklin Roosevelt had the political courage to conceive of the Four Freedoms, to support the creation of the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to challenge the Congress to develop Social Security and other examples of a national social net. Our times are different but the challenges are remarkably similar. The eight areas of the Millennium Development Goals offer a means to understand global issues, and support and deploy resources to address them. That agenda must begin at the grass roots, the local level.

My wife Roberta and I belong to a small congregation in New Hampshire. Holy Cross Church in Weare has a part-time Vicar and a budget of $90,000 a year. Two years ago, after several months studying the MDGs, the Vestry voted the 0.7 % asking, something over $600, and divided it between a micro-enterprise in Cameroon which makes loans to women, one objective of which is to provide the income to send daughters to school, the other a contribution to support a library and computer resources to a facility for young people in a township outside Capetown, South Africa. Both programs were started by lay persons from the Diocese. A small effort, perhaps, but one which has transformed the way our congregation thinks and prays about its part in God’s mission for the world.

That’s a good place to begin.

The Rt. Rev. Arthur Walmsley is a founding member of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. This post is part of longer remarks he made for the beginning of a Lenten series at Trinity Church, Concord, MA

"An Ash Wednesday message from Mayange" -- by Reynolds Whalen

2009-02-25T15:47:00.001-06:00

For the people of Mayange, the desert imagery of Lent is not difficult to grasp. Part of the reason the Millennium Village Project chose to conduct programs in this area of Rwanda is a lack of adequate rainfall and challenging conditions for agriculture.

This past year was especially difficult due to a long-lasting drought that destroyed many crops and left many people in desperate circumstances.

As I enter this Lenten season and read the Gospel lesson for Ash Wednesday in which Jesus instructs us not to disfigure our faces when fasting, I think of the countless people I pass every day who may not have eaten a full meal in weeks, yet whose faces reveal only hope and joy. As I pursue my Lenten resolution to pray with the rising and setting of the sun every day, I will remember those in this world whose journey in life is a daily struggle, but who approach each day with unfailing optimism and gratitude for the little they do have. I hope you will, too.

Reynolds Whalen is living in Rwanda working for Millennium Congregation, linking congregations with the work of Millennium Villages Project in that nation. His work is chronicling the work going on there and he will be posting regular videos to this blog.

"I'm an optimist" -- by John G. Miers

2009-02-18T09:31:00.003-06:00

I’m an optimist.

I have always believed that you must look at the positive side of every situation. There are many reasons for this, from preserving your own mental health to keeping yourself from being overwhelmed and run over. Make no mistake, it is important to see all the sides of a question, but focusing strictly on the down or negative side will make you both frustrated and notorious!

I remember starting a workshop one day by placing a 16 ounce soda bottle in front of me; it had 8 ounces of soda in it. I asked for a show of hands as to who thought it was half-empty or and who thought that it was half-filled. The class was fairly evenly divided in their responses! I then gave a workshop on diversity and on looking for the best in just what you are presented with. Then I asked the question again. This time, the results were significantly different: almost every student saw the bottle as half-full. This happens again and again, in every workshop that I lead! Try it yourself.

I remember when I was in college, when everybody who was anybody was a Greek – a member of a fraternity or sorority, known by the two or three Greek letters of its name. I became known not only by the three letters of my fraternity, but also as a GDO – A “God-Damned Optimist.”

The value of optimism. There is terrific value in optimism! Its potential is amazing. You will find that you are constantly looking for many do-able small solutions, instead of struggling for the one big one. This is so much easier, and self-fulfilling. Each small victory gives you the will and enthusiasm to go one more step. One of my favorite quotes in this area is from Martin Luther King, Jr., who said “Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”

When you have a problem facing you, keep your eye on the horizon. This allows you to see exactly what is out there to deal with; it allows you to see all the stones that are there, realizing that “the solution” is lurking under one of them. While you see the problems, you also see where the solution is lying! Sure, when you move forward, the horizon moves back, and you see more stones, but you also see more opportunities to find “the solution.” This says to look and consider before you move forward.

One of my favorite phrases about being an optimist is that while you may see items that are unrealistic, you can always “Compromise Backwards to Reality.”

"Zimbabwe" - by David Lane, ONE Campaign

2009-02-17T10:20:00.002-06:00

Zimbabwe is beyond a state of crisis.

Zimbabwe was once one of the most promising countries in Africa with a thriving agriculture industry, one of the region’s highest literacy rates and a robust healthcare system. Today, Zimbabwe is a land of devastation. 28 years of increasingly dictatorial rule by President Robert Mugabe have led to hyperinflation, food shortages and a breakdown of basic public services.

Last year, the world watched Zimbabwe suffer through a botched and violent election. But last Wednesday, after months of bitter negotiations with President Robert Mugabe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as the new Prime Minister, forming a “unity government” that will attempt to move the country forward. It won’t be easy. Last year’s disastrous election and President’s Mugabe’s continued presence casts doubt about how much change is possible. The good news is that Zimbabwe does not have to do this work alone. The African Union (AU) will serve as guarantor for this new government and it is critical that they take immediate action to ensure Zimbabwe’s unity government takes steps in the right direction.

You can show the African Union that the world is watching to make sure it keeps its promise to Zimbabwe’s new unity government, by signing our petition to the newly-elected African Union chairman Muammar Gaddafi:

http://www.one.org/zimbabweandtheau/o.pl?id=830-3236262-Qm.5Pcx&t=2

Petition text:

Please ensure that the African Union executes its role as guarantor of the new Zimbabwe unity government.

The African Union can put Zimbabwe on the right footing and show the world that it is serious about change by aggressively policing the agreement, and, at a minimum, acting on the four recommendations offered by civil society groups in Zimbabwe:

*Insist on the immediate cessation of abductions and torture, as well as the release of the human rights activists and political prisoners.

*Demand that humanitarian agencies be allowed to work in an unrestricted environment.

*Call for an immediate repeal of unjust legislation like the Access to Information and the Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order and Security Act (POSA).

*Ensure an enabling environment for the new unity government.

The consequences of years of poor governance in Zimbabwe are poverty and disease on a tragic scale that demands a global response. Public hospitals have been without running water for months, creating a petri dish for easily preventable killers like cholera. More than 3,000 people have died in Africa’s worst cholera epidemic in 19 years. Schools have been shut down because teachers can’t be paid. The agricultural sector has collapsed, half the population requires emergency food aid and humanitarian aid groups are struggling to keep up.

We’re not the only ones calling for action. In South Africa, activist and co-founder of the Global Campaign Against Poverty, Dr. Kumi Nadoo had this to say: "Unity within governmental structures alone does not address the humanitarian and human rights issues that the people of Zimbabwe face on a daily basis. Therefore, the AU must – first and foremost – demand that the Zimbabwean government listen to and respect its people."

You can help make that happen. Take action now by adding your name to our petition asking the African Union to do its job as guarantor of the unity government, and work to end the political repression that has crippled Zimbabwe.

http://www.one.org/zimbabweandtheau/o.pl?id=830-3236262-Qm.5Pcx&t=3

Thank you for making a difference,

David Lane, ONE.org

"Kubaka" -- by Reynolds Whalen

2009-02-16T08:55:00.003-06:00

During my time in Rwanda, I have had the pleasure of connecting with the organization of my roommates Amir and Anna, called "Miracle Corners of the World " (MCW). This is an international network that empowers youth to become positive agents of change, to improve their lives and contribute to their communities. MCW serves youth through leadership training, community development, oral healthcare, and partner initiative programs.

In Rwanda, MCW has begun building a community center inspired by the ideas of youth throughout the Bugesera District, several kilometers south of the capital city of Kigali. This center will house an ICT center for learning computer skills, a classroom for language instruction, and a preschool, among other facilities.

This project will be particularly important in facilitating Rwanda's switch from Francophone to Anglophone, which occurred officially only several weeks ago at the end of 2008. In fact, Miracle Corners Rwanda hopes to build the first public library in the entire country, focusing on making English-language books available to the community.

"Kubaka" in Kinyarwanda means "Construction." This film tells the story of the groundbreaking ceremony for the center, highlighting some of the ways MCW has been working with the community, and celebrating the opportunities for education, networking, and socialization that have been and will be "constructed."

My life in Nyamata has also offered me many opportunities for personal "construction" and reflection on life's deepest joys.

The other day, in desperate need of exercise, I ran up one of Rwanda's "thousand hills" after work. At the top, I enjoyed a dazzling view of Nyamata and the surrounding villages. Coupled with the sound of my own heavy breathing was the never-ending chorus of children squealing in glee or utter dismay (i've remembered recently that kids rarely fall anywhere on the spectrum of emotions except the absolute extremes).

Later that night, I found myself interrupted at my computer by my landlord Bosco, who showed up at my door with his larger than life, tooth-missing smile, insisting that I join him and his wife for dinner. Moments later, I found myself at table with the two of them and Amir, laughing our way into the African night and struggling joyously through our language barriers, elated to discover in the immense confusion an almost sacred bond of friendship that truly united our common humanity and reaffirmed my strong belief in Christianity, a religion focused on the two qualities that made the night transformative: love and community."

Part I

Part II

Reynolds Whalen is living in Rwanda working for Millennium Congregation, linking congregations with the work of Millennium Villages Project in that nation. His work is chronicling the work going on there and he will be posting regular videos to this blog.

"World Bank research shows crisis worsening poverty" - Reuters

2009-02-15T16:12:00.000-06:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A day ahead of a meeting of industrial powers, the World Bank said on Thursday new research showed more people were being pushed into poverty in developing countries due to the global financial crisis.

It said new 2009 estimates compiled by the bank show that weaker economic growth will push 46 million more people below the poverty line of $1.25 a day than was expected before the crisis emerged in 2007.

An additional 53 million people will stay trapped on less than $2 a day. This is on top of the 130 million-155 million people pushed into poverty in 2008 because of soaring food and fuel prices, it said.

The Washington-based development lender, whose mission is to fight global poverty, said the new forecasts highlight the risk that the world will fail to meet a universally agreed target to halve global poverty by 2015 under the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick, who will attend the Group of Seven meeting, said helping the poor required a global solution.

"While much of the world is focused on bank rescues and stimulus packages, we should not forget that poor people in developing countries are far more exposed if their economies falter," he said in a statement.

"This is a global crisis requiring a global solution. The needs of poor people in developing countries must be on the table," he said

In its research, the World Bank said the global economic crisis exposed households in virtually all developing countries to increased poverty and hardship.

It said countries where poverty was already a problem before the crisis would be particularly hard hit.

It also said efforts by governments in developing countries to fend off the crisis were blunted by weak institutions and already tight budgets.

(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

"CNNs John Roberts and Gen. Colin Powell discuss fight against global poverty"

2009-02-13T10:04:00.000-06:00

"'What's on Your Heart' Campaign" - by Mercedes Mack, Jubilee USA

2009-02-12T15:26:00.001-06:00

We’ve all been reading the headlines, and watching the news about the financial crisis. These are truly hard times for people all around the world.

President Obama and his new economic team, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, have a huge job ahead of them. They have been facing down a growing economic crisis and recession in the United States from day one.

But while we must work for economic justice at home, we must also not forget our brothers and sisters across the globe in this time of need. That’s why Jubilee USA has launched the What’s On Your Heart? Campaign. Over 6,000 people across the country have already sent handmade hearts and postcards to remind Timothy Geithner that as Americans we care about issues at home and also about our sisters and brothers around the world. The hearts will be delivered to Geithner personally by a delegation of religious leaders, including Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners and Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.

There are two really simple ways to get your message to the new Treasury Secretary

DO IT YOURSELF: Make a heart telling the Treasury Secretary “what’s on your heart,” with your own message or click here for suggestions. Sign it with your name, address, phone number, and email address. Mail your heart to: Jubilee USA Network / 212 E. Capitol St. NE / Washington, DC 20003.
Sign the online postcard.

The deadline to take action is February 20th, 2009.

"More organic food production could help Africa: UN" -- by Laura MacInnis, Reuters

2009-02-11T10:23:00.002-06:00

By Laura MacInnis, Reuters News Service

GENEVA (Reuters) - Demand for organic foods will keep growing despite the world economic crisis, creating an opportunity for farmers in poor countries, the United Nations' trade and development agency said on Monday.

In a research note, UNCTAD projected that sales of certified organic products would reach $67 billion in 2012, up from $46 billion in 2007 and about $23 billion in 2002.

"Even in this current economic crisis, where demand for most products is dropping fast, demand for organic products continues to grow," it said.

Sales of organic fruits, vegetables, grains, eggs and meats -- produced without synthetic fertilisers and pesticides -- shot up in past years on claims the food is healthier, tastes better and causes less ecological damage than conventional agriculture.

The typically pricier products have lost some momentum as a result of economic stress in the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, hurting some specialist retailers such as Whole Foods Market. But organics remain broadly popular among rich-market consumers, especially parents of young children.

UNCTAD said the resilient interest in ecologically-friendly production represents an opportunity for developing nations, who produce and export a large share of the world's organic goods.

Poor-country farmers, who often struggle to compete against their subsidised and technologically advanced counterparts in Europe and the United States, could benefit from growing and exporting more organic foods.

"Studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America indicate that organic farmers earn more than their conventional counterparts," it said, estimating that organic foods carry price premiums for farmers ranging from 30 to 200 percent.

In Africa, where the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says agriculture accounts for 57 percent of employment but just 11 percent of export earnings, UNCTAD said ecological farming techniques could have an especially large impact.

"Organic production is ... particularly well-suited for smallholder farmers, who comprise the majority of Africa's poor," it found.

Using more natural techniques such as composting, mulching, and crop rotation could help African crops yield two to four times more than they now do, UNCTAD said, citing soil scientists.

Drawing on a study of 331 Ugandan farmers, it concluded that "conversion to organic was fairly easy, involved little risk and required few, if any, fixed investments. The organic households became more food-secure due to higher incomes."

Between 20 and 24 percent of the world's organic farms are now located in Africa, a continent whose lagging food production has drawn the attention of former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in recent years.

Only about 14 percent of Africa's 184 million hectares of arable land is under cultivation, according to FAO statistics.

"Writing this blog" -- by John G. Miers

2009-02-10T09:46:00.002-06:00

I’m a busy person.

Please don’t take that the wrong way; I don’t want to boast. Most of us are busy and overcommitted. We tend to take on lots of things both because we have big imaginations or wide vistas, and, frankly, it is easier to say “yes” than it is to say “no” when asked for “just one more thing.”

Sometimes people have asked me what I will be doing this week, and then I say “it is time to write the monthly blog” and we are both surprised. These people then ask me “how can you spend the time to write this blog? You have so many other things to do.” I had to stop and think just how to answer that question. The fact that it happens more than once a month tells me that it is important.

Writing the blog makes me stop and think.

I have been writing these blogs about the various Millennium Development Goals. Talk about big topics and wide-ranging issues! Things about them are often overwhelming; writing on these issues will make me think “big picture” and “over there.”

The way that I work and think, I have to break these issues down into smaller parts, pieces that I can put my arms around and consider. I have to start with this issue as I see it here in Bethesda, Maryland, and then expand it. I need to broaden my thinking about these issues not just to our town, but to our county, or to our state, then to our region, and then even to the entire US - and then I have to keep going beyond our boundaries. I think about a problem as I see it in our parish, our diocese, our Province, and in the entire Episcopal church, and then beyond.

One of the secrets in getting things done is to get other people busy, too. Hopefully on what they consider the “right things.” Convincing them of this is sometimes my first task, and may be the hardest. My perception of local problems has changed – a lot. I now see things as they are, usually a subset of a larger problem or crisis. But you know, looking at things in this manner makes my local problems seem easier to handle. I bet it will for you, too.

I recently wrote a meditation entitled “I Pray on Escalators.” These little pauses in my life are wonderful to try to figure out what is going on – or not – and to ask God to help me understand just what is important – or not. I ask Him to help me stop and think.

He always does.

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He serves on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.

"Singing the psalm of all creation" -- by the Rev. Becca Stevens

2009-02-08T16:22:00.005-06:00

Psalm 139: 1-14
1O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
3You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. 4Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
5You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
8If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,"
12even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
15My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. "

The sunset was a minute longer in coming last night. The evening lingered just enough to stir up the oldest hope that humanity knows---spring is coming. We can wait in the darkest winter and endure our saddest seasons, because like every year since Eden, the birth of spring is coming again.

This has been a long winter, but already in my yard the two inch daffodils stems are a witness that life is bursting in full color beneath the cold frozen brown earth. Forty different Psalms sing praise to the earth, beginning with very first psalm that says the blessed man is like a tree planted by the water. Those psalms are like lingering sunsets, pointing us in hope and gratitude toward fullness in creation. The psalms themselves are songs, revealing everything that lives in the secret hearts of believers. There are all kinds of themes within the genres of psalms, but for this reflection, we are using one that invokes nature as the teacher about how God loves us. We could also use Psalm 42 that reminds us we are like deer longing for the water brook, or Psalm 23 that makes valleys the symbol of death and that quiets our souls by asking us think of lying in green pastures. In all the nature psalms the poets give us reminders that in creation, we are seeing the holy one of Israel, and in every flower, animal, and plant, we are witnessing a blessing of our God.

The first 14 verses of Psalm 139 remind us that in creation we are always with God, there is no where we can walk and be away from the presence of God. The Psalm calls us to remember that we are like the daffodils in my yard, created in the secrets of the earth, wonderfully made.

It is early February, and in less than one month our woods will begin their equivalent of a revival. These last few precious weeks of February are some of the last winter days to walk in peace among the sleeping trees and brown blankets of leaves. Soon the woods will call all kinds of people to worship at their sanctuary and parking lots on natural trails and parks will be busting at the seams. Already the early spring wild flowers like trillium, spring beauty, and sweet Dutchmen's britches, are within an inch of come out and show themselves to new fawns and owlets. So while I am like the flowers, shaking with anticipation of new creation, I am walking this week with the Psalmist's vision of walking alone in the woods with God. I am not walking on a path to God, it is God's path. God created the path and created the walker on the path. God created the winter, and God created the summer, both are part of the same creation. This psalm is unparalleled in its poetic description of how we are unable to flee God on this journey of life.

Since we, like all creation, are knit together by God, not only can we not flee from God's presence, God is intimately knowledgeable about us. Every sweet detail of our bodies is understood by God. I believe this. I remember after my children's births, learning the details of each as I held them and watched them sleep, eat, and play. I knew the pattern of freckles, sweet baby fuzz that was on the lobe of an ear, a birth mark on the inside of a thumb, and the arch on the left brow. I was adoring them and loving them, and part of how we are able to show adoration and love is to learn the details. That is why the psalmists are not content to just sing the praises of creation, they speak about the details and describe the individual gifts of each part of the creation we have been given. Part of how we show love for our creator is to know the details of what God created. It teaches me more about the spirit of god to say more than, "I love the woods". It is better to say, I love the way a soft rain sounds as it hits the brown leaves on the ground in a rhythm. When we can praise all of creation, God's spirit will be so abundant and beautiful; it is hard to contain our joy.
.

My psalm in gratitude for the woods: psalm 1963

We pray for respite then walk under a morning sky
Drinking its freshness in slow breaths.
We desire tenderness and in bluebonnets
Discover a sweetness that lives between purple and blue.
We need awaking and hear a rustle in the brush
Quickening our hearts to live in the moment.
We forget humility until we see a nest of hornets and
Bow our heads as we move to the side.
We yearn for freedom and discover a forgiving path
Laid down by a stranger for us.
We feel inconsolable and the sun lies in our lap
Until the pain begins to fade.

In silhouetted walnuts on a fall evening we
Visit the space between earth and heaven.
In the folds of hills we are reminded of a peace
That passes our understanding.
In the owl's eyes, the hawk's glide, in the woodpecker's beat,
We are given assurance of Your presence.
In fauna, flora, feather and flesh we are sated with Your Love.
Give us now the wisdom and will to preserve it. Amen.

The Rev. Becca Stevens is a priest, author, rector of St. Augustine's Church in Nashville, TN and founder of Magdalene House. Becca worked with her parish to found a school in Ecuador and has taken members of the Magdalene community to Rwanda to work with women there on starting microbusinesses. Read her bio here.

"Faiths Act Together -- Tony Blair Calls for Action" -- by Hannah Wallace

2009-02-07T08:40:00.003-06:00

Tony Blair has issued a call to action to encourage people of faith around the world to act together to show the power of “a million good deeds done every day” in the name of religion.

“For billions of people, faith motivates, galvanises, compels and inspires, not to exclude but to embrace; not to provoke conflict but to try to do good. This is faith in action,” he said, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC. “You can see it in the arousing of the world’s conscience to the plight of Africa, a cause we in positions of political power tried to answer, but which was driven by people of faith.”

Today, we at the Tony Blair Faith Foundation have stepped up our campaign to raise funds and eliminate millions of unnecessary deaths from malaria – giving people a practical way of demonstrating how faith can heal rather than divide the world.

A million deaths a year from malaria is wholly preventable. We want 2009 to be the year that FAITHS ACT TOGETHER. For this to be the year that people of faith become the change makers and take direct action to tackle this preventable disease.

FAITHS ACT TOGETHER is all about people like YOU taking TWO SIMPLE STEPS:

STEP ONE: Get together with others and use our short film “The Story of a Bed Net” (above) -to raise awareness and funds to combat deaths from malaria. Just $10 will buy one insecticide-treated bed net. That net can protect an entire household from malaria.

You can do this in your neighbourhoods or places of worship; on your campuses or in your sports teams; or simply with a few friends. There are lots of ways to get involved. Ideas and simple step-by-step guides are available on our website.

STEP TWO: Tell us about it!
Once you’ve shown the film, email us with a few words and a photo of the event, which will be posted on The Global Movement Map on our website. Your work will inspire others around the globe.

So get involved and ACT NOW.

Join us at www.faithsacttogether.org

"The Peace Corps Returns" -- by Josh Ruxin

2009-02-06T16:24:00.003-06:00

In 1994, the Peace Corps officially closed its office here in Rwanda. The horrors that followed kept the Peace Corps at a distance until last year when the office was reopened. That return is very welcome, and I'll explain why in a moment.

While the Peace Corps was out-of-sight in Rwanda, it was also scarcely in the spotlight in America over the past eight years. During that time, U.S. presence in the world was defined by two wars and often less-than-collaborative diplomatic relations with other nations. In the din caused by those wars, most of us Americans could be forgiven for having failed to notice that the Peace Corps has quietly continued to perform its important mission of promoting world peace and friendship across the globe. Now, at a time when we are trying to rebuild bridges and heal wounds, that mission couldn't be more important.

The result of stressing defense over true diplomacy or development has been a supreme failure in American prestige abroad. I've seen that clearly in the places I've visited and worked over the last several years and that's why it's heartening to have 35 fresh Peace Corps volunteers here in Rwanda at the commencement of President Obama's administration.

The Peace Corps was founded in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to meet several goals. Foremost among these are imparting our expertise to people in other nations, working to understand their culture, and helping them to understand ours. These are simple, but revolutionary objectives, as they count knowledge and friendship as their currency. Much of the work my teams are doing here in Rwanda through the Access Project and Rwanda Community Works is in line with a Peace Corps-style approach. I'm very excited now because we have been informed that we will be receiving three Peace Corps volunteers in the next several weeks to work on one of our most ambitious projects: to improve health care management in six districts. We don't yet know who will be sent our way, but we know that their skill sets will compliment the important work we are undertaking to build prosperity and health care infrastructure.

Though the Peace Corps was founded nearly 50 years ago, the program is still extraordinarily vital, and the need for Peace Corps volunteers is greater today than ever before. In my work in Rwanda, my teams have collaborated with corporate fellows, government aid workers, and business partners to build capacity. Adding Peace Corps volunteers to the equation will build expertise among Rwandans and provide the lucky American volunteers with the chance to see why Rwanda is one of the most exciting countries in Africa today.

Not since the election of the Peace Corp's founder John F. Kennedy has the wider world reacted so positively to the election of an American president. President Obama has thus far brought a sense of mission to his presidency as well as an optimism that is reminiscent of Kennedy's. Coupled with the messages of Obama's presidency, I think that the presence of Rwanda's Peace Corps volunteers will go a long way towards reinforcing America's place in the world, person-to-person, one-to-one. I also anticipate that the Rwandan people will confirm for the new American contingent what I have already seen. They don't need America's charity or hand outs, but rather its perennial optimism, its ideas, its expertise, and its friendship.

Dr. Josh Ruxin is a Columbia University expert on public health who has spent the last couple of years living in Rwanda, where he administers the Millennium Villages Project in Mayange. He’s an unusual mix of academic expert and mud-between-the-toes aid worker. His regular posts can be found on the blogroll of Nick Kristof of the New York Times, and he has given his permission to be cross-posted here. This posting if from the Huffington Post

"Is God calling you to be EGR's next Executive Director?" - by the Rev. Mike Kinman

2009-02-05T23:01:00.002-06:00

Greetings!

Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation is opening a search for a new Executive Director. After three-plus wonderful years of serving in that capacity, I am about to accept a call to return to congregational ministry.

We have set up a page on our website --www.e4gr.org/edsearch.html -- that has more information including a downloadable job description.

Application deadline is March 6, 2009.

We anticipate the position being open on April 1 and would like to have someone in place as close to that date as possible.

The salary and benefits package is competitive, and the Executive Director can live anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States. We encourage both lay and ordained applicants.

Click here to go to the EGR website and learn more about the Executive Director search.

I recommend the job highly! You get to work with a board that is as holy and amazing a group of people as I can ever imagine having the honor to work with. You get to work with passionate, creative people who are dedicated to God's mission in the world. You get to travel around the church seeing fabulous people doing fabulous work and encouraging and resourcing them to do even more.

Please pray about whom God might be calling to this position.

Maybe someone you know.

Maybe you!

Christ's peace,

The Rev. Mike Kinman
Executive Director, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation

Advocacy Action for Southern Sudan ... please take 60 seconds and act now!

2009-02-05T17:21:00.001-06:00

Friends,

this alert just came from the Episcopal Public Policy Network. Please take a minute and take this simple action, which is so critical for our sisters and brothers in Southern Sudan.

We here in Missouri have had a companion relationship with the Diocese of Lui in Southern Sudan for several years now. Over the past few weeks we have heard increasing reports of violence in the neighboring diocese of Mundri with refugees streaming into Lui. This is a critical action at a critical time ... and it takes no more than 60 seconds.

+++++++++++

During his campaign, President Obama spoke of the need to stop he so-called "Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)," a Uganda-based rebel group that has been active in South Sudan and other parts of the region for more than two decades Over the past six weeks, the people of South Sudan, already living precariously with their northern neighbors, have been terrorized by an unremitting campaign of LRA militia attacks on civilians.

Christianity is the majority religion in South Sudan and the violence has had a particular effect on the Episcopal Church of the Sudan,. Some of the earliest attacks which included killings, child abductions, decapitation, and other unspeakable crimes at the hands of the LRA were directed at parishes and villages in the Dioceses of Mundri and Ezo. Tragically, the violence appears to be spreading, with reports from bishops and others in Sudan that LRA activity has reached across southern Sudan to Torit, Kajokeji, Lainya, Yei, Yambio, Ibba, Maridi, and Lui.

Last week, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori urged Americans to learn more about the situation, advocate for a U.S. government response, give to the work of Episcopal Relief and Development in the region, and pray for peace. To read the Presiding Bishop's statement, click here.

WHAT ONE CAN DO:

Click here to send a message to the White House, asking President Obama to take urgent action with other international leaders to stop the violence.

Ask him now to work to ensure:

(1) a viable strategy to arrest LRA leaders and bring them to justice;

(2) robust protection for civilians as the governments of Southern Sudan, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue a joint effort to apprehend LRA leaders;

(3) a negotiated end to the LRA's activity in the region; and

(4) an adequate deployment to the region of UN peacekeepers.

"48 Hours" -- by the ONE Campaign

2009-02-04T09:29:00.002-06:00

In just 48 hours, ONE will deliver more than 70,000 notes from ONE members thanking President Obama for his inaugural commitment to fight extreme global poverty.

Increase our impact by adding your thank you now:

http://www.one.org/thankobama/

The note reads:

President Obama,

Thank you for making the fight against global poverty an important part of your inaugural address. I applaud your words and support you turning this vision into a reality for millions of the world's neediest people, beginning with your first presidential budget request.

On January 20th, President Obama stood before millions on the National Mall—and hundreds of millions more watching and listening around the world—and pledged to work with the people of poor nations on hunger, education and clean water issues. The new White House website goes even further, committing the Obama Administration to doubling foreign assistance in the hope of halving extreme poverty and hunger around the world by 2015.

But with tough budget debates fast approaching, thanking President Obama for his pledges is more than a common courtesy—it's support he needs to see his vision through to policy.

You can show your support for his commitments by sending the President a thank you note now:

http://www.one.org/thankobama/

Thank you for making a difference.

David Lane, ONE.org

"Prayers and intervention needed in Southern Sudan" -- by Mama Daria Kwaje

2009-02-03T08:23:00.003-06:00

I was supposed to send my EGR writing on the 1st of February, but also I was out in Rokon dioceses conducting a conference for the women. In Rokon there is no access of communication only satellite phone.

Maybe this will be the only information that I want the readers to know and pray upon it. Our dioceses in Western Equatoria (South Sudan) has a very big and critical issue of attacks by the Ugandans Rebels so-called Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) since the whole of December last year entering to January this year up to this present day. Beginning from Lui, Mundri, Maridi, Yambio and Ezzo diocese. The LRA has made a lot of damages to the people in these areas, killing and looting their properties. Many people died, some were injured and some were scattered in the bush and many others ran to the town whereby food and accommodation became a problem, no shelters, no medicines.

We are unable to help the situation, we need your support in prayers so that God can intervene to calm the situation, This year will be the year of hunger if the LRA remains there because people will not be able to cultivate, the children were scattered from their schools and many of the small children will be affected with malnourishment due to lack of food.

Mama Daria Kwaje is a Mother's Union Provincial Worker, Episcopal Church of Sudan.

For more on the LRA attacks in Southern Sudan, read this ENS article.

"Modeling a world where there is no 'Other'" -- by Elaine Thomas

2009-02-02T09:48:00.003-06:00

At last summer’s Everyone, Everywhere conference, Paul-Gordon Chandler’s plenary address focused on bridging the gap between Muslims and Christians, using material from his book Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road: Exploring a New Path Between Two Faiths, as a guide. This book is an exploration of the life of faith of Mazhar Mallouhi, a Syria-born resident of Beirut, author and self-avowed Muslim follower of Christ.

Having just finished Chandler’s book at a time when there exists an uneasy cease-fire in Gaza, I am struck with how instructive the model of Mallouhi’s life could be not just to Palestinians and Israeli’s but to all of us. The great distrust of Christianity among Muslims stems in large part from how we have presented ourselves as an all-or-nothing faith – you’re either one of us or you’re not. Just as importantly, for any Muslim who wishes to follow Jesus, there is an expectation that he or she will abandon Muslim ways and follow a more Westernized version of Christianity, in effect forcing a choice between abandoning one’s family and culture for the alien ‘church’ culture of the West.

Mallouhi has modeled a different way, maintaining his identity as a Muslim while firmly following the Gospel of Jesus. He has made the Gospels available in Arabic and misses no opportunity to share the Good News with others of any or even no faith. His modus operandi, if you want to call it that, is to simply build relationships by modeling a life worthy of the calling he has received. He does not try to change anyone’s mind or tell them that their way is not good enough. He simply shares his own joy as a follower of Christ.

This joy has not come without enormous cost. Rejection by his family, scrutiny and imprisonment by governing authorities and lengthy separations from his family are just a few of the sacrifices he has made as a Muslim follower of Christ. Yet he has persevered, overcoming his own fears and prejudices to build relationships with those who would persecute or hate him.

Much of the difficulty the faith community of the developed world has encountered in providing assistance to the impoverished around the globe has been our attempts to bring people around to our faith, the way we believe. Much of the strife in our world is because we set ourselves over and against the other – those of different political, religious, economic and cultural beliefs. Mallouhi would argue that there is no ‘other’ – we are all children of one God. Our challenge is to build relationships with those we fear and do not trust, to open our hearts and our homes, even our very lives, to any who cross our path. One can’t despise anyone with whom one has broken bread or worked at building a relationship. As Mallouhi writes, “The key for me personally is to meet people who are spiritually hungry, and searching, and then walk together with them on the journey to grow toward God.” (Chandler, Paul Gordon. Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road (Lanham, MD: Cowley Publications, 2007) 202)

If one man can model this behavior, I wonder what would happen if the rest of us could? Rather than my judging the Israeli’s for the seemingly indiscriminate slaughter of Gazans, how about if I sit down with one and seek to understand? Or instead of questioning the wisdom of Palestinians launching rockets into Israel, what if I were to seek out a Palestinian and engage in a conversation? Anyone that I happen to regard as other could become, if not friend, at least not stranger, if I follow the commandment to love my neighbor.

I would think it would be difficult to bomb a community that houses those of a culture in which you have friends and acquaintances. I would find it difficult to hate all Muslims because they are Muslims if I know and love other Muslims (and I do). I could not possibly hate all Jews if I know and love some Jews (and I do). Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs – none of it would matter if we could bring ourselves to seek out the other, to treasure the wisdom of the other, and embrace rather than shun the other.

I imagine that all the development assistance in the world won’t change the state of those most in need until we are able to build relationships based on equality. Maybe we are not economic equals, but we are spiritual and human equals. And in honoring that in each other, there may be hope for this world yet.

Elaine Thomas is a member of St. James in Lancaster, PA where she is a member of the Peace and Justice and Stewardship Committees. She is also the EGR and ERD Coordinator for the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Elaine works for Episcopal Community Services in Philadelphia, a social service agency whose mission is to help individuals and families with multiple needs overcome the impact of poverty.

"Food, Fun and Fundraising for the MDGs" -- by the Rev. Dahn Dean Gandell

2009-02-01T10:06:00.004-06:00

During the Christmas Holidays, I hosted a clergy fundraiser (and awareness raiser!) for Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. I invited all the area clergy along with their partners and spouses over for an evening of Italian food. I told them the only things they needed to bring were their checkbooks—both discretionary and personal. I set up a couple of computers to run continuous slideshows from the E4GR website and printed up some literature for folks to take with them if they so desired.

We had a blast! And we raised over $1,600 for EGR. I got to do one of the things that I love best in the world—cook for other people. I hadn’t really thought about using my passion for cooking as an opportunity to raise money and it set off a whole series of brainstorms when I shared this story with my interfaith clergy group.

We’re now going to have a February Fun/Fund raiser to raise money for our local food cupboard, Church World Service, and the Rochester Public Market. Each of us is in charge of a different interest area (winter sports, crafts, indoor board/card games, and a chili cook-off,) and the participants get sponsors for what they’re going to do for the day. We’ve rented out a large heated pavilion at a local park and all our area churches are going to be involved.

Hopefully this will spark some ideas for blog readers to use in their own communities! Leave your comments and let us know!

The Rev. Dahn Dean Gandell is the rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Honeoye Falls, NY, MDG coordinator for Diocese of Rochester. She is also an EGR board member and is coordinating EGR's presence at General Convention. You can volunteer to help at General Convention or email Dahn your ideas for our General Convention presence at motherdahn@hotmail.com.

"How to feed the hungry billion" -- the Christian Science Monitor

2009-01-30T10:15:00.002-06:00

By the editorial board of the Christian Science Monitor.

Before the global economic crisis, there was the global food crisis. Last year, soaring prices for basic foods sparked riots in about 30 countries. In June, the UN held a summit to tackle it. In July, the G-8 pledged to act. But in the fall, the floor fell out from the financial markets. Now, like a mountain of maize, countries' economic worries threaten to bury their concerns about rising world hunger.

Food prices have eased on global markets, but they remain high in many countries. Price volatility, the credit crunch, and shrinking coffers (both private and government) are making it harder for farmers to get loans to invest and plant.

At a follow-up conference on hunger this week, the United Nations announced that 40 million people joined the ranks of the "undernourished" in 2008, bringing the number of hungry people to nearly 1 billion – or roughly 1 in 7. Yet donor nations have delivered only a trickle of the $22 billion they pledged last year.

Meanwhile, food production must double by 2050 to head off mass hunger amid a global population surge from 6.5 billion to 9 billion, the UN said.

The world can solve this problem. In the 1960s, a technological "green revolution" in grain yields, irrigation, and fertilizers greatly increased food production, especially in Asia. Allowing communal farmers to earn and trade privately went a long way to alleviate hunger in post-Mao China. And economic growth and social programs have helped in Latin America.

But Africa stands stubbornly off the track of agricultural progress, and hunger still plagues many countries in South Asia. Climate change is expected to exacerbate production problems in these places, and once the world economy begins to recover, expect food prices to rise again as demand increases and more food is diverted to bio-fuels.

Once again, the world knows how to respond, but will it?

Tackling climate change, ending wars, and reducing agricultural subsidies that clog trade channels are three overarching needs. But they are also difficult to achieve.

Relatively quick and substantial progress can be made if nations rededicate themselves to international aid for agriculture, which has dropped from 13 percent of all development aid in the early 1980s to only 3 percent now. They must also better coordinate among themselves and with nonprofits.

Simply improving food storage could increase production by 30 to 40 percent in many poor countries, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Building roads could get more goods to market. In sub-Saharan Africa, just 4 percent of arable land is irrigated, compared with 38 percent in Asia.

Research needs a boost, too, as adapting pests, for instance, erode yields over time.

The FAO estimates that only $30 billion per year, invested in farm infrastructure and production, could eradicate the root causes of world hunger by 2025. That compares with the $825 billion stimulus package that the US Congress is debating.

Last summer, political momentum was building behind a UN effort to increase agri-aid, focus on small farmers, and better coordinate antihunger efforts. The momentum must be maintained.

"Want to Volunteer?" -- by Meredith Bowen

2009-01-29T19:48:00.004-06:00

Want to Volunteer?

I just read one of the recent blog entries and it reminded me that the whole purpose of Episcopalians’ for Global Reconciliation is to inspire people to do what they can – to find out What One Person Can Do and to revel in the amazing effects that One Person can have on the world.

I, in turn, felt inspired to offer some ideas about getting involved. I am currently the Volunteer Coordinator for the Foundation for African Medicine and Education. We have had a flurry of activity recently at the FAME Clinic in Karatu, Tanzania – with visiting doctors and nurses. These docs and nurses volunteer their time for a few weeks a year, helping to bring medical care to those in need.

Are you a doctor? A nurse? Have a few weeks to volunteer? Check out www.fameafrica.org.

Not a doctor or a nurse, but have some time to volunteer? Always wanted to volunteer in a foreign country? Or right here at home in the US? Then GO FOR IT!!! The internet is at your finger tips, waiting to offer suggestions. Ask friends and family for recommendations. Find a project that inspires you to jump in and help out!

As we embark on 2009, I challenge you to volunteer. Here are some of our recent volunteers – inspiring you to DO WHAT YOU CAN!!!

Meredith Bowen -is a student at law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, spending the fall semester in Arusha, Tanzania doing an internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Has volunteered in Tanzania with the Rift Valley Childrens Village (an orphanage) as well as with the Anglican Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Diocese of Tanga. Started the African Orphan Education Fund to award scholarships for secondary school and university.

"The Role of Government" -- by John Hammock

2009-01-26T09:23:00.004-06:00

Up until just a few weeks ago, growth, spurred by the private sector and the market, was the centerpiece of development thinking. If you believe that growth in the economy will benefit everyone in the end, why would you need government services to serve the poor? Well, hand in hand with an unwavering faith in economic growth has been a move to “let the economy do it.”

There has been a full frontal attack on the role of the state—by those who believe that privatization is best and government should downsize. These suggestions have been made where healthcare has been concerned and it has not worked. The Millennium Project points out that for the last 20 years there has been a focus on the producer-consumer, privatized and fee-for-service model to improve systemic health care issues. Governments have asserted that there would be programs to help the most poor to procure healthcare, while others would buy healthcare services. However, this has not been effective at providing health care for all and one of the major barriers facing women who die due to maternal health issues continues to be access to affordable healthcare. Subsequently, the Millennium Project advocates making fundamental changes to the way health care reforms have been conceptualized by highlighting the importance of government.

The state is the only body that can look beyond private interests and keep an eye on the needs, rights and responsibilities of all citizens. It does not have a mandate to profit and should not become tired of serving the public. It is the responsibility of the state to regulate corporations and ensure that society is meeting the needs of all its members.

Government has a strong role to play in poverty reduction. This flies in the face of the dominant neo-liberal economic ideology that calls for government to cut services and to downsize. Some suggest that civil society can pick up the slack where governments have become inactive. That’s misguided thinking. Private charity, including Church charirity, is not enough—not enough money and not enough sustainability. NGOs do not have the resources that governments do. Additionally, they do not often have country-wide strategies for poverty reduction, rather they are locally based or focused. One NGO, with the best of intentions, may arrive in a country and build a number of clinics in one area and another NGO may come in and build a few clinics in another area. While it may be positive to increase the number of clinics in a country, this activity could be inefficient or scattered and thus ineffective. If NGOs are not working as part of a coordinated health approach that helps to meet an overall strategy for health care in the country, their activity may not be meeting the country’s needs. And this coordination must come from a national or state body has that has political legitimacy.

Additionally, if NGO, church, corporate or individual efforts to help others is based on benevolence or charity, it’s going to work for a day or two and maybe even a number of years. However, when that NGO, corporation or individual gets tired of giving, decides it wants to give for something else or its donors pull the funds, then the charity is going to end and those resources will leave. And then what? Do we just tell a community that its healthcare isn’t important enough to sustain? So the issue is how to build programs that are sustainable over time. The answer is to work to ensure that governments have the ability to strengthen and sustain their own systems and to provide the policy incentives and frameworks for private as well as public services. Yes, this is harder than just donating money to a local nonprofit. Yes, this is a mind change about working with governments rather than only putting our faith in the private sector—profit or non-profit.. And yes, it’s easy to say and incredibly tough to do. However, if real change is going to occur, it’s what we have to do.

Governments do not have to be wealthy to provide the context for human development and services that will cut poverty and help to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Money is important, but it is not the only thing required. Government will and policies are as important, if not more important, than funding.

Maternal mortality is highest in sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia and lowest in industrialized countries like the United States. However, one shouldn’t assume that just because a country is in the Global South, it is destined for a high maternal mortality rate. The case of Cuba, a country with 33 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, when other countries in Latin America are in the 100s, shows that it is possible for a developing country to successfully implement a maternal health strategy. It is hard to use Cuba as an example, since political ideology gets wrapped up into the discussion before one even finishes mentioning the country’s name. And we are certainly not advocating for the Cuban system of government. However, Cuba has done a good job at using limited funds in a way that responds to maternal health needs. In 1990, when the Soviet Union fell, Cuba lost its largest trading partner as well as a large amount of economic assistance, totaling an estimated $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Although the government cut its overall spending dramatically, it did not drop education and health completely and still considered health a priority for the country’s budget. It’s expenditure of 6.5% of GDP on health shows political will to keep the health system strong. Other countries that spend 6.5% of GDP on health include Canada and Switzerland. Political will and resulting government decisions on money, even in poor countries, can greatly impact maternal health and social services in general.

1 UN Millennium Project, Who’s Got the Power, 39-41.
2 Ibid., 109.
3 See Ibid., 102 for a chart on the renovations of country health systems that are suggested in order to make systems work better for maternal health.
4 See statistics for individual countries at UNICEF, Information by Country, Statistics Pages: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry.
5 United States International Trade Commission. The Economic Impact of U.S. Sanctions With Respect to Cuba, Washington D.C., February 2001, USITC Publication 3398, 3-8 (78). http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/pubs/332/pub3398.pdf. (Accessed December 23, 2005.)
6 Acosta, Dalia. 2002. “HEALTH-CUBA: Maternal-Infant Mortality Down Despite Crisis.” Inter Press Service, January 16, 2002. http://ww2.aegis.org/news/ips/2002/IP020103.html. (Accessed December 23, 2005.)
7 United Nations Development Program. Human Development Report 2005: International Cooperation at a Crossroads: Aid Trade and Security in an Unequal World. “Human Development Indicators: Table 6: Commitment to health: resources, access and services,” 236.
8 Ibid.

"The Millennium Village Project--Mayange Drought" -- Reynolds Whalen

2009-01-22T14:46:00.003-06:00

Reynolds Whalen is living in Rwanda working for Millennium Congregation, linking congregations with the work of Millennium Villages Project in that nation. His work is chronicling the work going on there and he will be posting regular videos to this blog. Here's his first, about the drought in Mayange, Rwanda and the work of the Millennium Villages Project to address it.

"Inauguration Day" -- by Craig Cole

2009-01-19T23:01:00.000-06:00

Sunday night I was driving back fromour church home group on Interstate 66 headed east from Haymarket to Fairfax, VA. The big neon traffic signs reminded all drivers that there would be delays on Tuesday because of the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, Barak Obama. On Tuesday all the bridges from Northern Virginia into the District will be closed and security will be tight. There is an exciting buzz of anticipation for change.

Living near Washington, D.C. there is this ever present aura of self-importance and power. In the end this can be a self-fulfilling delusion or illusion that keeps real change from happening. As individuals we become our own personal saviors. We believe we can make things happen on our own power. We make decisions based on measurable goals and become blind with ambition as we network with other high-powered people convincing them our plan is the best one. In this area of the world, we sometimes look at the government as an entity that bestows salvation. The government will fix the economic crisis, health care and education. With a few consultants and a lot of money, we start to believe the federal government will save us. Technology becomes another savior. A faster computer, a more energy efficient car, robots to clean the house and will be well with the world.

As Christians we can’t replace God with these false idols. Only God can save us. And it is through individuals that God performs this miracle using flawed sinners like Moses, King David, and in our time, Martin Luther King, Jr. In Acts 4, the Apostles are called uneducated and ordinary. Yet they changed the world!

The theme of Episcopalians for Reconciliation is What Can One Person Do? The reason I serve on the EGR board is that question is powerfully liberating. The follow up question is, “What is God Calling me to do?” It is a question we must ask ourselves this inauguration day

Are you being called to be the next Moses, the next Martin Luther King, Jr.? Or are you called to be the person who makes sure the elderly neighbors have enough to eat and heat in their homes on a cold wintry day.

This inauguration day is about change and a new future. Use this day to inaugurate change in your own life. Ask God through prayer and reading the scriptures to set a call on your life. So you may find out what you can do to further God’s mission and to change lives for the better.

Craig Cole is the Executive director of Five Talents International, an Anglican microfinance nonprofit, a member of Diocese of Virginia's Mission Commission and an EGR board member.

"Episcopal Relief and Development offers 2009 Lenten Devotional"

2009-01-19T08:53:00.001-06:00

Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) has published its 2009 Lenten Devotional, Peace and Compassion: To Heal a Hurting World, which features daily meditations adapted from the Rev. Barbara C. Crafton's Almost-Daily Emos.

"The reflections lead readers to explore their spiritual connections to people living in poverty around the world," an ERD release said. "Focusing on Episcopal Relief and Development's efforts to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the devotional offers ways for parishioners to promote health, fight disease and save lives through the MDG Inspiration Fund."

For the first time, the devotional is available in Spanish and can be downloaded here.

Last year, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori declared the first Sunday in Lent, as the first annual commemoration of Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday. Jefferts Schori is again encouraging Episcopalians in congregations across the country to use the first Sunday in Lent to engage with Episcopal Relief and Development during this traditional season of almsgiving.

"As Lent begins, I encourage you to include Episcopal Relief and Development in your giving as you consider how to care more deeply for those in need," said Jefferts Schori. "Episcopal Relief and Development's work with disasters, from Gaza to Costa Rica, and ongoing development work, from Honduras to Tanzania, is care-filled and effective."

A bulletin insert with additional information about Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday, February 28, is available here.

"Lent is an ideal time for us to renew our commitment to our faith and each other," said Brian Sellers-Peterson, Episcopal Relief and Development's director of Church Engagement Programs. "During this season of prayer and self-examination we hope that the Lenten Devotional will encourage Episcopalians to reflect on the role of God's grace in our lives and how we may act as instruments of God's healing in a hurting world."

Lenten Devotionals and other resources should be ordered by Monday, February 16 to ensure delivery by Ash Wednesday. To order copies of the devotionals, call Episcopal Books and Resources at 1-800-903-5544 or visit www.er-d.org/LentenResources.

To help Episcopal Relief and Development achieve the Millennium Development Goals, visit www.er-d.org, or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief & Development, "MDG Inspiration Fund" PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

"Maize in Mombassa" -- from the "One Dollar Diet Project"

2009-01-16T09:39:00.005-06:00

Today's post introduces you to a wonderful blog -- the "One Dollar Diet Project." It's the chronicle of two social justice teachers who decided to eat on one dollar a day. They did it for one month (you can look in the archives for that month's posts) and have continued to blog on global poverty -- including their recent trip to east Africa. The blog also contains "dollar a day recipes" and a food cost index. They do not recommend anyone try this experiment, by the way, because "it isn't health and could be dangerous." Which tells you something about the people who have to eat on a dollar a day. Here is their latest post.

Having spent the last few days in the coastal town of Mombassa in Kenya, I have borne witness (once again) to the reality of third-world poverty. In speaking with teachers here, whose students receive nourishment twice a day in the form of a wheat based porridge, it is clear the poverty here is far different from that in the United States.

Jane Omondi teaches fifth grade at the Kelegeni Primary School, a place where over 1,000 students are taught by just under a dozen teachers. Most of the students are orphans, and what little food they receive comes from an outside assistance program.

“Kenya is not a poor country, it is a mismanaged country,” Omondi said.

This is evident by the fact that government leaders rake in an annual salary of 800k shillings, while children starve in overcrowded school rooms.

To make matters worse, a teacher’s strike looms. Primary school teachers here are underpaid, and unwilling to take the government’s raise offer of 250 shillings. To give you an idea of how pathetic the gesture is, Maize-flour (a staple here in Kenya) is 120 shillings a pound (about$1.50).

The idea that these folks could do anything to overcome the situation is more than far-fetched. The city is crowded, school fees for secondary education are high, and jobs are few. This situation leads to higher levels of crime, and is an obstacle to overall safety and security.

For those with money, Mombassa offers resorts and golf courses, movie theaters and large grocery stores. For those without, there is burning trash, and bare feet.

While our economy is hurting, being here puts things in perspective.

"AIDS battle burnishes Bush's legacy in Africa" -- Associated Press

2009-01-15T11:34:00.002-06:00

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - In her AIDS-scarred South African township, Sweetness Mzolisa leads a chorus of praise for George W. Bush that echoes to the deserts of Namibia, the hills of Rwanda and the villages of Ethiopia.

Like countless Africans, Mzolisa looks forward to Barack Obama becoming America's first black president Jan 20. But — like countless Africans — Mzolisa says she will always be grateful to Bush for his war on AIDS, which has helped to treat more than 2 million Africans, support 10 million more, and revitalize the global fight against the disease.

"It has done a lot for the people of South Africa, for the whole of the African continent," says Mzolisa, a feisty mother of seven. "It has changed so many people's lives, saved so many people's lives."

Mzolisa, 44, was diagnosed with the AIDS virus in 1999 and formed a women's support group to "share the pain." In 2004 she received a U.S. grant to set up office in a shipping container and start a soup kitchen from the group's vegetable garden. She stretches her $10,000 in annual funding to train staff to look after bedridden AIDS victims, feed and clothe orphans, and do stigma-busting work at schools and taxi ranks.

Hundreds of projects get funding

Hundreds of similar small grass-roots projects are being funded by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, alongside higher-profile charities and big state clinics.

Bush launched the $15 billion plan in 2003 to expand prevention, treatment and support programs in 15 hard-hit countries, 12 of them African, which account for more than half the world's estimated 33 million AIDS infections. The initiative tied in with a World Health Organization campaign to put 3 million people on AIDS drugs by 2005 — a goal it says was reached in 2007.

Congress last year passed legislation more than tripling the budget to $48 billion over the next five years, with Republicans and Democrats alike hailing the program as a remarkable success.

But the task remains enormous. More than 1.5 million Africans died in 2007 (the U.S. death toll is under 15,000), fewer than one-third had access to treatment, and new infections continued to outstrip those receiving life-prolonging drugs.

In most African countries, life expectancy has dropped dramatically, and only a few, like Botswana, have started to turn the corner again.

And with no end in sight to the global financial crisis, there are fears about whether all the funding approved by Congress will be delivered.

Read the entire story here.

"What's up with the myrrh?" -- by the Rev. Mike Kinman

2009-01-14T09:31:00.001-06:00

"On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh." (Matthew 2:11)

We know the story so well we never stop to question it. The three kings come into the stable, kneel down before the baby and present the gifts. And Mary, beaming beatifically, nods in humble appreciation.

But I've gotta think that's not the way things really happened.

I'll allow that maybe Mary didn't completely freak out when three strange men burst into the room. You figure having lived through an angel surprising you while you're doing dishes makes you harder to faze than most.

And I'll even believe that Mary was pretty pleased with the first two gifts. This is not only a faithful woman, but a practical one. There's no way she would have made it as far as she had if she weren't.

So you can almost read her mind as she opens them

"Gold? I can use that. No more "no room at the inn" for us!"

"Frankincense? Hmmm. Not your traditional shower gift, but I can sell that ... and besides it spruces up the scent of this barn."

By now she's got to be excited. What's behind Door #3? The strange man gives her a box and she opens it to find?

Dried tree sap.

I'll bet anything the look on Mary's face wasn't beatific beaming, but that trying-to-be-polite-while-hiding-your-confusion-and-wondering-what-the-heck-this-is look. Perhaps the king, being wise, even sensed her confusion and said, "It's myrrh," which either didn't help this simple woman from Galilee at all or completely creeped her out because of its use in anointing the dead.

And with a sweet, polite, slightly confused smile, and while being grateful for the love and attention, she thinks to herself:

"What's up with the myrrh?"

EGR is a movement fueled by myrrh.

Let me explain. One of our organizational principles comes from the school where my wife teaches and my kids attend. It's called "You cant say, "You can't play.'" For us it means that we believe God calls everyone to this movement, and at EGR you'll find no gatekeepers saying your gifts aren't welcome here.

Everyone gets to play. Sometimes we have to work to find where the call is, what the gifts are and where they can be best used ... but we know that God has gifted everyone for mission, so refusing a gift offered is never an option.

When this filters down to the parish level it is even more powerful. You probably know the 80-20 rule ... 80% of the work, giving, etc. is done by 20% of the people. Part of that is we ride our good horses to death, but part of it also is too often someone offers a gift that seems strange (or someone who seems strange offers a gift) and we say "sorry, you can't play."

I heard Trinity, Wall Street rector Jim Cooper say once that you can do more to grow your church by changing 80/20 to 70/30 than by bringing in a hundred new people. He's right.

Mary probably didn't know it at the time, but as strange and borderline creepy as it was, the myrrh was by far the most valuable of the three gifts -- literally worth more than its weight in gold. Despite its bitter taste it was a key ingredient in some of the most beautiful and expensive perfumes. And being a smart and faithful woman, I'll bet she figured it out and put it to good use.

When you're looking to start or grow a mission of global reconciliation through engagement with the Millennium Development Goals in your congregation, look for the people who haven't been asked to play ... or maybe have offered their gifts and have been told "you can't play." God has gifted them, too.

And often the strangest-seeming gifts are the keys to the most beautiful and valuable results.

The Rev. Mike Kinman is the Executive Director of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation.

"Fuel prices have fallen back. Will we fall back, too?" -- by the Rev. Lauren R. Stanle. W

2009-01-08T15:26:00.005-06:00

In the midst of this humongous economic mess, when all of us are fretting constantly about our futures, there’s a glimmer of hope in our lives: The price of gas has fallen to incredible lows, which means that at least one thing we have to buy won’t cost us an arm and a leg.

Just the other day, I managed to buy gas for $1.44 a gallon. If I had purchased fuel a few days earlier, I could have gotten it for $1.39 per gallon.

Every time I tank up – and I have to do that a lot, because I travel long distances, usually by car – I marvel at how cheap it is. I can fill the tank for less than $20!

And to think, just last summer, it cost me nearly $40 for the same amount of fuel.

Am I glad about this? Absolutely.

But I’m also somewhat confused and very worried.

First, the confusion:

Why, pray tell, did the price of gas, and of oil overall, skyrocket so much last summer? There were all kinds of explanations, but few wanted to admit that for the most part, speculation and greed were to blame.

Now, can anyone explain exactly why the prices are so low? Oil closed recently around $39 per barrel. OPEC, under the leadership of the King of Saudi Arabia, thinks that $75 per barrel would be the best price. They made that announcement and prices fell yet again.

So what’s going on?

Second, the worry, which is far more important:

What are we going to do about it?

I’m not talking about getting into oil futures. I’m talking about what each of us is going to do, now that gas is practically dirt cheap again. Are we going to go back to driving our cars far too much, without a care about the environment anymore? Are people who drive gas-guzzlers of all kinds, the ones that couldn’t be sold just six months ago, going to resume driving them, using way too much gas?

Or are we going to continue our gas-saving ways, walking more, using public transportation, thinking hard about where we need to go and where we want to go and how to bundle trips so that we aren’t wasting gas frivolously?

Good times are here again, at least when it comes to fuel prices, but that doesn’t give us the right to take it and run without thinking. When it cost us an arm and a leg to fill our tanks, we immediately went into environmental consciousness mode. We were energy conscious. We used less gas. We were, in a word, good to God’s very good creation.

But now, with ridiculously low prices at the fuel pump, we’re at the very least tempted to forget all we learned during economic hardship and go back to our wasteful ways.

We’ve had our warning. We’ve received our blessing.

Now the question is, what are we going to do with them?

X X X

The Rev. Lauren R. Stanley is an Appointed Missionary of the Episcopal Church serving in the Diocese of Renk, Sudan. She is a lecturer at the Renk Theological College, teaching Theology, Liturgy, Biblical Greek and English, and serves as chaplain for the students.

"Millennium Development Goal #8  Create a Global Partnership for Development" -- by John Miers

2009-01-06T23:01:00.003-06:00

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth,  will draw all people to myself."  - John 12:32
"An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics," observed Plutarch, the 1st-century Greek historian. This was nearly 2000 years ago. Some attribute this quote to Plato, who also lived in that era.

It is very interesting how it is still true today; it applies to all imbalances – near and far, rich and poor, east and west, and over here and over there. Our planet is truly an “eco-sphere,” where the actions of one group will have ramifications upon many others. These ramifications may be immediate or widespread, or they may not occur for decades or may be tightly focused. Many are not predictable. It is important to look at any and all of our actions in the light of what they may cause – or not cause – elsewhere. This is not normally done; it requires a new way of thinking for most people. This goal realizes this, and calls on us to all work together.

Last month I wrote about the MDG goal #7, which is “Ensure Environmental Sustainability.” That goal is a perfect example of how we need to partner with each other, and how we as Christians need to look beyond our borders, and do what is right – for everyone. We are all inter-connected, in many minor yet powerful ways. With our world changing quickly, this inter-connected-ness can do nothing except tighten up. We are indeed going to be all together in the future.

I was struck by the book entitled “Six Degrees of Separation,” in which it is theorized that any person on the Earth can be linked to any other person through no more than six others. Each person has many acquaintances, and each of them knows many others, etc. There was also a video on TV (and downloadable) where multiple randomly selected people around the world were asked to get a package to a doctor in Boston. It shows how this occurs from the South Pacific, from Africa, from South America, from Europe. Sure enough, most make it to Boston on no more than six exchanges. It is explained that we all have multiple circles of acquaintances, and our acquaintances all have circles of their own. The way to really move a message – or a concern – is to move from one of these circles completely to another. This science is now known as “networking.”

It is powerful to get the same message from different directions, and it lends credence to the opinion. It also gets distributed much more broadly, and faster. All of these desirable qualities are enhanced by this networking. Today’s blog is about MDG #8, which is to “Create a Global Partnership for Development.” Having these Global Partnerships are doubly important: first, these partnerships ensure that multiple viewpoints and needs are considered when decisions are made. Some of them may not be immediately obvious, but they are none-the-less important. Secondly, the partnership will also ensure that the decision will be carried wherever it is needed and necessary. This networking will not only gather the information about the various needs, but it will get the answers to where they are most needed.

Having this done through a partnership and not just some hierarchical system will also help ensure that the right decisions are made and properly implemented. This is truly and example of where more is better: The more eyes that have considered a problem or goal, particularly ones as important as the MDGs, the higher will be the probability that the goal will be met or that the problem will be solved. The more partnerships and people who are involved will ensure that the maximum number of issues will be considered, from the maximum number of perspectives.

Creating this “Global Partnership for Development” goal was a very wise decision. While the other issue-specific goals are important, the fact that this process-specific goal is the final one implies that the others all need to be implemented, and it was clearly believed that a global partnership was the way to do it the most effectively.

This is the way that we reach out to one another, working together in sharing what has been given to each of us. Networking will allow many voices to be focused on these issues. Working together will allow us all to work on these problems. It also says in the book of Matthew that “What you have done unto the least of them, you have done to me.” We can solve these problems.

John Miers is from Bethesda, Maryland, where he was employed at the National Institutes of Health from 1968 to 2005. He serves on the board of St. Luke’s House, a halfway house for persons recovering from mental illness and also serves as Jubilee Officer for the Diocese of Washington. He was a member of National Commission on Science, Technology and Faith for the Episcopal Church and is active in his local church, where he is in the choir, worship committee, pastoral care committee, and the prayer team, and he also visits patients in a local hospital on behalf of the Chaplain.

"This morning's GOE question -- how would you answer it?"

2009-01-06T10:01:00.000-06:00

This morning's open-resource question for the General Ordination Exams asks to choose a MDG ...

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger .
2. Achieve universal primary education.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women.
4. Reduce child mortality.
5. Improve maternal health.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Create a global partnership for development with targets for aid, trade and debt relief.

and give the biblical and theological foundations for addressing it ... as well as to talk about the
contributions TEC can make toward it and what political, economic, and cultural factors need to be taken into account at the parish and the diocesan levels?

-----------

Be sure and check out this page from the EGR website and also the links above to all the individual MDG pages.

For an excellent exposition of how the MDGs are a natural 21st century incarnation of the mission trajectory of the church, click here and read the Rev. Dr. Ian Douglas' excellent piece Why Should We As Christians Care About the MDGs.

How would you answer this question?

"Harbingers of Truth" -- by the Rev. Becca Stevens

2009-01-05T08:48:00.003-06:00

I was walking in the beautiful woods in North Carolina when a crow's caw caught my attention. The crow has a distinct and familiar song,but this old crow, sitting in a low branch sang a strange new song. It had more notes, and it sounded almost backwards. It was startling and brought me from my day dream into the power and presence of the woods I was walking in.

The crow is known as a harbinger of truth, so to hear him sing a new song made me think about hearing a new truth that shifts the other truths that live in us to make room for a new one. It is similar to the heart shifting and making room for a new baby. The new truth becomes part of all the other truths we have already let sink into our hearts. There are many thoughts in the world, only some sink in past our thick skin, a smaller amount moves past our cynical thoughts, and only one in a million make it beyond the boarders of our guarded hearts and take residence in the sacred place that is our moral ground. That is the place that influences our actions and moves us to act in faith without fear.

The old crow with the new song reminded me of the great gift of new and deep truth that broadens and expands our horizons. Learning new truth is what makes the gospels a living world and our faith such a joy. The truth comes to all of us, not like a nice finished piece of art, but like a tapestry, made from the thousands of threads sewn together from fragmented memories and bits of insight. It takes a patience and prayer to weave the pieces together into a work of art in progress. Each tapestry is as unique as the fingerprints on the hands of the weaver. The piece,if made well, gets more intricate and bigger for the truth seekers. To be such a truth seeker is a high, artistic pursuit, it is not for the faint of heart or hand.

In the 25th chapter of Matthew, Jesus has finished his time at the temple, he has confronted the religious authorities who claim to hold the truth, and he knows the plot to kill him has begun. He is two days from his arrest after the Passover and he goes to the Mount of Olives with his disciples to conclude his teachings. He is preparing them for the lives they will have to lead without him in their presence. They will kill him for all the new truths he is speaking with authority and for all the people he is drawing towards himself. So he speaks to them in parables and tells them stories to assure them that he is with them, that they should not be afraid even though they don't know what is coming, and that they need to go back out into the world, trim their lamps, carry more oil, share their talents, and rejoice in the new spirit that will lead them into truth.

He tells them not to have the attitude of the Sadducees about religious tradition that refuses to change, develop or grow. They bury the truth in the ground, with no light and no growth and so it will miss the joy of growing and flourishing in the world. It is written on stone, not on hearts of flesh that change as they beat in the world. We cannot hold on to what we feel comfortable with, or what reassures in changing times or a hard economic forecast, this is when we have to listen to the gospels anew, hear the song of the crow again, and make room to learn new things and share the message with the world that needs to hear it.

Howard Thurman, a wonderful theologian of the 20th century, talks about the loneliness of the truth seeker that keeps moving beyond all boundaries and boarders to larger spaces and places where we are challenged again to hear God's calling anew. The crow's new song is a great symbol of the gift of allowing new truth to weave its way into our broad tapestry and share it as part of the unfolding story of the truth of our lives.

This week Roy stopped me in the hallway. Roy is sometimes homeless, sometimes living with a friend, and he has graced this community for several years now. I have known Roy for a long time, but mostly we just talk in passing, and he always reminds me that he prays for me and my family. Sometimes he tells stories about the police or his health or some injustice that has occurred in his life. And sometimes I don't pay attention; it's like the crow's voice that drowns into the noise of the woods themselves. But this time when he was walking by he said, "Becca, do you know what to pray for?" And like the strange song of the crow in North Carolina, I was startled and stopped in my tracks. I almost didn't understand the question, but the clarity of the question coming from my old acquaintance, made me take it very seriously. "I don't know Roy; I don't know what to pray for sometimes." "You need to pray for truth. Then you need to preach the truth you learn. If you pray for God's truth and then teach us what you learn, we all grow. You don't remember how young you were when you started" he said, "but I remember, you didn't know what you were doing. God has been kind to you. You need to keep praying for God's spirit to lead you."

I am grateful to the crow and I am grateful to Roy and I am grateful for Howard Thurman, all reminders to be open to new truth in our lives and to be reformed in God's love. I want my tapestry to grow and be a more loving piece. I want your tapestry to weave new images so that you can love better. It means we have to take the truths we know, and risk them and seek new truth. Pray for truth, let it take root and blossom in your heart, let it weave into the fabric of your life in practical ways, and then preach it, so we all grow and share in the joy of the kingdom.

The Rev. Becca Stevens is a priest, author, rector of St. Augustine's Church in Nashville, TN and founder of Magdalene House. She has worked with her parish to found a school in Ecuador and with the women of Magdalene to build relationships and cottage industries in Rwanda. Read her bio here.

“Millennium Villages in Rwanda are turning the page on poverty” by The Rev. Jay Lawlor

2009-01-04T14:15:00.003-06:00

When most people think of Rwanda they recall the tragic genocide of 1994. The genocide should never be forgotten and we must always be looking to how we can foster greater justice, compassion, and reconciliation in our world so such tragedies can be avoided. Nonetheless, Rwanda has spent the past 14 years journeying from the genocide to become a nation of reconciliation and one deeply committed to eradicating poverty. Rwanda's President Kagame and its Parliament have made significant commitments toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals. A critical component of Rwanda's MDG strategy is their partnership with the Millennium Villages Project.

The Millennium Villages Project was founded by Professor Jeffrey Sachs and his team at the Earth Institute at Columbia University and is managed by the Earth Institute and the Millennium Promise Alliance (Millennium Promise). The Millennium Villages Project is based on a single powerful idea: impoverished villages can transform themselves and meet the Millennium Development Goals if they are empowered with proven, powerful, practical technologies. Millennium Villages offers a comprehensive and holistic approach to ending extreme poverty as they explicitly address all eight of the MDGs in every village. By investing in health, food production, education, access to clean water, micro-enterprise, and essential infrastructure, these community-led interventions are enabling impoverished villages to escape extreme poverty once and for all.

Rather than a “hand-out,” Millennium Villages are a “hand-up.” Once these communities get a foothold on the bottom rung of the development ladder they are equipped to propel themselves on a path of self-sustaining economic growth.

In November 2008, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), a leading British think-tank, released the results of an independent review of the Millennium Villages project (the full report is available on ODI's website) In its report, the ODI states that the MVP has achieved “remarkable results” and has “demonstrated the impact of greater investment in evidence-based, low-cost interventions at the village level to make progress toward the Millennium Development Goals.” In response to the report, the Financial Times declared on its front page “Village project thrives.”

Also in the news, on November 11, 2008 the New York Times ran an article about Millennium Promise in its special giving section. In highlighting the Millennium Villages’ work to end extreme poverty, the article opens by saying, “Even amid widespread angst over withered portfolios and a rocky economy, some Americans remain committed to helping the poorest of the poor.” In the article, one of the projects most visionary supporters, George Soros, says about the MVP, “It can be a model for bringing about systemic change,” and “if it can be scaled up, it will make a very big difference.”

A shining example of this amazing project is the Millennium Village in Rwanda, headed by Dr. Josh Ruxin. The Millennium Village cluster in Rwanda is located in Mayange, a sector of Bugesera District located about 25 miles south of the capital city of Kigali. In a country known as the “pays des milles collines” (“land of 1,000 hills”), the terrain around Mayange is flatter and drier than most of Rwanda. The area suffers from sporadic rainfall and declining soil fertility, leading to endemic poverty, illness, and a lack of economic opportunity. The project began working with an initial 5,000 people in Kagenge, one of Mayange's five subdivisions, or cells as they are referred to in Rwanda, in early 2006. The population was facing impending famine because of failing rains and a poor harvest the year before, and the health center was severely lacking in staff, medicines, equipment, and supplies, and had no electricity or running water. Today, the Millennium Village in Rwanda is turning the page on poverty.

By applying targeted, science-based interventions and maximizing community leadership and participation, the villagers of Mayange went from chronic hunger to a bumper harvest in 2006. Malaria incidence has been almost eliminated, the health clinic is booming with patients who know they'll receive good care and treatment, and children now have electricity and a computer lab at school. In under three years, Mayange is being transformed. PBS' FronlineWorld has produced a segment on the MVP's success in Rwanda (watch the rough cut online here).

It is because the Millennium Village model is proving so successful in achieving all eight of the Millennium Development Goals that I have founded Millennium Congregations to help communities of faith learn about, advocate for, and partner with Millennium Villages in Rwanda. The excitement and interest around Millennium Congregations' work with Millennium Villages is building. As you may have read in his recent blog entry, Reynolds Whalen arrived in Rwanda this past December to document the stories of the people in the Millennium Village for Millennium Congregations. The videos will become powerful witnesses of all that is being achieved and all that is possible. The good work of Millennium Villages in Rwanda offers communities of faith a very practical, proven, and concrete way to develop partnerships in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Please visit the Millennium Congregations website to learn more and sign-up for news on how you and your congregation can support our work and partner with the Millennium Villages Project in Rwanda.
The Rev. Jay Lawlor is a priest and economist. He has worked with Jeffery Sachs and the Earth Institute on the MDGs and is currently living in North Carolina and founding an interfaith nonprofit aimed at getting faith communities involved in the Millennium Villages Project.

"Let’s savour our successes in the midst of bad times" -- by Dr. Jeffrey D. Sachs

2009-01-02T09:10:00.002-06:00

This article was published on the website of Business Daily Africa.

At a time when the headlines are filled with financial crises and violence, it is especially important to recognize the creativity of many governments in fighting poverty, disease, and hunger.

The point is not merely to make ourselves feel a little better, but rather to confront one of the world’s gravest threats: the widespread pessimism that today’s problems are too big to be solved. Studying the successes gives us the knowledge and confidence to step up our shared efforts to solve today’s great global challenges.

Hats off, first, to Mexico for pioneering the idea of “conditional cash transfers” to poor households. These transfers enable and encourage those households to invest in their children’s health, nutrition, and schooling. Mexico’s “Opportunities Program,” led by President Felipe Calderón is now being widely emulated around Latin America.

Recently, at the behest of the singers Shakira and Alejandro Sanz, and a social movement that they lead, all of Latin America’s leaders committed to step up the region’s programs for early childhood development, based on the successes that have been proven to date.

Norway, under the leadership of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, is maintaining its tradition of creative social and environmental leadership. The government has put together a global alliance to prevent maternal death in childbirth, investing in both safe delivery and survival of newborns.

At the same time, Norway launched an innovative one billion dollar programme with Brazil to induce poor communities in the Amazon to end rampant deforestation.

Cleverly, Norway pays out the funds to Brazil only upon proven success in avoiding deforestation (compared with an agreed baseline).

Spain, under the leadership of Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has given a major stimulus to helping the poorest countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Spain created a new MDG Fund at the United Nations to promote the cooperation needed within the UN to address the various challenges of the MDGs.

The Spanish Government rightly proposed that true solutions to poverty require simultaneous investments in health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure, and then the Spanish put up the funds to help make that integrated vision a practical reality. Spain will host a meeting in January 2009 to launch a new fight against global hunger.

Once again, Spain is proposing practical and innovative means to move from talk to action, specifically to help impoverished peasant farmers to get the tools, seeds, and fertilizer that they need to increase their farm productivity, incomes, and food security.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has similarly surged to the forefront of global problem solving, putting forward a bold action plan on climate change and proposing new and practical means to address the MDGs. Australia put real money on the table for increased food production, along the lines that Spain is proposing.

It also champions an increased program of action for the poor and environmentally threatened island economies of the Pacific region.

These efforts have been matched by actions in the poorest countries. The landlocked and impoverished country of Malawi, under the leadership of President Bingu wa Mutharika, has doubled its annual food production since 2005 through a pioneering effort to help its poorest farmers.

The programme has been so successful that it is being emulated across Africa.

Read the entire article here.

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel" -- by Elaine Thomas

2008-12-22T23:01:00.000-06:00

O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear.

There are some 11 million refugees in the world, almost one in five of them from Afghanistan. (BBC World Service online, 12.21.2008)

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan’s tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory over the grave.

In little more than 24 hours, at least 150 people would be dead, most of them young men, summarily executed by the rebels last month as they tightened their grip over parts of eastern Congo, according to witnesses and human-rights investigators. (NY Times 12.11.2008)
O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

For the last several months, bombings have rattled the image of an India industriously humming toward prosperity. Beginning about two years ago, they have occurred with increasing frequency: about a dozen such attacks have pockmarked India's largest cities, from Delhi and Jaipur to Bangalore and Guwahati. And so when the alarms went out on Wednesday night, it looked like Mumbai (formerly Bombay) was being hit by another one of those attacks. (Time Magazine, 11.27.2008)

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree, An ensign of Thy people be; Before Thee rulers silent fall; All peoples on Thy mercy call.

He (Mugabe) has faced renewed criticism amid a humanitarian crisis that has pushed thousands of Zimbabweans to the point of starvation and left 1,123 people dead from cholera since August. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 12.21.2008)

O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Leaders of Hamas, the militant Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip, declare that its six-month cease-fire with Israel is over. The declaration is likely to lead to an increase in violence, and an Israeli official said Thursday that Hamas is "clearly interested in escalating the situation." (NPR’s All Things Considered, 12.18.2008)

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Maranatha.

Elaine Thomas is a member of St. James in Lancaster, PA where she is a member of the Peace and Justice and Stewardship Committees. She is also the EGR and ERD Coordinator for the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. Elaine works for Episcopal Community Services in Philadelphia, a social service agency whose mission is to help individuals and families with multiple needs overcome the impact of poverty.

"Bagosora" by Reynolds Whelan

2008-12-22T16:24:00.004-06:00

As I was importing footage from the Kigali Memorial Center last week, the main perpetrator of the 1994 genocide, General Theoneste Bagosora, received a life sentence from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for plotting the massacre of Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

This represents a huge success for the international community in pursuing justice for crimes against humanity, and for many Rwandans, this was an emotional day.

However, we must not forget that the events of last week would not even be necessary if not for our gross inadequacy to prevent the genocide in the first place. Not to mention that this event comes fourteen years after the slaughter of at least one million people in the span of only 100 days.

The baby step we take on a global level today can not even be compared to the reconciliation process that Rwandans are pursuing in their own country every single day.

A few days ago, I attended a sector-wide forum to discuss the implications of tourism and how it does or does not directly benefit the community. Hundreds of people attended and the event was held at Igiti Cy'umuyumu, a town in the Millennium Villages project with a fascinating recent history.

In this short clip from an interview, Delphin from MVP explains the incredible demographics of Igiti Cy'umuvumu, demonstrating how moving forward in Rwanda means so much more than convicting and sentencing one of the genocide's engineers.

This lesson of forgiveness and acceptance should inspire us in this holiday season where we reflect on the past year and confront the brokenness of our own country, seeking to move forward with open hearts and open minds.

Reynolds Whalen is a recent graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and is living in Rwanda for six months working for Millennium Congregation, a nonprofit that links congregations of all faiths with potential "Millennium Villages" in Rwanda ... villages that are making all eight Millennium Development Goals happen at once. His primary work is telling the story of the past, the present and the possible future in these villages. To learn more about how your congregation can become a Millennium Congregation, go to www.millenniumcongregation.org. You can read and watch more of Reynolds' work on his blog: Deep Gladness.

"The Glory of Being Overshadowed" -- by the Rev. Mike Kinman

2008-12-20T23:01:00.001-06:00

"The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.'" (Luke 1:35)

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." (John Lennon)

Before the angel came, what was Mary's plan?

Mary was a young woman. She had to have thoughts about how she wanted her life to turn out. Maybe they weren't grand plans. Maybe they were simple, ordinary, plans. But they were her plans. And very probably she was attached to them.

And then Life happened.

We remember Mary today not because she was SuperMom, but because when Life happened to her, when an opportunity came to her that challenged her to junk all her plans -- an opportunity that carried with it not fame and fortune but more likely being made an outcast or worse -- she let go of her plans and said, "Yes."

"The power of the Most High will overshadow you," Gabriel said. And the angel's words were spot on in more ways than one. Overshadow -- episkiasei -- not only hearkens back to that word being used to describe the presence of God covering the tabernacle in Exodus but describes what happened to Mary's plans, hopes and dreams.

All of a sudden, they all took a back seat. They were overshadowed, and other plans took their place.

And because she said yes to those other plans, we are celebrating this season. Because she said yes, we are the Church.

We claim an amazing thing when we call ourselves the Body of Christ. We claim that God can continue to break through into the world through us -- just the way that God did through Mary more than two millennia ago.

The opportunities are everywhere. Opportunities for love and compassion. Opportunities for greatness through service. The opportunities are all around us -- but almost always they require us to do what Mary did ... to set aside our plans and grasp the life that is happening while we're busy making them.

There are opportunities to give extravagantly and sacrificially of our great wealth -- even though we have plans for that money.

There are opportunities for us to do amazing things with the gifts we have -- even though we have plans for our careers, plans for our lives.

This past week, I helped pray off a group from the Diocese of Missouri who will spend this Christmas not with their families, but with the people of the Diocese of Lui in Southern Sudan. The choice for each of them to go was a difficult one.

They had plans for the money it was going to cost.

They had plans for vacation and Christmas celebrations with friends and family.

But each one of them -- Emily Bloemker, Joe Chambers, Robert Franken, Deb Goldfeder, Dan Handschy, Tammy King, Nancy Kinney, Debbie Smith ... and the family and friends who support them -- heard a call that would overshadow those plans and said yes to it.

There's nothing wrong with making plans. Certainly, dreaming dreams is an awesome thing to do. But being the Body of Christ is allowing for Life to happen that overshadows our best plans and dreams. And when it does, saying yes to it.

Where is Life happening while you're busy making plans?

This Christmas, where is the Most High looking to overshadow you?

The Rev. Mike Kinman is the Executive Director of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation.

The art is "The Annunciation" by Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1898 (Philadelphia Museum of Art).

"The alleviation of material suffering in the world . . ." What can one person Do?" -- by the Rev. Gary Cartwright

2008-12-19T23:01:00.000-06:00

As we struggle to understand and adapt to the increasing economic crisis that affects us more and more every day, it would be understandable to forget that this is a reflection of a much larger world-wide crisis in poverty and economics. The Rev. Dr. Sabina Alkire (an Episcopal priest , now in England) recently said :

“The Alleviation of material suffering in the world and the spiritual renewal of the Church go hand in hand.”

Dr. Sabina Alkire, is currently the Director of the new Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) Oxford University, and author of “What can one person do?”

Worldwide poverty is a spiritual problem that affects all of us. Jesus has been very clear about that.

In Matthew 25:31-40, it says:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

Bono (Paul David Hewson) is the lead singer for the Irish U2 Band. He is a world-wide activist for the alleviation of extreme poverty. Not satisfied with just making statements he and his wife Ali have worked in Ethiopian feeding camps, as well as sponsoring many initiatives to raise money for those who are literally starving to death. Some quotes from Bono:

“Distance does not decide who is your brother and who is not. The church is going to have to become the conscience of the free market if it's to have any meaning in this world - and stop being its apologist”.

“We can be the generation that no longer accepts that an accident of latitude determines whether a child lives or dies. But will we be that generation?”

“It's an amazing thing to think that ours is the first generation in history that really can end extreme poverty, the kind that means a child dies for lack of food in its belly. That should be seen as the most incredible, historic opportunity but instead it's become a millstone around our necks. We let our own pathetic excuses about how it's "difficult" justify our own inaction. Be honest. We have the science, the technology, and the wealth. What we don't have is the will, and that's not a reason that history will accept.”

In response to these needs I ask you to pray, study, give and act.

Please pray this prayer daily:

Most loving God, as your desire for mercy for the poor is unrelenting, may we be unrelenting in our pursuit of mercy for all; as your compassion for the suffering of the poor knows no limit, may our hearts overflow with compassion for all; as you long for justice for the poor, may we strive for justice for all. Open our eyes to the structures of oppression from which we benefit, and give us courage to accept our responsibility, wisdom to chart a sound course amid complexity, and perseverance to continue our work until it is finished. Breathe your life-giving Spirit afresh into your Church to free us from apathy and indifference; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For additional information please see: www.e4gr.org

Thank you,
Deacon Gary

Gary Cartwright is a deacon in the Diocese of Southwest Florida assigned to Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church in Valrico, FL. A former executive with IBM, Gary's baptismal and diaconal call is lived out through his deep passion for seeking and serving Christ in the extreme poor. That finds focus in, among other places, the reconciliation work of REACH-Rwanda. Gary is a member of the Anglican Communion Network.

What One Person Can Do: A Video from Maseno, Kenya -- by Dr. Christiana Russ

2008-12-19T09:25:00.003-06:00

EGR blogger Christiana Russ -- a pediatrician who splits her time between Boston and Kenya -- offers this video her brother put together to describe the work of the Mother's Union of Maseno and the deworming program that they are doing there.

It's a great story of What One Person Can Do, and the key is that when Christiana showed up in Maseno, the first thing she did was ask questions and listen. Then she looked at how she offer her gifts in partnership with the gifts of the wonderfully gifted people (in this case, the Mother's Union) who were already there. What resulted was an incredibly low-cost solution to a debilitating problem.

Dr. Christiana Russ is a pediatrician doing her residency at Boston Children's Hospital, currently working at an Anglican mission hospital in Kenya through a joint arrangement with Children's and the Diocese of Massachusetts. She is also chair of the Executive Council Standing Commission on HIV/AIDS.

Two Videos from Rwanda to Make Your Heart Glad! -- by Reynolds Whalen

2008-12-17T14:23:00.004-06:00

Reynolds Whalen, who blogs here regularly, has just arrived in Rwanda where he will be living and working for six months for Millennium Congregation -- a wonderful new nonprofit that is linking congregations of all faiths with "Millennium Villages" that are making the MDGs happen in Rwanda.

Reynolds will be shooting lots of video and doing lots of other things to tell the story of the amazing ministry happening in Rwanda (for a snapshot of all the projects he has lined up, check out the latest post on his blog). As a test of his video equipment, he shot these videos at the groundbreaking ceremony for a site for Miracle Corners of the World (MCW), a non-profit promoting local change and global exchange, a community driven process. The site that will include a preschool, a radio station for Bugesera District, and other educational and gender empowering initiatives.

This first clip is of a group of youth dancing.

This second clip is of kids marveling at Reynolds' LCD screen, which is reversible and can reveal the live video to the subjects. Kids love seeing themselves on live video.

These faces are the face of Christ, the image of God. Watch and enjoy!

"Waiting" -- by Meredith Bowen

2008-12-15T23:01:00.000-06:00

Waiting.

As we wait for the momentous climax of the advent season, many other people sit waiting too.

But not for Christmas.

They wait in line for medication. ARV’s. Drugs needed each month in order to delay the effects of the AIDS virus.

Last week I travelled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I visited an AIDS clinic, where people sat waiting for their medications.

Waiting and waiting.

I met a young Maasai girl who had been waiting for hours. She hadn’t eaten. She hadn’t moved. She lay in the grass, waiting.

She didn’t complain. She didn’t pout or cry. Her courage in the face of a disease that is killing her was astonishing to me.

She reminded me that we are essentially all waiting for the same thing – she for medications, and I for a cure. We both wait for the suffering to end.

Pray this Christmas season for an end to the suffering. For this little girl and for all the others in the world suffering as she is.

Meredith Bowen is an Episcopal young adult living in Tanzania. She has volunteered in Tanzania with the Rift Valley Childrens Village (an orphanage) as well as with the Anglican Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Diocese of Tanga. Started the African Orphan Education Fund to award scholarships for secondary school and university.

"A Journey in the "Healing of Memories" -- by Jennifer Lynne Morazes

2008-12-15T09:04:00.005-06:00

“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her” (Isaiah 40:1).

As I previously wrote, I traveled to South Africa this past July to attend an international social work conference and to visit some agencies working with people who are recovering from trauma. One of the places I visited in the Capetown area was the Institute for the Healing of Memories. Shortly after the trip, I was invited to attend one of their trainings in California.

On November 7-8 at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, I attended a “Healing of Memories” workshop led by Fr. Michael Lapsley. Fr. Lapsley – an Anglican priest who is originally from New Zealand - came to South Africa in 1993 and subsequently worked against apartheid with the African National Congress (ANC). He lost both hands and an eye from a letter bomb delivered as a result of his political activities. His “Healing of Memories” work is in part inspired by his personal journey of healing and wholeness. His experience and the experience of those living in South Africa post-apartheid is a reminder that the personal and political intersect in experiences of brokenness as well as of recovery. As the website states about the “Healing of Memories” workshops:

“At the time of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (1996 to 1997), it was obvious that only a minority of South Africans would have the opportunity to tell their story before the Truth Commission. It was argued that platforms needed to be provided for all South Africans to tell their stories and be heard compassionately. The Healing of Memories workshops were run as a parallel process to the Commission - to facilitate reconciliation between the racial groups and to heal psychological wounds, making it possible for individuals to contribute effectively towards the reconstruction of South Africa. The workshops were also used to further support those who became overwhelmed by strong emotions while testifying.”

The workshop in Berkeley occurred three days after car horns, singing and all-night parties marked the historic election of Barack Hussein Obama to the 44th term of the United States’ presidency. As the workshop began, Fr. Lapsley asked our group of twenty assembled to put aside our professional identities for those two days, and to focus on where we personally we required healing. As many of us attending were mental health professionals and healers, it was a challenge to focus only upon ourselves. The first question he asked of the group concerned our reactions to the events of that past week. Yes, it is true that as a group we expressed hope and happiness, but we also expressed fears and anger, particularly over the safety of our President-elect, economic hardships and the passage of Proposition 8.

It was powerful to me how - over those two days - the fears and hopes we talked about personally in our small groups converged with our collective identity. Stories of strained family relationships, economic turmoil, oppression and abuse gave way to conversations about steps for the future. As a nation, we face a similar time: a time which President-elect Obama has described as a “Defining Moment.” We have reached this “defining moment” through a combination of great challenges and the promise of opportunity - a truly Christic moment where the Cross and the Resurrection converge.

The beginning of Advent has started us as Christians on the path again toward Easter. As Fr. Lapsley encouraged us to do in Berkeley, this season is a great opportunity to reflect and to pray. Where can I bring about healing in my own life? What role can I play in the healing of this nation and other nations? As Fr. Lapsley commended to all of us, “The message of the Healing of Memories is to acknowledge that it is time to lay aside that which is destructive, and embrace that which is life-giving.” God, allow us to discern where these areas reside for us, for yes, it is time.

Jenn Morazes is a graduate of Episcopal Divinity School in the area of Theology and Contemporary Society. Currently studying in the School of Social Welfare in the MSW/PhD program at the University of California, Berkeley. Jenn has studied and performed community work in both Mexico and Southern Africa and also participated in the Young Adult Stewards Programme with the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland. She has also served as an anti-racism trainer for the national Episcopal Church. Her current clinical work and research focuses on the impact of trauma on particular communities locally and internationally, as well as homelessness,wealth distribution and the role of faith communities in social development.

Three weeks. $75,000. Give EGR the resources for a life-changing 2009!

2008-12-12T09:01:00.004-06:00

It's crunch-time, folks -- and we need your help.

This week, we are setting a goal of $75,000 raised for EGR by midnight, December 31. We believe in setting big goals when the stakes are high, and they certainly are.

Make your gift to this goal online by clicking here.

Click here to track how we're doing on the way to $75K for EGR

What is at stake? Here's what we're looking at accomplishing in 2009:

*Articulating a clear, prophetic, faithful response for the church in a time of global financial crisis. As always for EGR, this will focus on the practical transformative question of What One Can Do.

*The MDG Mapping Project - an interactive virtual map of all the MDG ministry going on in the Church today.

*The beginnings of a Millennial generation movement for global reconciliation in the Church (a planning team of people between age 16-26 is already meeting online).

*Growing the of the EGR Rule of Life in breadth and depth as a community of spiritual transformation.

We aim to dream dreams worthy of the mission God has given us, and we believe we're doing that here. We're going to need your help in lots of ways to make all these things happen, but right now we need your help raising the money.

Here's what we need you to do:

1. Pray. - This whole movement is fueled by prayer. There is no anxiety about raising this money. If what we do is of God, God will provide for it (though we'll also have to work our tails off, too!). Pray for EGR. Pray for the Church. Pray for God to let you know What One Person (YOU!) Can Do.

2. Make a gift. - If you haven't given to EGR yet in 2008, please do so. Of course we'd like your gift to be as big as possible, but more than that we want as MANY donors as possible. This is a movement and one of the ways people show ownership in a movement is through giving. So whatever the size, make a gift.

If you've already given, THANK YOU. Please say your prayers and consider another, year-end gift.

Give online by clicking here.

Give through our Facebook cause by clicking here.

Give by check by making it out to EGR and sending it to
EGR, c/o Mike Fitzgerald, EGR accountant
115 Pinewood Avenue
Brandon, FL 33510

3. See who hasn't given - and invite them! - EGR's 2008 donors are now online at http://www.e4gr.org/donors.html sorted by individuals, congregations and dioceses. Check it out and see who is on it ... and who isn't. Is your diocese or congregation on the list? If so, write them a note of appreciation. If not, it's your job to make the invitation (and I'll give you all the help you need). Know people who might give to EGR but aren't on the list ... let 'em know and give them a chance to join the movement!

Remember, you're not "asking," you're INVITING. This is about offering people the chance to do something WONDERFUL with their money -- to be a part of God transforming the Church and through the Church transforming the world. You can't get better bang for your buck than that. I write lots of checks every year, but there is no check I write with more joy than my check to EGR ... because I know my wealth is going toward something great, the mission God gives us and the mission we share.

Thanks so much for all you do. Please let me know how I can help you in this process.

Oh, and if you think $75,000 is an ambitious goal for 3 weeks, consider this:

Last year at this time, we set a goal of raising $40,000 by the end of the year. We raised close to $110,000.

Dream big. God is cheering us on!