"What One Congregation Can Do" -- by Reynolds Whalen

For the next eight months, the Millennium Development Goals are becoming an integral part of parish life at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Norman, Oklahoma. Starting in September, a different goal will be highlighted each month with a related project and education at all levels of Sunday School, from toddlers to the adult class. The Prayers of the People will be modified to include both the MDG of the month and a general prayer for global reconciliation through the realization of all eight.

This is only the beginning for St. John’s as they have contributed a significant portion of their 0.7% budget line item toward funding my position as videographer for Millennium Congregation, and are considering becoming an official “Millennium Congregation” in the next fiscal year.

When approaching issues as overwhelming and broad as extreme poverty, one must be creative. Here is just one idea for sparking interest and beginning an education campaign in your own congregation: an interactive bulletin board…

(This model was designed by members of St. John’s using components of the Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation website. Feel free to use as much or as little as you would like, and use your creativity to come up with something even better)

1. Find a picture to represent each MDG (if you’ve traveled abroad, this is a chance to bring your own experience into the process). Format the picture in the program of your choice to be 7”X7”. Using a text box, superimpose a statistic about each MDG.
2. Using the same program, import the MDG “squares” from the EGR website. If desired, use the text box to change the wording of each MDG to reflect faith in action. For example: “Lead us to reduce child mortality. Lord, hear our prayer.”
3. Fold eight 14”X7” pieces of paper in half to make a 7”X7” square. With the fold facing up, paste the picture on the front and lift the cover to paste the MDG on the inside.
4. Arrange the squares in the shape of a cross. Encourage parishioners to match a separate list of the MDGs with the pictures and lift the pictures to check if they are correct.

The result is an interactive and educational bulletin board that makes the MDGs personal by portraying actual people who live in daily poverty. Additionally, it encourages action every time anyone lifts one of the flaps. This is a great way to begin general education on the MDGs before moving to more specific action points and ways to be involved.

Reynolds Whalen is a 2008 graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and has traveled extensively in Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan. He spent fall semester 2006 in Kenya working with AIDS orphans -- read his blog on it here and has made a documentary film on that experience. He is currently raising funds to spend 2008-9 working in Rwanda for Millennium Congregation helping people in the villages of Rwanda tell their stories. You can give toward Reynolds work in Rwanda with Millennium Congregation here (be sure and put Millennium Congregation - Reynolds Whalen in the designation field)