Watch the Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XOQd1sqd20
“We do not wish to leave a legacy of debt to our children, nor do we believe that a legacy of poverty and underinvestment is any better.” ~ Faithful Budget coalition letter to Obama and Congress
An interfaith coalition is praying and working together to protect federal programs that serve people living in poverty. This coalition has formed the “Faithful Budget” campaign. This Fall, faith communities across the country will unite to pray and ask Congress for a just and compassionate
federal budget that puts the “least of these” first. Add your voice and sign this petition.
Important decisions about our national budget are coming this Fall, and you can make a big difference in the outcome. A “super committee” of twelve Members of Congress must cut $1.2 trillion from our federal debt. They will choose between rolling back the 2001 tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, or cutting lifeline Social Security benefits and programs such as the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) and Head Start.
Humanitarian and poverty-focused foreign assistance total only one percent of the federal budget. Yet, these programs save millions of lives, build self-reliance among the world’s most vulnerable, and serve the U.S. and global interest of helping build a more stable and secure world for all people. Below are ten ways you can take action and make a difference.
Ask Congress for a Faithful Budget. Sign this petition.
Organize a meeting with your Member of Congress.
As a constituent your views are important to Members of Congress. Schedule an appointment to let them know what you think. These resources will help you schedule and hold a meeting with your Member of Congress. Your Senators will be in your home state the week of September 23, and the week of October 27. The House will be on recess and in their districts the week of Oct. 17, Oct. 28-31, the week of Nov. 7, and the week of Nov. 21.
Join the National Faithful Budget Call-In Days on October 4 & 5.
Ask members of your congregation and community to call Congress and ask for a Faithful Budget. Click here for a call-in script and phone number. Please share widely.
Host a public prayer vigil.
Organize an ecumenical prayer vigil at your local Congressional office to pray for wisdom for these decision-makers, demonstrating the concern of people of conscience. Sample vigil litanies can be found here. Be sure invite your Member of Congress and their staff to join you
in prayer and alert the media by sharing an advisory like this one with your local media outlets.
Send a letter to Congress from faith leaders in your community.
Send a letter to your Member of Congress sharing your views. Use this letter as a template. [Link to HOWO letter, forthcoming].
Letters to the editor from people in your congregation.
Use our template to help you write your letter and make it personal.If you cite your Member of Congress by name, their staff is sure to see the letter and take note.
Participate in National Conference Calls and Webinars to Share Information and Contact Other People Who are Engaged in Your State. Click here to watch the recorded Faithful Budget organizing webinar from September 27. We covered the basics on what’s happening in Washington and how you can get involved. Break-out organizing calls immediately followed the presentation. Email Shantha Ready Alonso to get connected to an organized group from your state. Click here for the powerpoint slides that accompanied the webinar.
Join the “Super-Vigil” to pray for a Faithful Budget from the Super Committee on Sunday, November 13. Details to come.
Learn more. Click here to check out resources from the United Church of Christ about deficit reduction options. See these fact sheets on poverty in Super Committee areas, from Half in Ten:
http://halfinten.org/issues/articles/whose-interests-will-the-super-committee-members-represent/
Track the activity of the “Super Committee:”
http://deficitreduction.senate.gov/public/
Talk about it on social media. To share Faithful Budget-related prayers, reflections, and action opportunities on Twitter, use the hashtag #faithfulbudget. Share a link to this toolkit on Facebook and encourage your friends to share, too. Lastly, most members of congress are on Facebook. Posting on their wall is a quick and easy way of letting them know you care about this issue.
Check out the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs’ Budget Page: