"Christ's example is being
demeaned by the church if they ignore the new leprosy,
which is AIDS. The church is the sleeping giant here.
If it wakes up to what's really going on in the rest
of the world, it has a real role to play. If it doesn't,
it will be irrelevant."
- Bono
“The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything.”Albert Einstein
As a nation built on the ideals of freedom and justice, I am saddened that our government watches the atrocities that exist in Darfur in the Sudan without taking action. The Sudanese army and their Janjaweed allies have murdered over 400,000 people and displaced thousands who have taken refuge in Chad. While some children have witnessed their parents being slaughtered, others have watched as their fathers were castrated and their mothers were raped. If you imagine your family being exposed to this type of terror, I suspect you would want the rest of the world to stand up and take action.
Admittedly, I feel that 11 million children dying every year around the globe from extreme poverty is genocide and understand that others feel I am a bit loose with this term. But what is happening in Darfur is genocide by anyone’s definition. We should have learned the lesson many times throughout history that genocide is one of the worst atrocities that can be afflicted upon humanity – especially with the horror of Nazi Germany in our recent past.
On April 30 – this Sunday – there will be a Save Darfur Rally in Washington, DC with leaders of faith, politics, human rights activists, celebrities and genocide survivors joining with citizens to demand the end this genocide. If you are unable to attend, you have the opportunity to join the virtual rally and/or sign petitions and make your voice heard. The following links will give you all the information that you need (also look under The Sudan in our left hand column for general information):
Although there will be coverage of the rally over the next few days, our US network and cable news channels choose to report very little of the atrocities in this region. Osama bin Laden, who trained his operatives in the Sudan, recently brought attention to the region by announcing that his followers are not to allow the West to help in this region. While his comments indicate that the region is important, without oil wells, there are people who feel it is insignificant. Others feel that it is too far away and decide to do nothing. I encourage you to take the words of Albert Einstein to heart and choose another path. By simply spending a few moments of your time logging on to these sites, you may just save humanity.
173,045,325 People Stood Up & Took Action Against Poverty Worldwide
between Oct. 16 - 18, 2009!
They gathered at over 3,000 events in more than 120 countries.
116,993,629 People Stood Up & Took Action Against Poverty Worldwide
between Oct. 17 - 19, 2008!
That is almost 2% of the
total world population!
43,716,440 People Stood Up Against Poverty
Worldwide between Oct. 16 & 17, 2007! Were You One of Them?
23,542,614 People Stood Up Against Poverty
Worldwide on Oct. 15, 2006! Bless Them All!
"Be the Change You Want to See In the World." Gandhi
Upcoming Events
Send Me Your Events!!! October 17, 2009 NEIDEEP Interfaith Service & Conference
at Fairfield United Methodist Church, 10am to 2pm, including potluck lunch
Join people of all faiths
Discover the role of women in
ending local & global poverty
Location - FUMC, 33 Rt. 201, Fairfield, Maine
Just off I-95, Exit 133
This event is in conjunction with
Stand Up & is Free
The Rev. Dr. Paige Blair Episcopal Priest & Bonnie N. Davis
Buddhist
First NEIDEEP Conference
Our First Meeting took place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA on 2/21/06.
The day began with an Interfaith Service.
Sister True Virtue, who at the time was the Abbess of the Green Mountain Dharma Center, teaching in the tradition of
Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing, led a meditation, centering & grounding
the more than 80 participants for the rest of the day.
Local Christians including The Rev. Dr. Paige of St. George's Episcopal Chuch (York Harbor), Pastor Sharon Miesel of
York-Ogunquit United Methodist Church (UMC)
& Pastor Sue Kingman of Sanford Unitarian Universalist Church (UUC) also took part in the Interfaith Service.
Iman Ibrahim Sayer, Boston Dialogue Foundation, did a transforming reading from the Koran in Arabic.
Rabbi David Mark, Temple Israel in Portsmouth, blew the Shofar,
made from Ram's Horn, reminding us that it is made from the same material as our fingernails &
that the work before us must be done with our hands.
The Rt. Rev. Peter Weaver, presiding bishop of the New England Conference of the United Methodist Church (NEUMC)was also
serving the Worldwide head the United Methodist's at the time of the conference. He spoke about trips to Africa, meeting with
religious leaders to speak with President Bush, & attending the Transatlantic Forum on Global Poverty in London prior to the 2005 G8 Summit.
Jan Schrock, Senior Advisor of Heifer International at the time, is the daughter of
Dan West, Heifer's founder, spoke about Heifer's interaction with communities, helping them plan their futures.
Lallie Lloyd, Episcopalian's for Global Reconciliation (E4GR), spoke about her book -
"Eradicating Global Poverty - A Christian Study Guide on the MDG."
Margaret Udahogora, of Rwanda, spoke about educating orphans from her country, also
reminding us of Africa's beauty. Suzanne Bowman,
talked about BeadforLife - Ugandan women (many HIV/AIDS positive) making beads and jewelry for two years and now
supporting 170 families.
NAACP, Salvation Army and United Way attended as guests with clergy and
other participants. Program stressed MDG, trade issues, & activisim.
Millennium Campaign Pledge & ONE Declaration were signed - "No Excuses" White Wristbands were handed out with
resource guides. By setting the example of working together across potitical, cultural, spiritual & religious boundaries,
we can make an amazing difference.
Interfaith Communities Can Heal the World!
A second round of NEIDEEP is planned for October 2008.
Activating New England will make a difference in ending extreme poverty. After all, we hosted a memorable
tea party that changed the course of history.
In a world where so many go hungry,
Let us make the fruits of creation available for all.
In a world where one billion of our brothers and sisters do not have safe drinking water,
Let us help the waters run clear.
In a world where so many die so young,
And so many mothers die in childbirth,
And so many families are ravaged by disease,
Let us bring health and healing.
In a world where women carry such heavy burdens,
Let us recognize and restore the rights of all.
Let us join together, with a new sense of global community,
A new awareness of our need for one another,
And for this fragile planet,
To meet the clear challenge of the Millennium Goals,
To bring hope as substantial as bread,
To make human dignity as visible as wheat in the fields.
Special thanks to The Rev. Mike Kinman for his assistance on how to set up a cool blog!