"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
“Soap and education aren’t as sudden as a massacre, but they’re more deadly in the long run.”Will Rogers
Whenever I think of that quote, I think of my older brother, Mark – it was his yearbook quote when he was in high school. Sunday was his birthday and I called him down in west Texas where he has lived for more than 30 years. After we caught up on life and got back in the flow of being brother and sister, we began to talk about serious issues.
For us, certain issues are a given. We both breathe, feel, think and live our lives knowing all of us that share this world are truly brothers and sisters. After that, Mark and I differ. I truly cannot comprehend the injustice and inhumanity that humankind inflicts on others. He can state current and historic facts (and dates) of incidents all over the world that are clear examples of why corruption, power, and governmental control are behind the very same deeds. Of course, I understand computers and he just wants to throw them up against the wall, so there you are…
We discussed extreme poverty. I told him that a child dying every three seconds from extreme poverty plays out to be nearly 11 million children a year - every year - and that is genocide. I said that I do not understand how “We, the People” can allow that to go on. My dear brother, who could not work his way out of an Algebra equation for a million dollars, began to quote dates, situations, military coups and all kinds of related data, about several situations in Africa over the past 13 years where genocide has claimed millions of lives while we did nothing. (With that ability, he should be the writer!) His frustration was equal to mine.
I told him how I have run into people in New England living in rural communities that feel we should not waste our time or money to help people in developing nations – and several have used the worst of the hate words. I discussed my attempts not to alienate these people, even when my blood is boiling, because there is already too much division between people. If we are to heal the world, we must look past our political, cultural, educational and religious boundaries and find common ground. I told Mark about my pre-Katrina discussions with people. I mapped out a scenario where perhaps a few natural disasters hit our country, our government destabilized and civil war started, and asked them if they would want one of the wealthiest countries in the world to save their children…
At that point, without a pause, Mark jumped right in and told me how the southwest is nearly at the point of civil war over the proposed immigration laws that would make illegal aliens as well as anyone assisting them such as their families, friends and employers guilty of a felony. We discussed that in depth with Mark stating that people just want a fair shot at making a living and supporting their families. He felt our country should be working in partnership with Mexico so that fair wages and a decent life style (including education and many other MDG initiatives) could be had and so less people would come here illegally. However, with our government supporting free trade rather than fair trade, I am afraid his solution is a long way off… And yesterday, demonstrations took place all over the country on this very issue protesting the proposed immigration law…
I am so blessed to have such an amazing brother and share discussions like this. We may not have solved the problems of the world, but we know that discussing ideas is a good step forward. I encourage you all to take the time to have real conversations about these issues with those you love. You just may be surprised.
And remember, 15 million teachers are need worldwide to assist in achieving the MDG on education. April 23 - 30 is the week to support this initiative.
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!