"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 my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.Thomas Paine
On the eve of the second Stand Up, I sit here wondering what the next two days will bring. I just logged on to http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/ to look at some of the entries. People from all over the globe are signing up and it is excciting to see all of the countries listed.
Even if the record of last year is not surpassed, the event will be a success. The idea of everyone participating is beautiful and touches me deeper than you can imagine.
I have sent out hundreds of e-mails to people of faith, ministers, rabbis, universities and schools. Some people contacted me to say they set up events. Others are deciding. For me, there is no decision. How could anyone not take a minute out of their day for this event? Reason tells me that some are too busy and too jaded. Others do not feel their connection to others, and some feel that their voice does not matter. However, we all matter - those living and dying in extreme poverty as well as the rest of us in our variety of circumstances.
Thomas Paine's quote speaks to me today. I have several files full of quotes and opened his without hesitation. (Even though Bob Marley's Get up, Stand up resonates through my soul).
Tomorrow afternoon, I will be in New Hampshire to see Jim Wallis of Sojourners. Then, at 6pm, I will meet friends, colleagues and strangers for a Stand Up potluck dinner in Kittery. This event will be small and intimate - I am filled with joy at the prospect of being there...
It is not too late to register and take part. Your voice matters and we need you to help spread awareness and make the statement to the world leaders that you care.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007 Tuesday, October 9, 2007
"Get up! Stand Up for your rights."Bob Marley
I just sent my column in to the Sun Chronicle - it is here, somewhat expanded.
Growing up in the Caribbean with the beautiful coral reefs, white sand beaches, luscious rain forests and the sparkling clear ocean is where I first learned about extreme poverty and first heard the incredible driving beat of Reggae - with songs about opression and social justice. I visited the island of Dominica in the early 1980s while on a sailing trip, with five friends from my home in St. Croix. I saw entire families living on less than 100 US dollars per year. The island was lush and starvation was not an issue, but I saw people with tombstones in their eyes, living just a tiny step above slavery. They dressed in ragged clothing as they worked in plantation fields, with no opportunity for education, balanced diets, healthcare or a way out of oppression. I still see their faces today - they drive me to continue to spread awareness about extreme global poverty. I could understand this horrid existence half way around the globe, but not in my backyard - not within a few hours flying time of the United States. The truth is that these conditions exist on several Caribbean islands, in Mexico, and both Central and South America. Reggae singer and humanitarian Bob Marley sang, “Get up, stand up – stand up for your rights.” This song resonates in my soul and, this past week, I have been walking around singing it. Although it is excellent advice to stand up for your own rights, we have the opportunity to Stand Up for the rights of others and, in the process, be in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Next week, between 5pm on Tuesday, October 16 and 5pm on Wednesday, October 17, the United Nations Millennium Campaign will host their second Stand Up, due to the success of the event last year. A little over a year ago, I received an e-mail from Carol Welsh, who is the North American coordinator for the UN Millennium Campaign, about Stand Up. By participating, we would be part of a global movement to be the most people to Stand Up against global poverty in a 24-hour period. She hoped for a global participation of 10,000. The event would cover a Sunday and was a great way for people of faith to take part. Several churches throughout southern and central Maine and central New Hampshire took part. During their regular or special services, the congregations stood up – some singing hymns, some saying prayers, some listening to sermons. Some held events in their homes, others in schools or the work place. Some families took part. Many people had nowhere to go and took part as individuals. While many of us waited to see if we reached the 10,000-person goal, we were in awe as the numbers kept rising. The final count was over 23.5 million people across the globe. By standing up in groups or as individuals, we became part of a greater whole. Unlike some of our elections, all of us mattered. We stood up to raise awareness of global poverty. We stood up to remind the world leaders, who initiated the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 2000, that we wanted them to fulfill their promises of implementing the goals. (The MDG are: eradicate poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB; create a global partnership for development, i.e., fair trade; and ensure environmental sustainability.) We stood up to give hope to over a billion people around the world. We stood up to be heard and counted. I urge you to take Stand Up to your schools, offices, families, meetings, choir practice, Bible studies and other events. Even if you Stand Up by yourself, you will be joining millions of others.
Although you may do as you wish, I urge you to keep the event as simple and bipartisan as possible. Remember, we must all work together - one party did not create these problems and one party will not solve them. We must all learn to work together to solve these issues and save lives. You must pre-register your event, and post the outcome within a specific period to be counted in the Guinness Book of World Records. If you have trouble registering, I will do it for you - e-mail me at the link on the right.
You will be standing up for the 29,000 children who die daily, for the 500,000 women who die every year during childbirth, for the 6,500 Africans who every day from HIV/AIDS and for those facing genocide. Get up. Stand up for their rights.
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!
