"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
Friday, September 26, 2008 Friday, September 26, 2008 "It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion dollars to saved 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases." Bono
Leave it to Bono to make a statement that gets to the heart of the matter. While the US faces so many crisises right now including the price of gasoline at the tanks, the cost of heating fuel, the rise in food costs at the grocery store, and the fear of terrorist attacks, we still have few people dying of starvation in America.
I have so many questions about why the G8 refuses to make good on the promises made at their 2005 summit. Indeed, the global situation seems far worse just three years later. With all the efforts of so many individuals, corporations, faith based groups and even some polititians, one would think we were closer to eradicating extreme poverty by 2015.
Between October 17 and October 19, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty unfolds across the world. The UN Millennium Campaign started Stand Up in October 2006. As you can see on the righthand column, that year, 23 million people around the globe took part and were included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest number of people to unite to fight poverty. Last October, 43 million people decided that this was important and broke the previous record.
Out of that 43 million, only 100,000 Americans took part. This year, we hope the event will not only inspire more people to Stand Up, but Take Action as well. Extreme poverty - those living on less that $1/per day – is prevalent in the developing nations. Poverty, including the lack of nutritious food, also affects people in our region, state and nation.
In conjunction with the Amnesty International chapter at Colby College, Heifer International, and other organizations, there will be a conference at Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, on Saturday, October 18, which begins with a Meet & Greet at 1:30pm. The conference is free, although participants may make donations to various charities or bring a non-perishable food item for a local food pantry or pet food for the Humane Society.
There are four afternoon workshops - or discussion panels: Women & Children in Developing Countries, Faith in Action, Farming and Community, and Local Poverty.
Jan Schrock, senior advisor of Heifer International and daughter of it's founder - Dan West, will be part of the farming workshop and is will give the keynote speech at 7pm.
Jan will start out the day at the Skowhegan Farmer’s Market. about 11am and give a presentation on the importance of community, food and agriculture and building a sustainable food supply. Jan lives in Westbrook, Maine and works to promote regaining our sense of community.
We will have a free dinner for conference attendees. Traditionally, these meals are simple and vegetarian. Soup and bread are the main menu items, as well as any potluck provided by participants and church groups. Leftovers will be donated to the Sacred Heart soup kitchen in Waterville.
We are asking the local farmers and farmer’s markets to donate breads and produce. Volunteers will prepare the food. Skowhegan Farmer's Market is one of the conference's sponsors and we hope other markets will join the list.
Working together is essential eradicating extreme poverty in the developing world as well as in our region and country. Visit http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/ for more information on global poverty and Stand Up.
This year, we must band together to take action and fill the void that the G8 has left. We can show our neighbors - both locally and globally - that by standing by each other and strengthening our communities, we will survive the current food crisis and oill crisis. We can eradicate extreme poverty if we work together.
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!