 Faithful
America’s February E-zine announces many opportunities for learning and
action
"Friends in High Places"
[2-15-06]
When Moses bowed before Yahweh on Mount Sinai, humbled by the monumental
commission he had just received from the Lord, Moses actually tried to get
out of the job... "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" he pleaded. "O my
Lord, please send someone else." But in five words Yaweh delivered a promise
which emboldened Moses and rings in our ears today. The Lord said, "I will
be with you."
The story is worth reading (Exodus 3-4) - and so is this month's ezine.
It is full of challenges and opportunities for putting your faith into
action. You may read it and say, "Who am I? or even "Lord, please send
someone else," but you, like Moses, can find strength in those ancient and
powerful words: "I will be with you."
Let me share another bit of wisdom popularized by a modern motivational
speaker, Anthony Robbins. He says "never leave the site of a decision
without taking some action toward its attainment." Today, as you think about
all there is to be done in areas of peace, poverty, planet earth, and
people's rights, take heart - and then, take ACTION.
Here's what you can do today:
Move M ountains
– join in Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, DC
Help End Poverty
– use a new study guide from the National Council of Churches
Help Stop the Genocide
– join a million others demanding a stronger US response to the genocide in
Darfur
Help Cool Global Warming
– with the 86 evangelical Christian leaders who have joined together to
launch an "Evangelical Climate Initiative"
Save Our National Parks
– speak out against National Park Service moves to ease protections of the
parks
Step Aboard the Seoul Train
– get a free copy of Seoul Train, an extraordinary film that
exposes North Korea’s human rights abuses
From the Hill
to the Mountaintop: Ecumenical Advocacy Days
Are you ready to move some mountains? Time is running out to register for
the 3 ½ day faith-building, community-sharing, skill-mastering experience in
democracy and advocacy:
Ecumenical Advocacy Days
This is the progressive faith community’s largest event of its kind. Join
us March 10-13 in Washington, DC as we:
 | Learn about the key issues of faith and public life – 8 unique tracks
to choose from |
| Discover the resources needed to stay informed – used by lawmakers,
leaders, and life-changers |
| Forge relationships with other persons of faith to support each
other’s efforts (there IS strength in numbers!) |
| Engage with members of Congress ON Capitol Hill during Lobby Day |
FaithfulAmerica is one of many proud sponsors of this annual event.
Go HERE to learn more!
( link:
http://www.advocacydays.org)
End Poverty?
Yes We Can!
If the poor will always be with us, why should we eradicate extreme
poverty?
Because we can, experts say. Humanity has the means to end worldwide
poverty in our lifetime. The real question is, will we do it?
A new study guide released by the National Council of Churches USA,
Eradicating Poverty: A
Christian Study Guide on the Millennium Development Goals,
tackles these and other pressing issues.
You can learn more and order this resource here.
(link:
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/060201eradicatingpoverty.html
)
A Million Voices
for Darfur
FaithfulAmericans have responded over and over
to calls to help end the genocide in Darfur. Let us pledge that, with your
continued vigilance, we will not stop until the killing in Darfur stops.
The Save Darfur Coalition, in cooperation with over 150 faith-based,
advocacy, and humanitarian aid organizations (including FaithfulAmerica), is
proud to announce the launching of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign,
an unprecedented effort to raise awareness of the genocide taking place in
Darfur and promote the actions necessary to end it.
The goal of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign is to generate one
million hand-written and electronic postcards from Americans demanding a
stronger and more effective U.S. response. Specifically, the campaign calls
on the United States government to support a stronger multinational force to
protect the civilians of Darfur.
Go here to visit the
Million Voices site and learn more >>
To learn more about the Darfur genocide, check out
FaithfulAmerica’s Briefing room here >>
(information appears courtesy of
SaveDarfur.org)
Evangelicals Join NCC, Others to Fight Global Warming
86 evangelical Christian leaders have joined together to launch an
"Evangelical Climate
Initiative" and called for federal legislation to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions via a cap-and-trade market system.
This move comes after 22 evangelical leaders -- including Bush-friendly
political heavyweights James Dobson and Charles Colson -- warned the
National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) against issuing just such a
statement earlier this month. The NAE didn't sign on to the new statement,
but its president Ted Haggard says he's personally convinced global warming
is real and dangerous, and NAE Vice President Richard Cizik helped persuade
other leaders -- including best-selling author and megachurch leader Rick
Warren -- to get on board.
These evangelical leaders join other religious leaders and faith
organizations such as the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, the
National Council of Churches and its member communions, and the U.S.
Catholic Conference of Bishops in the fight against climate destruction. For
more information on the climate change initiatives by the faith community,
visit
www.nccecojustice.org/climate.htm or
www.protectingcreation.org .
Wild and
Wonderful – Or Noisy Off-road Nightmare?
Psalm 19:1 declares that "the heavens are telling the glory of God and
the firmament proclaims his handiwork." For many, our National Parks offer
some of the best escapes for prayer, spiritual discernment, undisrupted
family time, and reconnecting with the Creator.
But the National Park Service is in the process of changing the rules
governing the parks, and the new changes could mean increased
commercialization as well as more air pollution, haze, noise, and damage
from off-road vehicles and livestock.
If you have not already taken action, It is NOT too late. The National
Park Service is receiving comments from citizens now through February 18.
Go here to learn more and
take action. We have included a
sample letter for you to use as you help preserve God’s greatest gift to
God’s children. Here’s the link:
http://ga3.org/campaign/protectourparks
Seoul Train –
A MUST SEE film for your faith community
The human rights story of the people of North Korea is rarely told. Some
experts say that in the last decade more than 10% of North Korea's
population has starved to death, and hundreds of thousands more still wallow
in forced labor camps as political prisoners. This must stop.
Our friends at Ironweed, the progressive socially-minded monthly DVD film
club, are setting out to make the plight of North Koreans known. You may
sign up now to receive a free copy of Seoul Train, an
extraordinary film that exposes North Korea’s human rights abuses and
profiles the modern-day Underground Railroad helping to lead North Korean
refugees from China into safety in South Korea. We encourage you to show
this powerful film to your family, friends, neighbors, and faith community.
Go HERE to learn more.
Link:
http://www.ironweedfilms.com/how_it_works/faithfulamerica?viapc=EM14CFA
(Note – you may get this DVD for free through Ironweed, but it does
involve a signup for a monthly fee. FaithfulAmerica is a partner, and we
think it’s worth it, but you should know up front)
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