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Churches Invited to Support 'Isaiah Platform' Effort
By Liz Mosbo VerHage
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 2, 2004) - Evangelical Covenant Church President Glenn
Palmberg joined more than 40 other religious leaders May 23-25 at the
Washington National Cathedral to sign the "Isaiah Platform" as part of
Call to Renewal's annual conference "Pentecost 2004: Making Poverty a
Religious and Electoral Issue."
The evening worship service brought together evangelical, Catholic,
mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, black, Latino and Asian clergy as well
as several heads of faith-based organizations to sign the pledge that
formed the centerpiece of the three-day conference. Featured keynote
speaker was journalist and social commentator Bill Moyers who spoke on
religion in public life. (The accompanying shows Palmberg and Moyers).
"Call to Renewal is a wonderful cross-section of the church," Palmberg
said. "Founded by an Evangelical, Jim Wallis, it includes many . . .
churches all working together in a bipartisan way to advocate for the
poor. It was gratifying to hear from politicians that our efforts have
made a difference. They listened and cared about what the church has to
say about the decisions they make that so affect the lives of the most
needy."
"It was especially gratifying to me to have the Covenant church
represented by a number of young people under the age of 35," Palmberg
noted. They joined more than 90 young emerging leaders who also attended
the conference. The Covenant contingent included representatives from
Portland, Minneapolis and Chicago.
Other special guests included Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of the
Department of Housing and Urban Development, who addressed attendees on
behalf of President George Bush, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut,
who addressed attendees on behalf of presidential hopeful John Kerry.
Awards were given to Rev. Dr. John Perkins of the Christian Community
Development Association, Professor Susan Pace Hamill of the University
of Alabama Law School, and Brad Martell of Call to Renewal.
Congregations and individuals have been invited by Call to Renewal to
support the Isaiah Platform and join the bipartisan Christian effort to
influence political decision-makers on behalf of the poor. An October
6-17 bus tour of 11 major cities will focus attention on the Isaiah
Platform and attempt to heighten interest in upcoming elections on the
part of people of faith. Cities to be visited on the tour include
Minneapolis and St. Paul, Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, Grand Rapids,
Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Call to Renewal is a national network of churches, faith-based
organizations and individuals committed to overcoming poverty in
America. Palmberg is a member of the board of directors. More
information about Call to Renewal may be obtained by visiting
www.calltorenewal.org/index.cfm. Those interested in learning more about
the Isaiah Platform and ways in which it can be incorporated into local
church planning can find information online at
www.calltorenewal.org/events/index.cfm/action/pentecost_event/item/pentecost_2004_platform.html.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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