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Covenanters Speak Out on Issues of Poverty, Hunger
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 7, 2005) - Leaders of the Evangelical Covenant Church
told delegates attending a national anti-poverty and hunger conference
that churches must continue to live out their moral responsibility to
eliminate poverty.
"Poverty and hunger are moral issues to which we as believers must act
and speak prophetically and faithfully in our communities and before our
national leaders," said Jim Sundholm, director of Covenant World Relief
and the Paul Carlson Partnership.
Sundholm delivered the opening remarks Saturday at the "One Table, Many
Voices" conference being held at American University. The four-day
conference attracted 700 delegates from across the country, including 43
from the Covenant. Sundholm also is a board member of Bread for the
World, which organized the conference in partnership with Call to Renewal.
"Coming together to champion before the United States Congress and the
administration the priority of caring for the hungry and the poor is not
only an action of this conference, but also for us as a church,"
Sundholm said.
Jim Wallis, president of Call to Renewal, told the gathering that
Christians must become "faith-based activists." He added that Christians
need to respond to "a new altar call" to make poverty a thing of the
past. President Glenn Palmberg, who also is a board member of Call to
Renewal, spoke during Sunday's worship service. North Park University
senior Tim King spoke during the Emerging Leaders dinner Saturday night.
Attendees from the Covenant included members of the Covenant World
Relief board: Louise Wilson, Elliott Johnson, Jon Peterson, Steve
Quilin, chair Mark Nilson and Curt Peterson, executive minister of the
Department of World Mission.
As part of Hunger Awareness Day today (Tuesday), delegates will lobby
Congressional members from their home districts to encourage their
support of the Hunger-Free Communities Act and to protect the funding
and entitlement status of the federal food stamp program.
On May 25, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR),
Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced the Hunger-Free
Communities Act of 2005 in the U.S. Senate. The following day,
Representatives Tom Osborne (R-NE) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) introduced
companion legislation in the U.S. House. The act will establish the
commitment of the administration and Congress to cutting hunger in the
United States in half by 2010 and eliminating it by 2015.
To accomplish its goals, the legislation calls on Congress to ensure
adequate funding of national nutrition programs, maintain the
entitlements of food stamps and school meals, as well as establish grant
programs for community-based organizations that work together to end hunger.
Bread for the World is a nationwide Christian citizen's movement seeking
justice for the world's hungry. Call to Renewal is a national network of
Christian churches, faith-based organizations and individuals working to
overcome poverty in America.
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