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God's Renewed Creation
"God's creation is in crisis. We, the Bishops of The United methodist Church, cannot remain silent..."
In late 2009 the Council of Bishops released a Pastoral Letter, Foundation Document and Study Guide to update their previous work, "In Defense of Creation. Focus areas include: nuclear deterrence, the arms race, pandemic poverty and disease, environmental degradation and climate change, and 'a world awash with weapons and violence."
To learn more, go to www.hopeandaction.org. The Council of Bishops asks that all United Methodist churches study this document and take action as they are led.
February 7th - National Day of Prayer
On February 7 faith communities across the country will pray for reform of the criminal justice system.
Facts to consider and share with your congregation:
With 5% of the world’s population, the United States hold’s 25% of the world’s incarcerated
· In the U.S., 1 in every 100 people is incarcerated and 2/3 of those in prison are black or Latino
· Black men serving sentences account for 4,618 per 100,000; Hispanic males were 1,747, and Anglo males were 773. This means that Black males were 6 times more likely, and Hispanic males twice as likely as Anglos to be held in custody
· There are more than 8,000 reported incidents of sexual assault in prisons each year. The number of unreported incidents cannot be estimated
· In 2007, 82.7% of crack cocaine defendants were African American despite the fact that only 18% of crack cocaine users in the U.S. are African Americans
· Every year across the U.S., 200,000 youth are tried, sentenced or incarcerated as adults and on any given day, nearly 7,500 youth are locked up in adult jails, and 2,600 are locked up in adult prisons
These are just some of the reasons we know the current system is broken.
Therefore, we must pray for reform of the criminal justice system, for empowerment of faith communities to advocate for reforms, and for moral and accountable leadership by our elected leaders to bring about just and humane reform. Please email me and let me know your church is participating and the city and state where you are located.
All you need to do is have your faith community spend part or all of the prayer time during their worship service lifting up these specific prayer needs:
- A fair criminal justice system based on restorative principles that do not sentence people to unjustly long sentences or target certain racial groups, so that the families of the incarcerated can be strengthened and local communities safely restored.
- Empowerment of churches to serve those directly affected by the criminal justice system, by caring for victims of crime, providing necessary programs for ex-offenders seeking to reenter society, supporting families affected by crime, and advocating for reform of the criminal justice system.
- The moral leadership and accountability of elected leaders to support legislation that reflects the values of restorative justice and will care for victims of crime, eliminate unjust and unsafe treatment in the criminal justice system, and provide for in-prison, reentry and prevention programs to avert future crimes.
As always, as you participate in the Day of Prayer, please let Bill Mefforrd know the name of your church, and the city and state in which you are located: (bmefford(at)umc-gbcs.org). For more info, go to: http://justpeaceumc.org/2010/01/feb-7-2010-national-day-of-prayer-for-criminal-justice-reform/
UMW Action Network ~ Your Legislative Connection
Action Alerts
CLIMATE CHANGE
The United States has historically contributed the most to global warming, and over the past eight years it's done the least to stop it. In fact, the U.S. has actively tried to block progress on a global climate deal.
Whoever takes office as U.S. President next year has a lot of work to get the US back in the game--and their very first test on climate change will come even before either Obama or McCain takes office. That test will be the next UN Climate meeting coming up in December.
IF the next president goes and makes a strong statement about the U.S. rising to the challenge of the climate crisis, it could dramatically alter the course of the negotiations. But McCain and Obama will only go if they're invited.
That's where we come in. It's crucial that citizens from around the globe put pressure on Obama and McCain to ensure they attend the meeting, and play their part in getting the U.S. to be a leader on global warming.
Please visit www.350.org/invite to send your personal invitation to McCain and Obama today.
CIVILITY IN ELECTIONS
The following text is from Resolution 21.55, passed by the Desert Southwest Conference Annual Conference session. This text has been distributed to both Democrat and Republican parties.
Resolution Calling for Civility and Substance in Elections
Whereas: We live in a Democracy where we elect people to represent us and give voice to important national and local issues;
Whereas: We expect that our leaders and elected officials will conduct themselves as representatives of our call to be one people and one nation under a loving God;
Whereas: We must understand the substantive positions of those running for office so that we can see if their solutions represent the greatest good and justice for all people;
Whereas: We recognize that a person’s character may be one of the most important aspects governing our vote;
Whereas: How a person conducts themselves during an election may be the most important manifestation of their character.
Whereas: Civility and civilization share the same root, reminding us that it is a genuine sense of respecting others, even in our differences, that creates a healthy civilization/
Whereas: Character assassination and the coarsening of social discourse seem increasingly more prevalent in our elections;
Whereas: We see a <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">United States</place></country-region> now being described as two nations with blue states and red states;
Whereas: The disrespectful ways in which elections are conducted often lead us to disrespect and distrust good people with different ideas even to the point of questioning and attacking their patriotism at times;
Whereas: In this climate of disrespect we tragically see a rise in participation of hate groups that now feel free to express their own disrespect for others in their prejudices.
Whereas: We have begun to lose the heart and soul, the compassion and concern for others that made us a great nation;
Therefore be it resolved: That we, as the church, do all in our power to hold those who represent us to a standard of behavior that represents the Great Commandment of loving our neighbors and respecting others as children of God;
Therefore be it resolved: That we, as the church, encourage debate or dialogue between candidates which churches can host that with the merits and strengths of their solutions without disrespecting the integrity of their opponents or resorting to name calling as a response to another’s position;
Therefore be it resolved: That we, as the church, encourage that all candidates present solutions in written form to the important issues facing our nation, while not belittling others for their beliefs;
Therefore be it resolved: That we immediately voice our displeasure to the candidate and his or her political party when he or she diminishes other candidates through character assassination;
Therefore be it resolved: We, as the church, make the manner in which candidates conduct themselves a prime basis for whether we vote for them.
ELECTION RESOURCES
A wonderful list of questions is available from the United Methodist Women's Action Network, Women's Division, that can assist voters in determing who will get your vote. Contact Billie Fidlin in the Conference office at 602 266 6956 x 221 for a copy.
DVD Recommendation: Renewal or Ruin? The Institute on Religion and Democracy's Attack on the United Methodist Church. The run time for this DVD is 24 minutes, and its content discusses the IRD and its controversial nature. The DVD can be viewed on the internet. There is also a copy available in the Outreach office. Contact Billie Fidlin.
Book Recommendation: "Conflict and Communion - Reconciliation & Resorative Justice at Christ's Table" Several authors have contributed to the book coming