Church of the Brethren Newsline
March 17, 2017
Citing scripture reminding of God’s concern for the poor, Christian Churches Together (CCT) has issued a call to prayer for the US Congress, noting that “during the last three weeks of March, the US Congress will make critical decisions that will affect the lives of millions of our brothers and sisters living in poverty. The right decisions could alleviate and pull people out of poverty; the wrong decisions will increase poverty and put the lives of hundreds of thousands at risk.”
CCT is an ecumenical organization made up of five “families” of Christian denominations across the country. The Church of the Brethren is a member denomination. The full text of the document follows:
Call to Prayer
For more than eight years the communions and organizations in Christian Churches Together have been calling the attention of members of our churches and all Americans to the moral task of eradicating hunger and poverty in our land.
The scriptures remind us again and again of God’s concern for the poor, “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God”–Proverbs 14:31.
During the last three weeks of March, the US Congress will make critical decisions that will affect the lives of millions of our brothers and sisters living in poverty. The right decisions could alleviate and pull people out of poverty; the wrong decisions will increase poverty and put the lives of hundreds of thousands at risk.
We are grateful for the vast array of ways our churches are already helping millions of struggling people. We want to build on these efforts, learn from each other, and collaborate more closely. But we can, we must, do more.
We also recognize and encourage leaders in community, economic and public life who seek justice for poor people in our land. But we can, we must, do more. Our goal must be the elimination of poverty in this land.
We affirm our unanimous conviction that, our service to the poor and our work for justice is “at the center of Christian life and witness.” And we commit to renew our prayers, and to understand and live in faithfulness to our Lord’s teaching that when we serve “the least of these,” we truly minister to our Lord Himself.
We are leaders of the Christian community, not an interest group. We have no partisan political agenda. Together we believe that our faith demands and the people of this land yearn for concrete proposals that transcend divisive political divisions and place the lives and well-being of people above anything else.
In the spirit of Jesus, we call our brothers and sisters to lift the US Congress and our President up in prayer, as they make decisions that will affect the lives of millions of our brothers and sisters living in poverty in our country and around the world.
Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski — Catholic Family
Rev. Gary Walter — Evangelical/Pentecostal Family
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian — Orthodox Family
Rev. Samuel C. Tolbert, Jr. — Historic Black Family
Rev. David Guthrie — Historic Protestant Family
Rev. Carlos L. Malavé — Executive Director CCT
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