This
morning, PC(USA) Director for Public Witness, the Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, II,
joined with interfaith and
 |
| J. Herbert Nelson, Michael Livingston and other faith leaders gather |
"As people of
faith and conscience, we urge you to place shared democratic values above short
term political expediency, exercise the courage to fund our nation’s
government, raise the debt limit without preconditions and get back to work on
a faithful budget that serves the common good.
In
a statement
about the shutdown, the Rev. Nelson said,
"Too many
lives are impacted by this selfish internal battle for power. The United States
government has an important role in alleviating hunger and poverty, ensuring
food safety and public health, investing in clinical trials and research,
monitoring pollution and the safety of the environment, engaging in diplomacy
and relief and development operations overseas, and employing the nation’s
largest workforce. It is time to put the federal government back
to work to ensure health, wholeness, and fulfilling livelihoods, not only for
federal workers, but for all of us.
Join
the Rev. Nelson and his interfaith and ecumenical colleagues in calling on
Congress to end this government shutdown and to raise the debt ceiling
immediately. Neither a
dysfunctional government nor the default on the full faith and credit of the
U.S. government will serve our democracy or the Common Good. Rev. Nelson concluded his statement with,
"We need a government that functions based on
a commitment to shared responsibility and the common good. Those who have contempt for government have no business serving as
a Member of Congress. It is contrary to
the oath of office. Join me in calling
on Congress to end this shutdown and engage in more reasonable debate in which
people’s wellbeing is at the center of our concern.
 |
| Presbyterians J. Herbert Nelson, Doug Grace, Michael Livingston, and Jennifer Butler |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2013
CONTACT: Michael McGovern – 202.499.4084, mmcgovern@faithinpubliclife.org
50
Prominent Faith Leaders and Locked-Out Workers
March
on House GOP Offices, Pray for End to Shutdown
Pilgrimage
with poor workers ratchets up moral pressure as shutdown harms low-income
families, seniors, and veterans.
Washington, DC – Today, over 50 prominent religious leaders
joined with locked-out federal workers in a pilgrimage, marched on key House
GOP offices – including Leadership – and urged an immediate end to the
government shutdown. At each office, the group prayed for the Member to do what
is right and vote to immediately end the shutdown with a clean and
unconditional continuing resolution and to raise the debt ceiling without
preconditions.
During the Pilgrimage, faith
leaders invited moderate Republicans to join them in challenging their
colleagues who are putting political agendas ahead of the common good.
An extreme faction of
Congress is recklessly playing politics with the lives of countless
Americans: seniors seeing “Meals on Wheels” cut, pregnant women and infants
losing vital nutrition support, workers locked out of their jobs as bills pile
up, veterans facing benefit cuts, and communities put in peril by the
suspension of crucial environmental protection efforts.
“It’s time for irresponsible
factions in Congress to stop this reckless behavior and end this shutdown
immediately,” said Sr. Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK,
A Catholic Social Justice Lobby. “There is no moral justification for
holding struggling families, pregnant women and seniors hostage.”
The marchers also included
low-wage workers locked out of their jobs by the shutdown.
“Before the shutdown, I was
struggling to support my unemployed
father and little sister,” said Alex Vesquez,
a contract food worker at the Smithsonian.
“Now I’ve gone from low wages to no wages. Tea Party Republicans need to stop
these political games and let me get back to work.”
At each office the group
prayed for the Member and left a letter endorsed by religious organizations,
saying "As people of faith and conscience, we urge you to place
shared democratic values above short term political expediency, exercise the
courage to fund our nation’s government, raise the debt limit without
preconditions and get back to work on a faithful budget that serves the common
good.”
Faith leaders had a clear
moral message for the Congressmen responsible.
“Locking low-income workers
out of their jobs and holding them for ransom is simply un-Christian. This
inflicts needless pain on families already struggling to make ends meet,” said Rev.
Michael Livingston, Policy Director at Interfaith Worker Justice. “We’re
urging the members of Congress responsible for this hardship to vote now to put
these workers back in their jobs.”
Simultaneously, people of
faith delivered over 32,000 petitions to Congressional offices around the
country calling on House Members to end the government shutdown. The petition
signers are members of Faithful America — a fast-growing online
community dedicated to reclaiming Christianity from the religious right and
putting faith into action for social justice.
This statement,
which was also signed by more than 150 clergy and theologians, sharply rebuked
irresponsible elected officials for pursuing an “extreme ideological agenda at
the expense of the working poor and vulnerable families” by shutting down the
federal government.
Participants in the march
included leaders from NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; The
Salvation Army, Interfaith Worker Justice, National Council of Churches,
Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness, The Shalom Center, Faith in
Public Life, Church World Service, American Friends Service Committee,
Interfaith Moral Action on Climate, Disciples Center for Public Witness
(Disciples of Christ), Disciples Justice Action Network (Disciples of Christ),
Disciples Home Missions, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and Ecumenical
Advocacy Days, Franciscan Action Network, United Church of Christ, United
Methodist Church, The Coalition on Human Needs.
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