Sermon delivered by Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Big Tent Event in Indianapolis, IN. The sermon was preached at the closing worship service.

THE PROPHETIC WORD

A Ministry of the

PC(USA) Office of Public Witness, Washington, DC

Sermon Title: “Moving From Success to Significance”

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. God is doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43: 18-19a)

            The Sovereignty of God is evident when one begins to read the power of Isaiah’s comfort to God’s people in Babylonian exile. The promise that Yahweh would gather this flock that belonged to the divine is one of the most compelling sources of strength to remind us of the coming of the Lord. Feel free to close your eyes and listen to these words that may have provided a moment of calm to you during your sojourn with the Lord. 

Comfort, O comfort my people, says our God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for her sins. A voice cries “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and the people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:1-5).

Israel’s penance is accepted and Yahweh is promising to gather his flock and bring them home. God is promising to redeem God’s people. And what better time could this redemptive relief come than in the middle of an impending Babylonian collapse. King Cyrus is leading Babylon to ruins. Emerging from the Old Testament view of God’s all-powerful and sovereign nature is the belief that suffering is a by-product of God’s dissatisfaction with humankind. Exile was God’s righteous judgment, but it was not a sign of God giving up on God’s people. Therefore, the collapse of Babylon is God’s way of sending a message to these exilic people. Although there are divine messages that can be derived from our dismal, dark and desolate circumstances, our reformed faith tradition reminds us that suffering is a part of the human experience.

It is worth noting here that Isaiah’s message is one of total confidence in God through these times of struggle. Oh, I hear him paraphrasing some of the old words of comfort that have paved the way on my journey on the highway of life. Some of you know what I am talking about - “God is God all by God self” – “the Lord Will Make a Way Somehow” – God can do anything but fail!  Isaiah says it this way;  

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circles of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. (Isa. 40:21-23). 

These words of comfort are marked with expectations of liberation and release from the binding that prohibits God’s people from becoming what they are intended to be. In other words, God is available to redeem, restore and relieve these exilic people from their burdens and despair, but it is incumbent that the people assist God in their own desire for liberation. Their focus requires a liberation motif that is entrenched in being significant to the Kingdom of God. Significant!

Our success model is being destroyed everyday! As churches and people are leaving the denomination over the passage of 10A; NFOG; and conservative–liberal posturing it is clear that we face a moment in time that will result in our liberation from the religious yoke of bondage or the death knell to the potential freedom found in being captive to the will of God. We have a choice! We can lament over not being what we used to be or live into the mystery of God’s desire for what we are to become with God’s help. We used to have four million members; we used to have clout; we used to be able demand an appointment at the White House; we used to have collection baskets overflowing and persons looking for the nearest Presbyterian Church when they came to town. We used to be successful!

But, like the exilic people in our text for today, God is calling us back to a renewed relationship to our God and ourselves as the body of Christ. God wants the Presbyterian Church to be significant. Therefore, it is a blessing that while our country and world has to rediscover a new way of meeting demands in this present global society, we are required to do the same. God is saying to us, as he said to those in Babylonian exile, that to move from a mentality of success to one of significance we must:  

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. God is doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43: 18:19a)

Identity and Imagination Must Lead Our Transition

God is calling the PC(USA) to live out a new call in transforming a broken and dying world. At the core of our challenge is making a new discovery about who we are. Our identity is found in what we are becoming – not what we used to be or our circumstances. Our challenge is akin to the pastoral challenges of assisting people in restoring hope in a new future. A story is told by a pastor who counseled a woman who could not find satisfaction in her life. She complained:

“The people at my job always leave their work undone and I am the one that has to clean up their mess. They take long breaks and talk about people all of the time. I know they are talking about me too! Some of them come in and play games on their computers, look at Facebook and talk on their cell phones.

“My husband never wants to talk.

“My children act like they live in a zoo. Their rooms are never clean and they leave stuff all over the house.

“My mother in law is staying with us and the place is crowded.

            After listening for a long time, the pastor took a piece of paper and folded it in half. The pastor asked the woman to take the paper and on one side list the positive things in her life. She helped her begin the list by saying “You have a job. In view of so many job losses, that is a good thing, wouldn’t you agree,” The woman nodded her head in agreement. The Pastor said, “Write that down.” She then assisted the woman in listing other things that were positive in her life, such as her children and husband being healthy; her husband assisting the children with their homework; and the woman’s children doing well in school. The woman was then instructed to take the other side of the paper and in the coming week write all of the bad or not so good things occurring in her life. “Then, let us sit down next week at this same time and discuss your list.”

 A week later the woman missed the appointment; did not return phone calls; and had not been in Church. At the grocery store several weeks later ,the pastor saw the woman and shared her concern at not having seen or heard from her: “I have not seen you in church and you did not return my call. Oh yes, and the appointment we had, you missed it. What happened?” The woman explained that she and her husband went on a vacation without the children. It was the first vacation that they had taken by themselves in over two years. “Who kept the children while you were gone” asked the pastor. The woman responded, “My mother-in-law.” The pastor then asked “Are the children still doing well in school?” The woman responded, “They are all on the honor roll.” The pastor then asked the big question, “How are things with your job?” The woman’s response was, “You know, those people on that job sure have changed.”  

The reality is that her view of her own life changed. She recognized that her circumstances did not define her. And, if the PC(USA) is to move from a model of success to one of significance, it is incumbent on us to walk in the way and the admonition of the Lord, so that we will begin to see more clearly our possibilities rather than our problems; our way forward rather than lamenting the life we must leave behind; our mission and message rather than our mess; people who are waiting to hear a word from the Lord rather than those who are leaving the church; our Young Adults who rejoice in the possibilities of a new day of mission and justice advocacy rather than those who only want to make sure that the church cemetery will be their burial ground. Yes, we can become a transforming entity in the lives of people who want sing a new song while marching toward a divine commission, rather than lamenting those whose quest is power, dominance, and control, trapping the church in the dark ages while singing out of the green and red hymnal.

Brian McLaren reminds us that we are no longer mainline. Joel Olsten is mainline today. T.D. Jakes is mainline today. And, we must search for a new identity as a denomination. What an exciting time to serve the Lord in the PC(USA). What an exciting time to grow our ministries, take risks in the name of the Lord and expand our opportunities to serve in this time of globalization, which demands that we rediscover creativity in order to reimage what it means to church in the 21^st century.     

Faith Must Lead Us

            During Thanksgiving, I spent time with my mother, who would be upset with me if I told you her age, and my 102 year old grandmother[lgw1] , who would be upset with me if I did not tell you her age. It was becoming evident that 10A may be a close vote, but it was still early. Before leaving with my wife Gail to return to Washington, DC, I asked the two of them to share with me what they thought was happening in the church today -- with congregations pulling out and people withholding money and threatening to leave the denomination. They both paused for awhile and then my mother responded by opening her bible and read these words:

I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and me in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)

Momma closed the bible and grand-momma began to speak. “Herbie, the Lord is pruning Presbyterian Church. Cutting it back! It is not about agreement or disagreement. The church has been pruned in every new thing that God has intended to make possible. The Presbyterian Church was pruned during the slavery of African Americans; the ordination of women; the civil rights movement and Angela Davis; the reunion of the Presbyterian Church U.S. and the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and now the ordination of lesbian and gay persons to ministry. God prunes the church to make it useful for God’s service! And when it comes back on faith it becomes beautiful and full and produces good fruit.” They told me, “if you look at this time as a despairing moment then you will miss the point that only the eyes of faith can understand. I packed the car and returned to Washington, DC, committed to let God do a new thing.

Our call to move from the model of success to one of significance requires that God, through Jesus Christ, be the center of our joy in faith.

I, I am the Lord and besides me there is no Savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed when there was no strange God among you; and you are my witnesses, says the Lord. I am God, and also henceforth I am He; There is no one who can deliver from my hand; I work and who can hinder it?

Isaiah 43:11-13

These are the words that precede the new thing that God is going to do for those being called back to a commitment of significance for the Lord:

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. God is doing a new thing. Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43: 18:19a)

This new thing will not be done without a supreme faith in the God of salvation. Church can no longer be ritual. The young people I talk to want to experience God in worship. I have led both a church redevelopment and new church development in my ministries. It is clear that in our ministry development, we are challenged to learn how to pray for the courage to evangelize and serve. God is the center of our joy! Moving from success to significance requires that pastors,  elders, deacons, members of congregations, and governing body leaders learn to pray and build a healthy faith in God through Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen” (11:1). Prayer and our faith in God must be the guiding sources of our work ahead. We must study God’s word and know it for ourselves. We must know more about the book of John than the Book of Order or NFOG. The constant reminder in the days ahead must be the notion that we work for God and not ourselves. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

           

And I’m so glad that God loved little ole me and little ole you enough to send the only begotten son that God had for the redemption of the world, and through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we can have hope right now. I’m so glad the scripture reminds us that the darkest part of the night is often just before dawn.  I’m so glad that every appearance of death may be our only way to resurrection, not dead never to stand again.  I’m so glad that the Lord never forgets God’s children, and has promised to walk with us all the way and gives us a new start and a brand new opportunity.  I’m so glad that Jesus lifted me, and I’m so glad that the promise is that Jesus will lift us all.  That the day will come when the Kingdom shall reign and we shall shout “Hallelujah!  Thank you Lord!” We live in the land of power and might, given by God Almighty!  Stand to your feet today and declare that God is our only help in these times of trouble! Thank you Lord!  He’s still on the throne!  Never forget God’s truth! God’s truth is still marching on!  Our God is able to do all things but fail! 

Let us pray. 

Copyright (c) 2011 J. Herbert Nelson. All Rights Reserved.

---

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson: "LETTER FROM THE CAPITOL HILL JAIL"

Trusting God to Do Abundantly More Through Us Than We Can Do For Ourselves

Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson

Director, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness
Washington, DC

July 28, 2011

            Today, I was arrested in the Capitol Rotunda while kneeling in prayer with colleagues from several Washington offices that are primarily affiliated through interfaith justice work. These persons are Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church; Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Shalom Center, Philadelphia, PA; Rev. Jennifer Butler, Executive Director, Faith and Public Life; Rev. Paul Sherry, Director, Washington Office, Interfaith Worker Justice, and Past President, United Church of Christ; Rev. Michael Livingston, Past President, National Council of Churches of Christ (USA); Sandy Sorenson, Director, Washington Office, United Church of Christ; Martin Shupack, Director of Advocacy, Church World Service; Jordan Blevins, Director of Peace Witness Ministries, Church of the Brethren; Bob Edgar, President, Common Cause and former General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ (USA).

I am writing this statement to explain why non-violent civil disobedience was a necessary action to pursue at this time. I pray that through this writing, we who are committed to faith traditions will renew our call to community-building, so that all people are embraced irrespective of individual differences. It is time for faith communities to pursue a more excellent way, by  demonstrating concerns through deliberate and direct actions regarding the upcoming Congressional budget discussions.

The Absence of Hope

On Monday, July 25^th, I was saddened to hear both President Obama and House Speaker Boehner offer a bleak outlook regarding potential default on the nation’s debt and downgrading of the national credit rating. It was apparent that both men were distressed about the economic havoc that would occur if this issue was not resolved by August 2, 2011. Along with other Americans, I can see, hear, and share the frustration in the debate among politicians in Washington.

On Tuesday, I accompanied the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reverend Gradye Parsons, and a group of other religious leaders and Heads of Communion, to meetings with both Republican and Democratic Congressional leadership. We had meetings with staff in the offices of House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. We also met in person with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Assistant Leader James Clyburn. All of these meetings left the impression of bleak and uncertain prospects for reaching an agreement over the debt ceiling.  They left us with almost no hope that such an agreement would protect the most vulnerable in society from a disproportionate share of the fiscal sacrifice. When asked, “How does the outcome look?” one senior staff member responded, “I don’t know, but it will be bad. No matter what the decision, it will be bad. We just don’t know how bad it will be.”

            After we finished our meetings, we gathered to debrief in a solemn and defeated atmosphere. We discussed the need for the faith community to continue responding in a significant way to this crisis, which is not only fiscal, but also moral. The interfaith advocacy community in DC has been organizing for several months, and even years, around issues of just and compassionate federal budget decisions.  In the past month, we have been holding daily prayer vigils across the street from the U.S. Capitol Building, in front of the United Methodist Building (where many of our offices are located). As our campaign to address the crisis this summer took shape, one opportunity for public witness that was suggested repeatedly was an action of non-violent civil disobedience.  We share a belief that after exhausting all other avenues of persuasion and witness, civil disobedience is a necessary and appropriate way to demonstrate our concern and raise the voice of the faith community in this debate. Yesterday, we prayed together and each shared where his or her personal decision of conscience would lead. We agreed to support one another no matter our personal decision.

Political Morass

Today we were guilty of one charge…the promotion of social righteousness. Our nation is in a political morass. Elected officials in Washington seem unable to work together for the good of all people in the U.S. and across the globe. Our communal well-being is compromised by the self-interest of our political leaders. I am convinced that this is not the fault of any one political party. Too many congresspersons of all parties are trapped where commitment to the common good is diminished for the sake of personal gain and the seduction of power. Simply put, these men and women are conduits for corporate power and many vacillate between God and mammon.

In this process, the American people and others all over the world are left to suffer and fight over the crumbs that fall from the rich man’s table, while corporations and wealthy people are protected by tax loopholes. The middle class is eroding and the rolls of poverty and joblessness are expanding. Grandparents who live on fixed incomes are paying mortgages for their children and private education for their grandchildren. Foreclosures are continuing and homelessness is reaching unbelievable numbers as many who were once considered middle class are now homeless or one paycheck away from living on the streets.  Those who were once generous givers to our ministries of mercy now come to us seeking the assistance they used to be able to fund.  The Prophet Isaiah calls us to be “restorers of the streets to live”: a direct challenge to employ a theology that turns powers and principalities on their heads for the liberation of God’s people.

 If you remove the yoke from among you,

   the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

if you offer your food to the hungry

   and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,

then your light shall rise in the darkness

   and your gloom be like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you continually,

   and satisfy your needs in parched places,

   and make your bones strong;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

   like a spring of water,

   whose waters never fail.

Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;

   you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

you shall be called the repairer of the breach,

   the restorer of streets to live in.

-- Isaiah 58:9b-12

My call to be arrested is united with a challenge to break through the mess of political spin and sound bites that inflame the U.S. electorate without informing it. Church leaders cannot stand idly by while our congregants lose their homes, withdraw their children from college because financial aid is cut, live in fear that their social security checks will not be delivered, search fruitlessly for jobs to support their families, and watch their children grow up uneducated and without opportunity.

Isaiah is right, “The Lord will guide you always.” However, we are required to put some feet on our prayers. We must move toward building a world that represents the will of God for our lives. At this time, it will take extraordinary faith, courage, and resilience to transform this broken political machinery. However, the greatest challenge is rediscovering as a nation the true virtues of government of the people, by the people and for the people.  

My prayer is that others will take on leadership roles in their local communities to challenge the fallen structures of our day. Our challenge begins by rethinking and discerning our call. Church leaders are called to a public witness. Therefore, as we encounter a Congress that is unwilling to compromise for the good of the nation, let us not despair, but remember our mission, which our Savior makes clear at the very beginning of his ministry:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Luke 4:18-19

 

The Spirit Must Outweigh the Risk

On several occasions, it has occurred to me that I have only been on the job for fourteen months. I have asked myself, ‘what might happen to me if I am arrested at this tender moment in my tenure as Director of Public Witness for the PC(USA)?’. All who care for their families and themselves want a certain amount of security in life. However, it is impossible to feel secure when fear grips our souls and paralyzes us in moments of challenge and controversy. Jesus prayed until he perspired while coping with the cup that was his burden for the Lord. However, He resolved that doing the will of God was far greater than anything else that he could experience – even unto death. And, he was right! Resurrection is greater. I am sure that many do not understand my actions.

My travels throughout the denomination, to approximately 25 Presbyteries in 14 months, have shown me disconnects in two places -- between Presbyterians and the historic role of our history, theology, and activism with regards to faith and politics; and the biblical connection between the prophets’ and Jesus’ impact on the political sphere of their day.

On Presbyterians, faith and politics:

John Calvin, founder of the Presbyterianism, was a staunch believer that the Church had a responsibility, on behalf of the governed, to assist government to become what God required it to be. He believed that governmental authority was not subject to the Church per se, but certainly subject to God’s Will on behalf of the people. Therefore, the Church had a responsibility to provide guidance to political leaders and structures in an effort to assist them in the implementation of Godly leadership. For Calvin, church attendance by political leaders was not enough. Political leaders needed to reflect the love of God for the people of God given the gravity of their office and responsibility.

On the prophets’ and Jesus’ role in the political sphere:

The prophets spoke truth in love to power. “Thus says the Lord” was their mantra. God’s people were called to return to the precepts of God for the purpose of living lives that were worthy of God’s acceptance. Generations later, Jesus faced the cross at Calvary in an effort to be responsive to the will of God in his life. He died a political death because his message was not only spiritual, but also political, and because a vacillating political leader chose to wash his hands in order to conceal his internal shame for putting to death our Savior, who was innocent of wrongdoing. Both the Old and New Testaments speak loudly to the commitment and consequences that derive from prophetic work. It seems that the Bible continually reminds us that misunderstandings and hardships come when we fully immerse ourselves in the work of faith.

I am not sure what will come out of these actions of civil disobedience, but it is clear that conversations will emerge. I am convinced that when the alarm is sounded, urgency is created and a Word from the Lord can be given new clarity. I want to suggest that even as you are reading this paper, the process is already beginning. Truly, the risk is great with regard to public opinion and even my standing in the church.

However, I wonder what would have happened to us if Jesus had worried so much about his standing, public perception, and even his own life. I wonder what would have happened if both Luther and Calvin had turned away from the pursuit of reforming the church at a time when her soul was dying. I wonder what would have happened if Eugene Carson Blake, Dr. King, and my own father (who was a Presbyterian pastor) had decided to turn back from their commitments to the civil rights movement. I wonder what would have happened if Lois Stair, Lawrence Bottoms, Clinton Marsh, Thelma Adair, Fahed Abu-Akel, Rick Ufford-Chase, Bruce Reyes Chow, Cindy Bolbach and Linda Valentine had failed to challenge our denomination to grow toward accepting leaders of different genders, races, ethnic backgrounds, age categories, and lay and clergy status in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  I am sure each one of these persons was told that the time is not right. However, when we encounter a centering moment that brings us into deep deliberation with the Almighty, our conviction to something far greater than ourselves has the capacity to take us places that we can only explain in terms beyond our own power. I am convinced that this is why the Apostle Paul declared an unusual freedom, even while in jail, to implement the Lord’s will.  He wrote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

            I encourage you to risk your life as we battle to reclaim the integrity of our political process and decision-making on behalf of the people of God.  This is not a call towards greater dominance and control of other nations, but rather a call to work with the poor, dismantle the root causes of poverty, and build up a new middle class. This call requires that we commit to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness for the entire world, through governmental policies that promote the common good and loving our global neighbors. The challenge and the call now is to repair the breach in our covenant with God, while challenging our communities and this nation to become first in love. Our policies and practices must be consistent with this vision to reclaim the moral authority of our nation and world.

As religious leaders, we cannot stand idly by and watch while the mandate of our gospel – to love our neighbors – is trampled by a selfish few. I do recognize the potential fallout from this action and I am trusting God to do abundantly more for this situation through me and the others who are making this sacrifice than we can do ourselves.  

J. Herbert Nelson on NPR

As Washington looks for cuts in government programs, support for nonprofits is also on the line, and donations to philanthropies have not been growing. President Obama is targeting tax breaks for what George H.W. Bush called "a thousand points of light" that help make up for cuts in safety-net spending. At the same time, Christians on the Left and the Right argue about the duty to help the poor and the danger of creating dependence on others. What's in store for the aged, blind and disabled? What about the unemployed and those who can't afford medical insurance?

To listen to the show, click the link below.

Public Spending Cuts the Expanding Role of Philanthropies - To the Point on KCRW

Office of Public Witness' Leslie Woods in Yale's Reflections Magazine

Leslie Woods, Representative for Domestic Poverty and Environmental Issues at the Office of Public Witness, has recently been published in Yale Divinity School's Reflections Magazine.  

The article, titled American Dream, American Nightmare: Poverty Today, calls attention to the reality of poverty in our country today, its impact in women in particular, and our responsibility to address these issues.  "It is hard for the rest of us – me included – to conceive of the pain and anxiety a woman feels when she cannot afford to fill a prescription for a sick child."

To read the full article, click the link below.
http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/washington/pdfs/yds_reflections_lwoods_womenandpoverty.pdf

Office of Public Witness Offers Information on Washington’s Debt Ceiling Deal

On Tuesday, August 3rd, Office of Public Witness staff worked with colleagues in the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs (DHN) to present a webinar on the content of the debt ceiling deal approved by Congress and signed by the President earlier this week.  The deal will increase the federal debt ceiling by at least $2.1 trillion and cut federal spending by about the same amount.

The goal of the webinar was to present the details of the new law, in addition to outlining the faith community’s concerns in this debate and the steep road of work ahead.  To learn more about the newest law of the land, watch a recording of Tuesday’s webinar.

About five minutes before the webinar began, the hosting software reached its capacity, so that many people were unable to login to the webinar.  Because of this overwhelming interest, this webinar will be presented again on Tuesday, August 9^th, and 2pm eastern time.  Instructions for logging in will be available as soon as possible on the Office of Public Witness website, blog, and Facebook page.

The Faith-based advocacy community is gearing up for several more months, and even years, of witness on behalf of those who can least afford to bear the cost of budget cuts.  In Tuesday’s webinar, representatives from the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, PC(USA) Office of Public Witness, and Bread for the World, explained that there is much work to be done in the months ahead.

“Whatever you think about [this bill], this is only the first phase.  This was not the final card,” said Amelia Kegan, Policy Analyst from Bread for the World.

Watch the recorded webinar or join the reprise presentation on Tuesday, August. 9^th. http://umc.adobeconnect.com/p52l9dkkrln/

Passage of debt-ceiling bill prompts response from Stated Clerk

“programs that serve the common good are bearing the costs”

AUGUST 3, 2011

Office of the General Assembly

BY SHARON YOUNGS

Communications Coordinator

LOUISVILLE

The Reverend Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), issued a statement today (Wednesday) in response to the bill signed by President Obama yesterday that will increase the debt-ceiling by more than $2 trillion and cut a roughly equivalent amount of spending from the U.S. budget.

In the statement, Parsons writes, “While I am pleased that the nation no longer faces the impending financial peril of default on our national debt, I am deeply troubled by the deficit-reduction package that Congress passed to get us to this place.”

According to Parsons, the budget package “does little to address the underlying causes of our mounting deficits.”

Parsons had joined a number of religious leaders in Washington the previous week to urge Congress “to enact a deficit-reduction plan that would require a greater contribution from those who have been blessed with plenty, and not to sacrifice the poor and vulnerable on the altar of political ideology or deficit reduction.”

The ecumenical and interfaith leaders had also reminded legislators that religious communities and charitable organizations do not have the resources to make up the difference between the spending cuts and the “growing and monumental need caused by a severe recession, anemic recovery, and systemic inequity.”

Parsons writes, “Private charity needs public partnership in order to answer our call to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison.”

The Stated Clerk acknowledges helpful measures within the bill – exemptions for low-income programs, as well as and a reduction in military spending, which will help to push the country toward seeking “new and innovative initiatives for peace around the world.”

Parsons concludes his statement by inviting Presbyterians to join the effort. “United by our shared commitment to Micah’s call to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God, and to the common good for our brothers and sisters around the world, we must urge our elected leaders to protect the vulnerable and restore equity in a society where imbalance of wealth has become the norm.”

The full text of the Stated Clerk’s statement:

This week, Congress approved and the President signed into law a bill that couples a $2.1-$2.4 trillion increase to the U.S. debt ceiling with about equivalent spending cuts. While I am pleased that the nation no longer faces the impending financial peril of default on our national debt, I am deeply troubled by the deficit-reduction package that Congress passed to get us to this place. With the enactment of this bill, we see ahead a few rays of light in an otherwise bleak landscape.

Together with our ecumenical and interfaith partners, the PC(USA) has been firm in calling on decision-makers in Washington to enact a plan for a just and compassionate budget. Last week, I joined other faith leaders to meet with Congressional leadership and their staff. During those meetings, we urged them to make responsible decisions that would protect the most vulnerable at home and around the world. We asked them to enact a deficit-reduction plan that would require a greater contribution from those who have been blessed with plenty, and not to sacrifice the poor and vulnerable on the altar of political ideology or deficit reduction. 

In addition, we reminded our elected leaders that we who engage in ministries of charity and mercy cannot meet the overwhelming need alone. Private charity needs public partnership in order to answer our call to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison. As earnestly as we will try to fill gaps in services left by government spending cuts, we simply do not have the resources to respond to the growing and monumental need caused by a severe recession, anemic recovery, and systemic inequity.

The new law of the land is far from answering these concerns. On the contrary, it does little to address the underlying causes of our mounting deficits, while making severe cuts that will harm millions of people who depend on our humanitarian aid and the social safety net. It contains no increased revenues, fails to address the inequities in our tax code, and does not attempt to control growing health care costs. It places the burden of deficit reduction on programs that not only serve low-income and vulnerable people in the U.S., but also that provide international humanitarian aid, protect God’s good creation, conduct medical research, ensure food safety, and strengthen our transportation infrastructure. In short, programs that serve the common good are bearing the cost.

On a positive note, a significant portion of the spending cuts will likely come from the defense budget, thereby pushing our nation toward rethinking our defense strategy and seeking new and innovative initiatives for peace around the world. Likewise, exemptions for some low-income programs have also been included in the “enforcement” part of the bargain, protecting some important programs like Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Unemployment Insurance from bearing the brunt of deficit reduction.

If nothing else is clear from the rancorous debate that culminated in this week’s final deal, it is that we still have a good deal of work to do. This deficit-reduction package sets up several deadlines by which Congress must meet more deficit reduction targets. This means that the Appropriations process ending in September as well as the deliberations of the new bipartisan, bicameral Joint Committee, which will meet throughout the fall, will be opportunities for us to continue raising the voice of the poor and vulnerable at home and around the world. In achieving exemptions for some low-income programs and in convincing Members of Congress to consider “the least of these,” we have achieved much. We must build on this success to lift up programs and services that make a difference in the lives of people across the world: people in our pews, in our neighborhoods, in our partner churches, and in our global community.

I invite Presbyterians to join me in this effort. United by our shared commitment to Micah’s call to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God, and to the common good for our brothers and sisters around the world, we must urge our elected leaders to protect the vulnerable and restore equity in a society where imbalance of wealth has become the norm.

From www.pcusa.org

National Council of Churches Presents: Poverty Initiative

An interfaith community has been holding daily prayer vigils and meeting with legislators asking for a faithful budget that does not harm the poorest and most vulnerable in society. On Thursday, July 28, 2011, religious leaders brought their prayers to the Capitol Rotunda and would not move until they were arrested. Join your voice with this community and call for a faithful budget. Sign our petition athttp://www.nccendpoverty.org/take%20action/faithfulbudget.php

Religious Leaders Arrested In Capitol Protest

The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson is arrested in protest over debt ceiling negotiations

Washington, DC, July 28, 2011 – The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC, together with nearly a dozen other religious leaders, was arrested this afternoon in the U.S. Capitol Building while engaging in prayer and civil disobedience.   Frustrated that their pleas to the Administration and Congress to protect funding for the nation’s most vulnerable people are being ignored, the leaders refused to end their public prayers for an equitable resolution to the debt ceiling debate, despite repeated warnings from the U.S. Capitol Police.

As the August 2nd deadline approaches, negotiations to raise the federal debt ceiling seem to have reached a stalemate.  The PC(USA) Office of Public Witness, along with interfaith partners in ministry, is indignant that, in order to break that stalemate, spending cuts to programs that serve the most vulnerable in the U.S. and around the world will likely be included with an increase in the nation’s credit limit.  The PC(USA) has expressed grave concern about the nation’s mounting debt and deficits.  The PC(USA) General Assembly shares elected officials’ concern at leaving to the next generation a legacy of debt, but neither does the PC(USA) support leaving behind a legacy of poverty, neglect, and underinvestment. 

After Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons, accompanied by Reverend Nelson, met with Congressional leadership and staff earlier this week, it became clear that Members of Congress themselves have little hope and do not know how this impasse will come to an end.  But both possible scenarios present dire consequences. 

On the one hand, Members of Congress may come to an agreement to increase the debt ceiling, but it will certainly include severe spending cuts to the programs and services that support the poorest and most vulnerable people living in the U.S. and around the world.  On the other hand, Members of Congress may not come to an agreement by next Tuesday, at which point the U.S. will begin to default on its financial commitments for the first time in its history, resulting in increased hardship for the poor and untold national and global economic consequences.  In either case, the poor and vulnerable will bear the overwhelming and disproportionate burden while those who can afford to pay more escape additional sacrifice.

Joined by Presbyterian ministers Jennifer Butler, Executive Director of Faith and Public Life, and Michael Livingston, past-President of the National Council of Churches, Reverend Nelson led religious leaders in prayerful civil disobedience, kneeling down in the Capitol Rotunda to pray for a debt ceiling deal that does not sacrifice the poor on the altar of political ideology.  His participation was a matter of personal conscience and public witness.  He said, “We are in a political quagmire. Due to the inability of the Congress to work together, the good of people across the globe is being compromised by the self interest of our political leaders. I am convinced that this is not the fault of Republicans, Democrats or Tea Party members alone. Too many Congresspersons of all parties are trapped in a space where commitment to the common good is diminished for the sake of personal gain and the seduction of power. In this process, the American people and others all over the world are left to suffer.  Our denomination cannot stand idly by and watch while the mandate of the gospel to love our neighbors is violated in the halls of Congress.”

Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons Calls To Protect Vulnerable In Debt Ceiling Talks

Washington, DC, July 27, 2011 -- “Inspired by a common spiritual conviction that God has called on all people to protect the vulnerable and promote the dignity of all individuals living in society,” Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons joined other Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders on Tuesday to meet with Republican and Democratic Congressional leadership, lifting up those struggling with poverty in the U.S. and abroad.

As elected leaders in Washington, D.C., continue to squabble over a deal to raise the federal debt ceiling, the faith community is urging them to protect the poor and vulnerable from the effects of indiscriminate budget cuts.  In a time of anemic economic recovery, millions of people are relying on Unemployment Insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, SNAP (formerly Food Stamps), and countless other federally funded services that make a difference in the lives of millions of people.  Severe cuts to any of these programs, or even across-the-board budget changes like a global spending cap, debt trigger, or Balanced Budget Amendment, would increase suffering and exact the most sacrifice from those who can least afford it, while exempting from additional responsibility those who can afford to pay more.

In addition to meetings with Congressional leadership and their staff, the religious leaders led a daily prayer vigil on the grounds of the United Methodist building on Capitol Hill, where Reverend Parsons said, “We have come to Washington to meet with Congressional leaders and to join with you in daily prayer for a global economy and a federal budget that breaks the yokes of injustice, poverty, hunger, and unemployment throughout the world.” 

After their meetings with Congressional leadership, religious leaders were struck by the pessimism they encountered when they expressed hope for a productive, balanced approach to the nation’s fiscal woes.  The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, PC(USA) Director for Public Witness, who attended the meetings with Reverend Parsons said, “There seems to be no movement and no hope among political leaders.  Now is the time for faith leaders and the faith community to take deliberate and forthright action to express disgust at the current situation and to demand a fair solution.  We must be actively involved in this debate, both in Washington, D.C. and across the country.”

As the likelihood of a federal default on the nation’s debt grows and the August 2nd deadline looms, PC(USA) leaders, together with interfaith partners in ministry, are growing increasingly alarmed.  If a deal is reached, they are concerned that a raise to the nation’s debt ceiling will be coupled with callous and draconian cuts to programs that serve the “lease of these.”  Conversely, if the federal government is forced to default on its debt, they fear that the affects of such a failure will be catastrophic for millions of individuals and families both nationally and worldwide.  

PC(USA) Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons Leads Heads of Communion in Budget Vigil

Washington Post: "At United Methodist Building, a meeting of prayer and politics"

The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness has continued participating in the WISC Federal Budget prayer vigils, advocating a just federal budget.

On Wednesday, July 22, the Washington Post covered the gathering on the front lawn of the United Methodist building in Washington, DC.

To read the full article as it appeared in the Sunday issue of the Washington post, click the link below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/at-united-methodist-building-a-meeting-of-prayer-and-politics/2011/07/21/gIQAU4o3TI_story.html

Colombia Free Trade Agreement Prayer Breakfast

Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson addresses the Colombia Free Trade Agreement from a biblical and theological perspective at a prayer breakfast with Jim McGovern, D-MA. As we near a vote on this issue, Dr. Nelson reminds us that it is important to consider how we can best love our neighbors. 

If Over 150 CEOs Had Been Assassinated in Colombia Over the Past 3 Years, Would You Still Think It a Safe Place for Investment?

Read Representative James McGovern's (D-MA) most recent Dear Colleague Letter against the Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA).  Click here to call your own Representative and ask him/her to vote NO on this agreement that will lead to human rights violations, poverty, and death.

If Over 150 CEOs Had Been Assassinated in Colombia Over the Past 3 Years

Would You Still Think It a Safe Place for Investment?

Dear Colleague,

            That’s how many labor leaders and activists were targeted and murdered in Colombia, according to the annual reports of the International Trade Union Confederation.  Each year, the number of trade unionists assassinated in Colombia has equaled or surpassed the total number of such murders in the rest of the world combined.  That’s why Colombia remains #1 as the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist. 

           
               And 2011 is no different.  So far, this year, 17 labor activists have been murdered, as documented by the National Labor School (ENS/Escuela Nacional Sindical) based in Medellín.   These are real people – not just statistics.  They were teachers and workers in factories and farms.  We should care about their lives and their deaths.

               I support the measures outlined in the U.S.-Colombia Labor Action Plan (LAP) – but they don’t go far enough and it’s a plan that rewards intentions, not results.  Congress should demand that the increased protections called for under the LAP actually result in protecting and reducing the violence against trade unionists before the U.S.-Colombia FTA is debated.  Congress should require that Colombian workers are able to organize, speak freely and negotiate directly with their employers – without fear of violence and death aimed at them and their families – before taking up the FTA for debate and approval.

         
               Please take a look at the names of the 17 labor activists murdered so far this year in Colombia.  Remember that they had families, children, friends, neighbors and colleagues.  Remember the 150 trade unionists targeted and assassinated over the past three years.  Demand that conditions change and improve on the ground in Colombia before the House takes up the Colombia FTA for consideration.

Sincerely,

James P. McGovern

Member of Congress

Colombian Unionists Killed January 1 – June 21, 2011 (ENS):

1.     Alejandro José Peñata López, teacher and member of the Asociación de Maestros de Córdoba – ADEMACOR (teachers’ association of Córdoba), affiliated to the CUT, was murdered on June 20.   After he disappeared after leaving school, his body was found with signs of torture.  He had been hanged with barbed wire.                          

2.     Margarita de las Salas Bacca, judge on the Sixth Circuit Labor Courtand member of the Asonal Judicial union, was killed in Barranquilla on June 9, 2011, after leaving the courthouse.  She was survived by her husband and daughter.

3.     Jorge Eliecer de los Rios (pictured left), teacher, environmental campaigner, and member of the Ser union, killed June 8, 2011 in Pereira, Risaralda department.  He was shot several times from a motorbike while on his school’s campus.  A leading member of the Meedrua non-governmental organization, he had led a campaign to expose the damage wreaked by an open air mine belonging to multinationals.

4.     Carlos Julio Gómez, teacher and member of the Sutev union, shot and killed May 29, 2011 in Cali, Valle department.  

5.     Freddy Antonio Cuadrado Nuñez, teacher and member of the Edumagunion, killed May 27, 2011 in Cienaga, Magdalena department. He was shot in the head and killed as he celebrated his 46^th birthday.

6.     Carlos Arturo Castro Casas, 41, engineer, member of the Sintraemcali union, and father of three, shot in the neck by two armed men and killed May 23, 2011 in Cali, Valle department.

7.     Juan Carlos Chagüi Cueter, prison guard and member of the Sigginpec union, killed May 15, 2011 in Barranquilla, Atlántico department.

8.     Dionis Alfredo Sierra Vergara, elementary school teacher and member of the Ademacor union, killed May 15, 2011 in La Apartada, Córdoba department.

9.     Luci Ricardo Florez, 28, teacher and member of the Ademacor union, shot by armed men on motorbikes and killed May 3, 2011 in Ayapel, Córdoba department as she was walking home with her mother.

10.  Antonio Ramiro Muñoz Sánchez, member of the Asotmem union, killed April 8, 2011 in Puerto Boyacá, Boyacá department.  According to witnesses, he was shot repeatedly by two men riding a motorbike as he was leaving a union meeting. According to Justice for Colombia, the union had been organizing workers and the local community to demand that oil companies hire local labor.

11.  Héctor Orozco, 35, father of three and Vice-President of the Astracatol union, killed March 30, 2011 in Chaparral, Tolima department.  In the days before he died, Orozco had reported to the local office of the Reiniciar human rights non-governmental organization that he and several other persons had been threatened by an army officer named John Jairo Velez. 

12.  Hernán Yesid Pinto Rincón (pictured left), member of the CGT union and Founder and member of the national board of the new farmers’ organization, killed March 19, 2011 in Tibacuy, Cundinamarca department.  Before his death, he had taken the lead in the struggle of farm workers.

 0

13.  Carlos Alberto Ayala Moreno, member of the Asepunion and Director of the Caucasia Rural Education Institute, killed February 5, 2011 in Puerto Asís, Putumayo department.  He was shot and killed by gunmen as he left his home.

14.  Humberto de Jesús Espinoza Díaz, teacher in the Mistrato Agricultural Institute and member of the Ser union, shot and killed by armed men in January 30, 2011 in Mistrató, Risaralda department.

15.  Jairo Enrique Veloza Martínez, 35, member of the Sigginpec union, shot three times in the head by gunman and killed January 27, 2011 in Bogotá, Cundinamarca department.

16.  Silverio Antonio Sanchez(pictured left), 37, member of the union Ser, killed on January 24, 2011, from an intentional explosion which caused burns to 80% of his body on December of 2010.

17.  Manuel Esteban Tejada, teacher and member of the Ademacor union, shot and killed in his home by armed men on January 10, 2011 in Planeta Rica, Córdoba department.