Call to Renewal held their conference "Pentecost 2004: Making Poverty a Religious and Electoral Issue" last week. It resulted in the signing of the Unity Statement on Overcoming Poverty:

As Christian leaders in the United States, we recognize that we live in a time when political and social issues threaten to divide the church. Although there are issues on which we do not agree, we come together to affirm that justice for those in our society who live in poverty is, for all of us, a deeply held religious belief on which we are firmly united. We affirm God’s vision of a good society offered to us by the prophet Isaiah. His words are as relevant today as they were 3,000 years ago, and show us the way forward. Isaiah envisions a society where:

No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live a lifetime…They shall build houses and inhabit them: they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit: they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen will long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear their children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord….” (Isaiah 65:20-25)

The Rev. Chris Hobgood, General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Rev. John H. Thomas, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ wrote a letter recently to President Bush on the crisis in the Middle East:

Mr. President, we urge you to do all that is within your power to restrain Israel from further assaults on the Palestinians of Gaza, particularly those refugees living in the Rafah Camp. Mr. President, we appeal to you to seek the acquiescence of Israelis and Palestinians to abide by agreements to stop all forms of violence and to desist from unilateral alterations to the facts on the ground. Mr. President, we implore you to mobilize the resources of your good office to resuscitate the Road Map and to re-engage in the steps necessary to bring about peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Such engagement, we believe, is in the best interest of the United States, and must be a priority for peace-loving people throughout the world. In that vein, please find enclosed our denominations’ resolutions from our 2003 General Synod (United Church of Christ) ucc.org/synod/resolutions/res24-26a.pdf and General Assembly (Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) disciples.org/ga03/resolutions/ on U.S. Policy in the Middle East, which we share for your positive consideration.

Christian Peacemakers Team has been in the news a lot this month. This is the organization that helped uncover the abuse of Iraqi prisoners under US control. Read their report and recommendations on Iraqi detainees.

The Interfaith Alliance is asking Americans to take part in multi-faith effort to draw attention to the atrocities in Iraq:

Washington, May 26—Today, The Interfaith Alliance announced “Lights for Human Dignity,” a joint, nationwide response to atrocities in Iraq, calling on the nation to turn on lights or light candles all night Sunday, May 30 until dawn Monday, Memorial Day.

“We are asking all Americans who believe in human dignity to please light up your houses of worship, homes, businesses, community centers, and anywhere else you feel is appropriate,” Gaddy said. “By this simple action we can demonstrate to the world that we share common values as people of faith and as patriots.”

A growing list of religious and community organizations, representing Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, and more than 75 faith traditions, will join to illuminate the nation.

Click here to learn more.

The National Council of Churches USA held a memorial service on Thursday for all those who have died in Iraq. Earlier in the week a group including NCC leaders met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations to discuss the situation in Iraq.