Yesterday a group of Oregon religious leaders met in Wilsonville to continue planning for the upcoming Oregon Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children and Families.

The summit is being designed to help the faith community respond to the growing number of homeless children in public schools and the increase in family homelessness.

One part of our advocacy campaign is to promote federal legislation that would help local school districts better provide educational opportunities for homeless students and foster kids.

Religious leaders reached out to U.S. Ron Wyden and  U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley.  We asked them to co-sponsor two pieces of related legislation:   

The "Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act of 2009," S. 2800, amends the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and other related titles of the ESEA. S. 2800 makes a strong law even stronger by reinforcing and expanding its key provisions, including school stability, enrollment, and support for academic achievement. S. 2800 also expands authorized funding to meet transportation needs. 

The "Fostering Success in Education Act of 2009," S. 2801, establishes a new education program to ensure that all children and youth in foster care have school stability, immediate school access, and support for academic success. S. 2801 encourages collaboration across education and child welfare agencies to cover the cost of transportation to enable foster youth to continue in their school of origin when it is in their best interest, with ultimate responsibility for the cost of transportation on child welfare agencies when necessary. S. 2801 requires school districts to collaborate with child welfare agencies to facilitate transportation in a cost-effective manner.

During our meeting on Friday we received a call from Senator Merkley's office letting us know that he has agreed to co-sponsor the legislation.  Senator Wyden had already committed to doing the same.

I know I speak for many when I say how proud leaders of Oregon's faith community are that Oregon's two senators are co-sponsoring these critical pieces of legislation.  

Recently the Oregon Dept. of Education announced there were 18,059 homeless children enrolled in Oregon's public schools last year (2008/09).   

That number was up 14% from the previous year, and it represents an increase of 122% since 2003/04.  It is only one of many indicators that childhood and family homelessness are increasing in Oregon and nationwide.  

In response to the rapid rise in childhood and family homelessness, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is convening a new interfaith project on childhood homelessness.  Planning is underway for a statewide Interfaith Summit on Homeless Children, Youth and Families, to be held in May or June of this year, and there will be other activities before and after the Summit. 

At the summit we plan to bring together people of many faiths with representatives of non-profit and government agencies who have expertise on childhood and family homelessenss.  Our primary goal is to focus attention on this problem and generate a new level of action and advocacy in response to it. 

Many of Oregon's congregations and people of faith are already deeply involved in responding to homelessness.  Our aims are to spread that involvement more broadly and to provide an opportunity for coordinated statewide advocacy on behalf of homeless children and families. 

More details follow below.  Here are some ways to become involved:  

• Might your congregation or other organization be willing to co-sponsor theInterfaith Summit on Homeless Children, Youth and Families?  If so, let us know and we'll send you a sponsorship form and informational flyer.  (Though we are encouraging sponsors to make a donation in support of this effort, no donation is required -- what we really want is your good name and your participation in helping to get the word out about this project and the Summit.)  

• Do you want to be kept informed of other upcoming meetings and events related to this project?  Again, just let us know in an email at [email protected] or give Kevin Finney a call at 503-221-1054.   

• Is your congregation or organization already providing services or engaged in advocacy for homeless families?  Please tell us what you are doing -- We are beginning to put together a statewide directory of what churches, synagogues, temples and mosques are already doing to help homeless individuals and families.    

• Do you have comments on what is most needed, in your community, or statewide, to help homeless children and families, or suggestions for what a legisative agenda should focus on -- please send those as well, along with any other comments you think may be helpful. 

• Do you know individuals or organizations that we should be in touch with?  Please send those names! 

Project Focus

We are focusing on three goals:

• Prevention of childhood, youth, and family homelessness. 

• Rapid Re-housing, shelter, and services - Getting currently homeless families off the streets and into housing with the supportive services they need to stay housed, and providing them with food, shelter and other basic services while they remain homeless.  

• Education of homeless children and youth - Improving the education of homeless children and youth, by making sure public schools have adequate funding for outreach programs and supportive services.  

Project Scope

This project and the planned Summit are designed to:

• increase public awareness and concern about homeless children and families, 

• deepen the engagement of Oregon's religious communitiesin providing services and in advocacy for homeless children and families, and provide members of the faith community with the knowledge and tools they need to be effective in this work,and, 

• develop and support a legislative agenda for homeless children and families for the 2011 session of the Oregon legislature (as well as support efforts in Congress to increase funding and improve policies related to homeless families and children). 

We hope you will join us in this work, and that you will feel free to call or email with any questions or suggestions you may have.

(Note: As a member of the public policy committee for Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, I am happy to answer any questions about this project and to help you connect with staff.  I can be reached [email protected] or 971-322-7920. - Rev. Chuck Currie)

As a minister in the United Church of Christ deeply concerned about poverty and homelessness, I watched the president’s State of the Union address with great interest as poverty and homelessness grow both in Oregon and nationally. The president noted tonight that over the course of the last year: “For those who had already known poverty, life has become that much harder.” 

During the 2008 campaign the president pledged to reduce poverty by 50% over a ten year period. This January, I wrote the president and the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and asked that the president re-affirm that commitment and to outline proposals during the State of the Union address. He didn’t specifically do that and I’m disappointed.

Letter to President Obama on the State of the Union Address and Poverty 

But it is clear poverty is on the president’s mind. He talked about the need to put people back to work and urged the Senate to pass a “jobs” bill similar to the one recently passed by the House and urged increases in education funding noting that: “In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class education.” I agree. 

Yet America still needs and deserves a comprehensive anti-poverty plan that includes measurable goals. 

This week I joined a conference call with White House staff and my understanding is that anti-poverty programs will be increased in the budget being released by the president on Monday. Already, the Recovery Act, proposed by the president and passed by the Congress last year, kept “6 million Americans out of poverty and (reduced) the severity of poverty for 33 million more,” according to the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

I remain hopeful that the budget will help reduce poverty in the United States. 

The president also reaffirmed his commitment to health care reform and called on Congress to pass the legislation they now have in front of them. Religious leaders – including the National Council of Churches – have fought for decades for such reform. It is needed and is a moral imperative. 

A State of the Union address is a chance for a president to set out a philosophy for governing. The details will come in the budget the president releases next week. Budgets are moral documents, we like to say in the faith community, and I’ll be watching with eagerness to see the president’s budget priorities. 

In the end, I was impressed with the president’s speech tonight.  He spoke on a number of issues that have been of importance to the faith community for years:  the economy, health care, the spread of HIV / AIDS, ending the war in Iraq, hate crimes legislation, civil rights, and the reduction of nuclear weapons.  President Obama deserves to be applauded for his efforts.  

Now I’ll wait for the details in the budget.

Howard Zinn, author of "A People's History" and numerous other works, died today.  His accomplishments as an historian left our nation better informed about our past and better equipped to face the future.  "A People's History" is now required reading in many high school and college U.S. history courses - as it should be.  He was a great American.  

The press is busy doing their “winners and losers” columns in the wake of the popular vote in favor of Oregon’s Measures 66 and 67. One group that keeps getting forgotten is Oregon’s religious community. The Archdiocese of Portland was joined by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, the statewide association of Roman Catholic, Mainline and Orthodox Christians, in supporting the measures. Also working for passage of 66 and 67 was the evangelical Oregon Center for Christian Values. The Oregon Board of Rabbis joined the campaign and so did hundreds of individual clergy and other religious leaders, along with a number of individual congregations. Statements of support also came from denominational bodies, such as the Justice and Witness Ministries of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ. In short, religious groups that sometimes disagree on important issues like abortion and gay marriage pulled together in this election for the common good of our Oregon. We did so because we know that budgets are moral documents and that well funded education, public safety and social service programs are essential for a society to be both moral and just.  The religious community isn't a "winner" in the election because our political clout has grown, of course.  We win when people are taken care of and last night the people of Oregon voted to try and take care of their own.  I'm proud that Oregon's religious community played such a significant role.    

I booker for The Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson show called yesterday afternoon and asked if I would be a guest on the program this week to talk about my pro-choice views (views consistent with official positions taken by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, most mainline Christian denominations and many other Christian Americans, including Roman Catholics).  

I'd never heard of Rev. Peterson before and the booker was vague when I asked about Rev. Peterson's views but finally offered that he would likely disagree with my stance but that he was a fair and honest radio talk show host who liked to hear various points of view.  I agreed to be on the show.

That was until I looked up his record.

"Barack Obama hates white people – especially white men." - Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson

It turns out that Rev. Peterson is a radical religious extremist.

"I was born a Democrat but I had no values; it was anything goes, whatever you want to do, and that came from the black leadership, but I finally started to examine it for myself and I realized the Democratic platform was an anti-God, anti-values, anti-American platform."

He views go way beyond offensive.

When Hurricane Katrina hit, and President Bush failed to get aid to New Orleans quickly, Rev. Peterson said:

"I stated that if whites were to just leave the United States and let blacks run the country, they would turn America into a ghetto within ten years … I gave blacks too much credit. It took a mere three days for blacks to turn the Superdome and the convention center into ghettos, rampant with theft, rape and murder.”

Rev. Peterson is himself African-American.  What he is not is a speaker of the truth.

This morning I wrote Rev. Peterson's booker and producer and told them:  

Thank you for the invitation. Before you called I had not heard of The Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson. However, after reviewing his record last night it is clear that he is a radical extremist and that my appearance on his show could only serve to offer him legitimacy. His hate-filled rhetoric toward people of different faiths and political views are irresponsible and should have no place in American discourse. Therefore, I decline the interview request. I certainly have no problem appearing on conservative religious programs – I did so just this week to discuss economic issues – but Rev. Peterson is no conservative. His record of promoting hate and division is far outside the bonds of common decency.

Rev. Peterson shouldn't even be on the air.  No surprise, however, to find that he has been a regular on FOX News.

I'll also mention that nowhere in his bio does it mention which denomination Rev. Peterson is ordained in or where he earned his theological degree.  The omission leaves one to question his credentials.

Measures 66 and 67 - backed by a broad coalition of small businesses, educators, public safety advocates, unions, and religious groups - have passed, according to The Oregonian (a paper which campaigned vigorously and unethically against the measures in league with big banks and other defenders of the status quo).  Other media outlets are also calling the race in favor of the measures.  This is a victory for Oregon!  We've shown the nation tonight that progressive policies that benefit small business, schools, public safety and social services can earn the respect and the votes of the people!  The White House and Congress should take note.

I just finished participating in a White House conference call briefing on the proposed three-year domestic spending freeze that the president is scheduled to propose during the State of the Union address.  As a minister in the United Church of Christ and as an advocate for those living in poverty, I want to hear the president make promises during the State of the Union that the reduction of poverty remains a top goal of his administration.

Like most Americans, I am concerned with the size of the federal deficit and agree with what Robert Greenstein, the executive director of the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told Congress yesterday:

"If the budget is not put on a sustainable path, it is likely that low- and moderate-income Americans will suffer the most from the inevitable erosion of the average standard of living in this country. And, if rising debt does trigger a financial crisis, programs that are crucial to the well-being of less-well-off Americans are likely to bear the brunt of draconian steps taken in that crisis atmosphere to reduce deficits and debt and reassure financial markets. No one with particular concerns about the well-being of low- and moderate-income Americans can afford to ignore the long-term budget problem.”

In early January, I wrote the president and the White House Office on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and urged the President to re-affirm his election promise to reduce poverty by 50% over the next ten years.

Letter to President Obama on the State of the Union Address and Poverty

Any budget reductions must protect those living in poverty in America.  “The nation’s official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. There were 39.8 million people in poverty in 2008, up from 37.3 million in 2007,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This president inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, two wars and a global climate change crisis.  He continues to have a difficult task ahead of him.

My understanding is that the president retains his commitment to reduce poverty by 50% over the next ten years and that the budget that will be released next Monday will include further increases in anti-poverty programs (the stimulus package adopted last year has already been credited with helping at least 6 million Americans from falling into poverty).  However, I have been given no specifics by the White House or any other source.

I will be listening tomorrow night for specifics and for further details in the president’s proposed budget that will be released on Monday.  

The Oregonian finally gets around to telling readers what most of us have known for months:  religious leaders are backing Measures 66 and 67:

Some Catholic parish bulletins in recent weeks published portions of a newsletter by the Archdiocese of Portand's Office of Peace and Justice/Respect Life, endorsing a yes vote on Measures 66 and 67. 

Matt Cato,  director of the office,  wrote in the January newsletter that the proposed tax increases "will prevent cuts to public education, health care, human services, and public safety, services which the poor and middle class rely on ... Catholic social teaching challenges us to meet the basic moral test of our society and put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first." 

The Most Rev. John G. Vlazny,  archbishop of Portland, previewed and supported Cato's letter before the newsletter was sent to pastors and other parish ministers, said Bud Bunce, an archdiocesan spokesman. The archdiocese did not ask parishes to reprint the endorsement, but individuals within some parishes did so, Bunce said. 

A number of Oregon religious leaders -- including the Oregon Board of Rabbis, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and Oregon's Religious Leaders for Tax Fairness -- have endorsed the measures. 

Ballots are due tomorrow (Tuesday) by 8 pm.  It is way too late to mail in your ballot.  Drop it off at one of these locations:

http://www.sos.state.or.us/dropbox/

And if you want to know why religious leaders are coming out so strongly in favor of these measures click here.

Lt. Governor Bauer:

“My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed....You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply...They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that. And so what you’ve got to do is you've got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.”  

Jesus: 

35...I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?”40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”

Progressives seem to be running for cover one year after the inauguration of Barack Obama. “I’m pretty close to giving up on Mr. Obama, who seems determined to confirm every doubt I and others ever had about whether he was ready to fight for what his supporters believed in,” wrote Paul Krugman in The New York Times.  Mr. Krugman is clearly not alone. 

However, after a difficult year I’m not ready to give up on this president. As I’ve said before, “This president inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, two wars and a global climate change crisis. On all fronts, the president has made progress (though progressives often wish for quicker action and are frustrated at the slow legislative pace and the obstacles set in place by the GOP, the same folks who created much of the mess the president is trying to clean up).” 

That isn’t to say that I’m not frustrated. The insistence on the part of the president to be “bi-partisan” despite every indication that the GOP had no interest in working on an bi-partisan agenda helped set the stage for the near disaster that health care reform has become. 

Democrats in Congress, including the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader, have shown that even with strong majorities they cannot govern. What we are witnessing is a lack of leadership at all levels of politics and the American people are right to be frustrated. 

Some are telling the president now is the time to run to the political center (ala Bill Clinton circa 1994) but I supported Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton because I wanted a return to principled politics. A move to Clinton-style politics would, of course, mean an end to the promise of the Obama presidency. We expect better from him. 

President Obama has on many issues moved the debate in the right direction over the last year. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (that the President passed with little Republican support) included broad investments to alleviate the poverty made worse by the economic crisis. 

The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities notes that millions of more Americans would have fallen into poverty if it wasn’t for the president’s stimulus package. 

At the same time, I wish the stimulus package had been stronger (in the ways that Mr. Krugman articulated at the time). 

We have also begun the withdrawal from Iraq. And while I have concerns about the mission in Afghanistan, I also agree that the U.S. has long-term humanitarian obligations to that nation and that a strong military presence is needed to keep the Taliban from retaining power. 

When I offered my personal endorsement of Barack Obama back in 2007 – when he was 30+ points down in the polls – it wasn’t ever with an understanding that I would agree with his every decision.  

I endorsed Barack Obama because I believed in his character and in the policies that he was advocating. Has he lived up to every promise? No. Do I want to him to be more aggressive in defining and defending a progressive agenda for the nation? Yes.

For example, I want very much for the president to re-affirm the commitment he made during the 2008 election to reduce poverty in America by 50% in ten years.  

I want him to take a stronger role in defending the right of women to make their own reproductive health care decisions and to be more active in defending the civil rights of gay and lesbian Americans.  Rhetoric is not enough.

But I still believe in his character and ability to govern effectively. Barack Obama is an extraordinary individual who deeply loves his country and who understands the difficulties faced by the American people. 

During the course of the next three years I will continue to work with other faith leaders across the country to push this administration when it needs to be pushed and I'm not afraid to criticize the president when warranted. It is certainly the job of the church to speak truth to power. 

I’ll also not be afraid to stand with the president when he is right regardless of what the polls say. 

In the end, this isn’t about Barack Obama. It is about the American people. The president has to work with Congress, the courts, and an array of well funded special interest groups trying to overcome his plans to expand health care, to fight global warming and to overhaul the banking system. 

The president needs our help as much as we need his.

Press Release From Faith In Public Life

National call-in day Monday to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people of faith

January 22, 2010

CALL CONGRESS AT 202-224-3121

After a week of political twists and turns in Washington, people of faith across the country are stepping up with a massive effort to remind Congress that the urgent need for reform has not abated for suffering families. In the face of uncertainty, they are telling their elected representatives that the millions of Americans who cannot afford health care need leaders to fight for them, not fold.

Numerous religious groups are mounting a national call-in day on Monday, January 25, to tell Congress that we need strong, courageous leadership to ensure that the lives and livelihoods of Americans no longer fall victim to insurance companies' greed. Partners in this effort to mobilize hundreds of thousands of contacts to Congress include: Faithful America; PICO National Network; Faithful Reform in Health Care; National Council of Churches; African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME); Sojourners; United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society; Gamaliel Foundation; Interfaith Worker Justice; NETWORK - A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office; Union of Reform Judaism; Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office; United Church of Christ; Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; Islamic Medical Association of North America; and Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition.

In addition to the these call-ins, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is bringing hundreds of high school student advocates for health reform to Capitol Hill for visits with Members of Congress.

"One election half-way across the country has done nothing to change the desperate need of children and families in our community for affordable health care," says Rev. Rayfield Burns, a PICO leader from Communities Creating Opportunity in Kansas City, MO.

Faith leaders across the country who have worked hard for reform all year are keeping up the fight for desperately needed legislation and demanding that their political leaders do the same. We cannot quit now - there are too many lives at stake.

Perhaps as many as 800 people poured into the park at the Beaverton City Library today for the student-led Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally.  Most of the participants were from area high schools. 

However, there were also a number of civic groups represented along with a contingent from area congregations in the United Church of Christ.

A story in The Oregonian written before today's events explained the purpose:

BEAVERTON -- Uganda is not just another dot on the map to Southridge High School students. Because of a long-standing sister-school relationship, they know of the African country's language, food, people and struggles. 

So when they heard in December about proposed legislation that would impose harsh punishments, including the death penalty and imprisonment, on homosexuals or people with HIV, students jumped at the chance to plan a schoolwide rally. 

"The student body thinks this is a good cause because it's something we can all gather around," said senior Robbie Ohanesian.

What started as a small event has mushroomed into a march Saturday through Beaverton followed by a rally featuring student speakers and local political leaders, as well as representatives of gay rights organizations and human rights groups. 

Students from other Beaverton schools and other districts as well as people from area churches have said they will attend.

And boy did people show up.  Elected representatives, civic leaders, and religious leaders were also on hand to speak at the rally.

Below are some photos that Liz and I took.  It was a great pleasure for me to take part and to speak.  Following the photos are a copy of my remarks.
 

 

 

  

 

Click here to download a PDF copy of my remarks at the rally.

The students are to be commended for their leadership on this important civil rights cause.

¹God is our refuge and strength,

   a very present help in trouble. 

²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 

³though its waters roar and foam,

   though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

- Psalm 46:-1-3 (NRSV)

Learn more about what Church World Service is doing in partnership with others - including the United Church of Christ - to address the crisis in Haiti in this status report issued today.

And then give money to help.

Founded in 1946, Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 36 Christian denominations and communions.

The next two Sunday mornings (Jan. 24 and Jan. 31) I'll be speaking at Ainsworth United Church of Christ's adult education class about homelessness in our community.  The programs begin at 9 am.  Click here for more.  If you've never been come to the class and stay for worship.  This is one of Portland's best churches.

I'm excited to be able to join the student-led "Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally" set for this Saturday, January 23rd in Beaverton, Oregon (see their press release for additional information on starting times and location) as one of their speakers. This event will draw further attention to the plight of gays and lesbians in Uganda who could be put to death if the "Anti-Homosexuality Act" passes. Sadly, Oregonians have helped to craft the legislation and many U.S. Christian leaders have helped fan the flames of hate toward gays and lesbians in Uganda. As an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, I am appalled at such actions and proud of Oregon's students for standing up to this injustice.

The Oregonian has more coverage here.

I hope that if you live in the metro area you'll come out and join this effort.

Update:  This sad news from Uganda today...children are marching in the streets in support of the dealth penalty for gays and lesbians.

When you're up drinking that good cup of organic fair trade coffee tomorrow morning tune in to Portland's KPOJ.  I'm scheduled for a 7am interview to talk about why Oregon's faith community is working so hard for the passage of Measures 66 and 67.

Ballots are due Tuesday.  Mailing them in at this late date would be risky.  Make sure your vote counts.  Drop-off your ballot at one of these drop-sites before it is to late.

Friday AM Update:  Thanks to everyone who listened and for the nice comments on Facebook.  The audio podcast of the interview is now available (I'm up first followed by interviews with the mayor and Congressman Wu):

Download 1-22-10 hr 2 POJ-cast

(some browsers - like Firefox or Google Chrome - will allow you to simply click on the link and listen...otherwise click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Now On ITunes

You can now subscribe to my podcasts on ITunes by clicking here. 

Back in December a large group of Oregon religious leaders wrote Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley a letter asking that they co-sponsor two critical pieces of legislation that would help provide better educational opportunities for homeless students and foster kids.

Late this afternoon Senator Wyden's office called me from Washington, D.C. to announce that the senator has signed on as a co-sponsor of both bills. 

The "Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act of 2009," S. 2800, amends the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and other related titles of the ESEA. S. 2800 makes a strong law even stronger by reinforcing and expanding its key provisions, including school stability, enrollment, and support for academic achievement. S. 2800 also expands authorized funding to meet transportation needs. 

The "Fostering Success in Education Act of 2009," S. 2801, establishes a new education program to ensure that all children and youth in foster care have school stability, immediate school access, and support for academic success. S. 2801 encourages collaboration across education and child welfare agencies to cover the cost of transportation to enable foster youth to continue in their school of origin when it is in their best interest, with ultimate responsibility for the cost of transportation on child welfare agencies when necessary. S. 2801 requires school districts to collaborate with child welfare agencies to facilitate transportation in a cost-effective manner.

I know that religious leaders and homeless advocates across Oregon will join me in applauding Senator Wyden's leadership on this issue.

Senator Wyden's staff in Oregon has also extended an invitation for a sit-down meeting with the senator and faith leaders and we will be following up on that soon.

We'll continue to press Senator Merkley for his support as well.

The audio podcast of the sermon that I deleivered on MLK Sunday at First United Methodist Church is now available for download.

Download FUMC 1-17-10

(some browsers - like Firefox or Google Chrome - will allow you to simply click on the link and listen...otherwise click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Now On ITunes

You can now subscribe to my podcasts on ITunes by clicking here. 

As The Hillsboro Argus reported today, the Family Bridge Homeless Shelter is holding their annual fund raiser on Saturday, Feb. 6th.  I'm excited to be the guest speaker for the event. "Family Bridge serves homeless families with children by providing them shelter, meals, help and hope so that they may achieve stability and self-sufficiency," and is a key resource in Washington County.  Check out their website for more information (you can even purchase tickets for the event which will include music by Patrick Lamb and dinner from Pasta Veloce' Italian Restaurant).  RSVP and invite your friends and family in the Washington County and metro-area to join you. 

Catch me live tonight at 5 pm on The Georgene Rice Show on KPDQ talking about why so many Christians and other people of faith are supporting the Yes on 66 and 67 campaign.  It appears the call-in number for the program is 1-800-845-2162.  

KPDQ is a "Christian" radio station owned by Salem Communications Corporation, a for-profit venture whose owners are big-time contributors to Republican candidates and causes.  In fact, the company operates a political action committee that gives 100% of their contributions to Republican candidates.  All in the name of Jesus Christ.

There's really something grossly wrong with a for-profit company operating a "ministry" that includes a partisan PAC (or any kind of PAC) and that would be just as true if someone was doing the same in support of Democratic candidates.

I've never heard Ms. Rice's program before, however.  Her position is unknown to me on Measures 66 and 67.

What I do know is that Ecuemical Ministries of Oregon, whose membership includes:

African Methodist Episcopal Church 
American Baptist Churches of Oregon
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oregon
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Church of the Brethren 
Community of Christ
Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon 
Episcopal Diocese of Oregon
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 
Greek Orthodox Church
Presbyterian Church (USA) 
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland 
United Church of Christ 
United Methodist Church 
Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches

has endorsed Measures 66 and 67 (though not every one of these individual denominations may have taken a stand) along with the evangelical leaning Oregon Center for Christian Values.  In additional, hundreds of individual faith leaders have endorsed the measures from a number of religious traditions.

Read my op-ed in The Oregonian for the reasons why so many Christians back these two important measures: 

Measures 66 and 67: Caring for the least of these

This morning I held the deep privilege of preaching at Portland's First United Methodist Church during a special service honoring The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  No audio podcast of my sermon is available but my sermon notes can be downloaded here.  The Rev. Dr. Arvin Luchs, senior minister at First United Methodist, has my deep appreciation for extending such a kind invitation.   

Update:

The audio podcast of the sermon that I deleivered on MLK Sunday at First United Methodist Church is now available for download.

Download FUMC 1-17-10

(some browsers - like Firefox or Google Chrome - will allow you to simply click on the link and listen...otherwise click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Now On ITunes

You can now subscribe to my podcasts on ITunes by clicking here. 

Photo credit:  Life, Paul Schutzer.  Portrait of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at 'prayer pilgramage for freedom' at Lincoln Memorial, 1957.

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. In Portland

This Sunday - January 17th – I’ll be guest preaching at Portland’s First United Methodist Church (1838 SW Jefferson Street…right on the Goose Hollow MAX stop). Returning to FUMC is always a homecoming because I served this congregation for several years as the director of community outreach before attending seminary. In that position I directed the Goose Hollow Family Shelter and staffed the congregation’s social justice committees. This Sunday the church will be celebrating the Martin Luther King holiday with special music and readings from Rev. King. My sermon – If You’re Out There* - will focus on Rev. King’s Gospel centered message of justice and what he called the “fierce urgency of now.” The service begins at 10:30 am and if you’re looking for a worship experience as part of the celebration of Rev. King’s birthday this will be one of the places to be in Portland. Their choir is outstanding and I’ll hopefully muddle through the sermon ok. 

* “If You’re Out There” is the title of a John Legend song that I’m working into the sermon (but thankfully for those attending not actually singing because that would really ruin a nice morning).

Photo Credit:  Life, Paul Schutzer. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking in First Baptist Church at rally for Freedom Riders

 

I am proud to lend my name and voice to this cause.  Christians across the world have condemned the legislation now under debate in Uganda that would impose the death penalty against gays and lesbians.  Oregonians should applaud how students in our state are standing up for justice.

Respect Humanity: Uganda March and Rally

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Beaverton, Oregon

Press Release from Student Organizers

(Jan. 13, 2010): Southridge High School (Beaverton) students in Leadership, Gay-Straight Alliance and Uganda Sister School Club announce a march and rally to protest gay genocide legislation currently proposed in Uganda.

Three marches and a rally will take place in Beaverton on Saturday, January 23rd. Starting locations for marches are Southridge High School (9625 SW 125th Ave, Beaverton 97008) at 12 noon (one hour walk), K-Mart parking lot at SW Murray Blvd and TV Hwy in Beaverton at 12:30pm (30 minute walk), and Mill End Store parking lot at SW 5th and SW Western Ave at 12:30pm (30 minute walk). All marches are expected to meet up at the Beaverton City Library park blocks fountain area at SW 5th and SW Hall at 1pm for a 1:15 rally, which is expected to last until 2:30pm.

Confirmed speakers include Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle; former Oregon Secretary of State/current gubernatorial candidate Bill Bradbury; State Representative Tobias Read (D-Beaverton); Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian; Jeana Frazzini, Executive Director of Basic Rights Oregon; Kendall Clawson, Executive Director of the Q Center in Portland; and Reverend Chuck Currie, minister with United Church of Christ in Portland. We are also honored to add speaker Thomas Lwebuga from Uganda, founder of the Matale-Southridge Sister School relationship. Students and teachers from area high schools will also speak, including Evy Lopez, a Southridge student originally from Lesotho.

Joining Southridge High School students in the marches will be Beaverton High School Global Awareness Club, International School of Beaverton and Health and Sciences High School of Beaverton Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), Westview and Aloha High Schools in Beaverton, Cleveland High School QSA in Portland, and the Queer Alliance at Portland State University. Newport High School GSA has expressed interest in participating. Other schools are being added as word of the event continues to spread.

Students at Southridge have been supportive of a sister secondary school in Kalisizo, Uganda for about 7years and traveled to Uganda to dedicate the science lab they helped to fund. Students from St. Andrews Matale have visited Southridge High School as well. This issue hits particularly close to home for our Southridge students in light of their personal connection to Uganda.

Southridge senior, Uganda Club member, and GSA Co-President Chelsea Pfeifer sees this proposed legislation as “a human issue” and believes we all need to stand together to make some waves. SouthridgeLeadership students Seta Kavianian and Morgan Woods are impressed at how quickly those who hear about their cause are ready to participate and speak up against these injustices. Southridge GSA Advisor Rich Matkins and parent volunteer Esther Griffin are so proud of how these students are thinking globally and wanting to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves for fear of harsh punishment. Mr. Matkins says their involvement, “dispels the myth about how self-centered high school students can be, and that makes me so very proud to work with them!”

Please email the students at [email protected] with any questions or interest.

This morning the White House convened a conference call to brief relief organizations and religious groups about the U.S. response to the earthquake yesterday in Haiti. Participants in the call included Patrick Gaspard, the White House political director, Tina Chen, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, and officials from the National Security Council and the USAID. I was invited to be on the call and to hear their reports.

Full story.

 

This morning The Oregonian ran an op-ed piece that I wrote detailing why so many Christian leaders in Oregon are urging a yes vote on Measures 66 and 67.

You can read the op-ed here.

The city of Portland’s request for a change in venue in the James Chasse case is the wrong course of action for the city to take. Rather, the city should settle with the Chasse family and take responsibility for the brutality inflicted on Mr. Chasse by the Portland Police that caused his death. Multnomah County has already settled with the Chasse family for their role in Mr. Chasse’s death and Mayor Sam Adams and the City Council should follow their lead. This is a question of a justice and so far the city of Portland has come down time and time again on the wrong side. 

At the same time, I am heartened that Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard is advancing proposals to provide greater citizen oversight over the Portland Police Bureau. Our community is fortunate to be served by many brave men and women in the Bureau but Mayor Adams, the City Council and the Police Chief have essentially lost control over the functions of the Bureau to the Portland Police Association, a union more determined to protect their members – no matter their actions – than to develop a relationship of trust between the police and the public. Commissioner Leonard is to be commended for stepping into a leadership void while the rest of the Council avoids the difficult issues.

As one of the clergy who officiated at Mr. Chasse’s memorial, I plead with the Portland City Council to finally do the right thing and take responsibility for this terrible tragedy.

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCC), was in Portland today for meetings with Oregon ecumenical leaders and a "town-hall" style forum at First United Methodist Church.  Dr. Kinnamon's visit was arranged by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO).

NCC is made up of "Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches — include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation."  The United Church of Christ is a member.

Dr. Kinnamon spoke at the town hall meeting about the need for Christian unity and reconciliation during a time of great division not only within churches but in the society-at-large.  He lifted up the growing partnerships between mainline, evangelical, orthodox and Roman Catholic churches on issues such as poverty, the environment, and war and peace as examples of successful ecumenical endeavors.  Dr. Kinnamon also spoke of the need for increased interfaith dialog in our nation during a time of growing religious pluralism.  But he also acknowledged the difficulties in these tasks when churches are often torn about over social issues.

Well over 100 people attended the town hall discussion from a variety of Christian traditions. 

Earlier in the day Dr. Kinnamon met with the heads of communions in Oregon that make up the leadership of EMO.

The Oregonian published a Q & A with Dr. Kinnamon in today's paper that you can read here.

Dr. Kinnamon served as the Allen and Dottie Miller Professor of Mission, Peace and Ecumenical Studies at Eden Theological Seminary before being named the general secretary of NCC.  At Eden I had the good fortune to take classes with Dr. Kinnamon, travel to India with him as part of a study seminar, and to serve as his teaching assistant during my final semester.

Liz and I, along with the the twins, enjoyed a chance to see Michael and to have dinner with him after his meetings had ended.     

Message from Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon:

Please join us for a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, on "Ecumenical Happenings, Interfaith Relations & the Future of the Church." 

Monday, January 11, 2010, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. 

The event will be hosted by First United Methodist Church, in the Chapel, 1838 SW Jefferson St., Portland. The church is on the MAX Line and has a parking lot. 

All are invited to attend.

Dr. Kinnamon, by the way, was one of my professors at Eden Theological Seminary and I worked as his teaching assistant my final semester.

The Sunday Oregonian - in an article written by Nancy Haught - focuses attention this week on how churches are responding to the growing crisis of homelessness:

Families with children account for 56 percent of Multnomah County's homeless population, says Jean DeMaster, executive director of Human Solutions, a nonprofit focusing on housing issues. The county's most recent homeless statistics -- the annual One Night Shelter Count -- found 4,187 individuals in shelters on Jan. 28, 2009. The total included 2,333 members of one- or two-parent families. On that particular night, 388 people from families were turned away. 

Homeless families present special challenges for those trying to help. Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury calls them a "silent population." Single- and two-parent families may stay with relatives or friends, she says, maybe separating children if no one can keep them all. Also, many parents are reluctant to admit they're homeless for fear that authorities will take away their children. And traditional shelters often aren't equipped to take in families. 

You'll also find a few quotes from me in the article:

THE REV. CHUCK CURRIE, a United Church of Christ minister who works on behalf of the homeless, believes that while churches can do more, many are already pitching in -- despite struggles with declining attendance, shrinking budgets or the needs of their members. 

Religious communities have helped organize long-standing programs focused on the homeless, he said, naming just a few: Transition Projects Inc., JOIN, SnowCap Community Charities and the Interfaith Committee on Homelessness in Washington County. 

"It isn't the job of the faith community to take care of all those who are homeless," Currie says. "Churches, just like nonprofits and social service agencies, are subject to the downward spiral of the economy." 

Currie is working with Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon to convene congregations, educators, elected officials and business leaders for a February summit to look at homelessness. 

In the meantime, churches are helping. Ten downtown congregations support Portland Homeless Family Solutions, the nonprofit that operates the overnight Goose Hollow Family Shelter and Thirteen Salmon Family Center, a daytime shelter that opened in November.

Click here for the full story.

In the coming weeks, I'll write more about the plans underway by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon to host an event in February - during the state Legislative session - that will be part of a year-long effort to draw attention to the needs of homeless families and homeless youth attending public schools.

Let me also note one correction to the story published by The Oregonian.  JOIN was not started by the faith community.  However, JOIN has developed successful partnerships with local faith communities that I know impact that organization's terrific work assisting those who live on our streets.

And if you are looking for just one step to take to help those who are homeless in Oregon today - just one small but important step - fill out your ballot and vote Yes on Measures 66 and 67.  

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Related Post: Buddhist Chaplain Danny Fisher Responds To Brit Hume

A new poll shows that Joe Lieberman is about the least most popular person in Connecticut:

Public Policy Polling, which polls for Democrats but has a good national reputation, finds that Joe Lieberman's numbers in Connecticut have tanked since he killed the public option.

Lieberman's approval rating now sits at a low, low 27 percent, with 67 percent of disapproving of his performance.

Sixty-eight percent of voters say they disapprove of his position on health care -- with a mere 18 percent saying they back his position blocking the public option and the expansion of Medicare.

He might, in fact, be one of the least most popular politicans in America.    

FOX's Brit Hume thinks that if Tiger Woods would become a Christian all would be ok for the disgraced golfer (whose hero image was destroyed by the uncovering of numerous affairs).  Woods, it seems, practices Buddhism.  Why Hume thinks Christianity would make Woods a better person is a mystery to me.  Just think of all the Christians we all know who have failed to live up to their martial vows (Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Ted Haggard, etc.).  Christians fail with the best of them.  But Hume's remarks also show a deep misunderstanding of Buddhism as a religion.  His remarks were pretty darn offensive, in fact, and laced with ignorance.  He asserts that Christanity is better than Buddhism but it is pretty clear he has no real understanding of this great world religion.  I'll let my friend The Rev. Danny Fisher, a Buddhist chaplain and blogger, fill you in on that part.  

A date has not yet been set but sometime in the coming weeks On Wednesday, Jan. 27th the President of the United States will appear before Congress to offer his State of the Union address.

This president inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, two wars and a global climate change crisis.  On all fronts, the president has made progress (though progressives often wish for quicker action and are frustrated at the slow legislative pace and the obstacles set in place by the GOP, the same folks who created much of the mess the president is trying to clean up).

One issue that I hope the president addresses during the State of the Union is growing poverty in America. "The official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007," reports the Census Bureau, but the number is likely higher.  More Americans are also going hungry today than in previous years.  People are suffering in great numbers because of economic policies adopted during the previous administration that cut taxes on the richest Americans, cut programs for those trying to escape poverty, and which offered no detailed proposals on how to reduce poverty as unemployment grew.  

President Obama came into office promising to reduce poverty in half over ten years,  That is a doable goal.  The Center for American Progress developed a list for proposals for doing just that in 2007 that the Obama campaign largely adopted.

Already the president has taken steps to reduce poverty that should be noted.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (that the President passed with little Republican support) included broad investments to alleviate the poverty made worse by the economic crisis.

• To fight hunger, the Act includes a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps, as well as funding for food banks and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC);
• The Act also provides for $2 billion in new Neighborhood Stabilization Funds to help maintain ailing neighborhoods and $1.5 billion in Homelessness Prevention Funds to keep people in their homes or rapidly rehouse them;
• The Act increases funding for the Community Services Block Grant by $1 billion;
• The Act increases the Weatherization Assistance Program by $5 billion to help low income families save on their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient;
• The Act increases job training funds for those who need them most, with $3.95 billion in additional funding for the Workforce Investment system, which will support green job training, summer jobs for young people, and other opportunities;
• The Act provides increased income support, including an increase of $25 per week for Unemployment Insurance recipients and incentives for states to expand unemployment insurance eligibility, as well as an extra $250 payment to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries and new resources for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program; and,
• The Act provides tax breaks to working families through the Make Work Pay and Child Tax Credits. These changes will reduce the marriage penalty and provide a larger credit for families with three or more children.

The State of the Union address gives the president a perfect opportunity to re-affirm his commitment to cut poverty in half.  His words along with additional concrete proposals would offer hope to millions of Americans now suffering from despair and heartache.

That's the message I wrote to the president today:

Download Letter to President Obama Re Poverty and the State of the Union Address     

I encourage you to write the president as well and ask him to use the State of the Union address as an opportunity to outline his plans for reducing poverty in the coming years.

Rush Limbaugh was released from the hospital this week after experiencing chest pains. 

"They found absolutely nothing wrong. It was a blessing. No arterial disease, no coronary disease whatsoever," Limbaugh said as he left the hospital. 

There are few if any issues that I agree with Mr. Limbaugh on. But I am happy for him that physicians found no systemic health programs that Mr. Limbaugh was willing to discuss. I’m not, however, convinced that Mr. Limbaugh is well. 

We disagree on political and social issues, of course. Yet Mr. Limbaugh’s advocacy on issues goes far beyond the usual disagreement that people often have on important public policy issues. 

Each day on his radio program he expresses real hatred toward those he disagrees with. Mr. Limbaugh offers particular venom when discussing African-Americans, Hispanics, gays, and women. To say that Mr. Limbaugh is racist, sexist and homophobic is a fair assessment. 

I’m an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and not a mental health professional, but I have enough professional experience to question whether or not Mr. Limbaugh's hatred toward others does not provide evidence of mental health problems. We already know that Mr. Limbaugh is a (recovering) drug addict. Could it be that his personal anger is contributing to his health and addiction problems? 

The New York Times, in a story linking anger to health concerns, once reported: 

People who often explode in hostile rages or who sit around fuming over every perceived slight may be doing more than making themselves unpleasant. They may be killing themselves. 

Researchers have gathered a wealth of data lately suggesting that chronic anger is so damaging to the body that it ranks with, or even exceeds, cigarette smoking, obesity and a high-fat diet as a powerful risk factor for early death… 

A series of long-term epidemiological studies support theories that hostility can be lethal. In two studies begun in the 1960's, 155 medical students and 118 law students were given standard personality tests at the age of 25 in which their hostility was gauged by their described reactions to about 50 everyday situations. 

Following up the study 25 years later, researchers found that among the lawyers who were rated as basically easygoing and had scored in the lowest quarter on the hostility scale, only 4 percent had died by the age of 50. But among those ranking in the top quarter of the hostility chart, 20 percent had died. 

There has been a longstanding theological debate about sin and judgment. Many believe that God punishes sin through eternal damnation. Some might argue that Mr. Limbaugh’s attempts to divide the American people across political, racial and religious lines constitute sin. I would agree with that. 

I’m not worried about Mr. Limbaugh’s eternal soul, however. He’s creating his own hell on earth where his hate and anger appear to be consuming him.  Leading a sinful life has consequences and perhaps Mr. Limbaugh's ill health is a direct result of his own actions.

It would be easy for people impacted by Mr. Limbaugh’s hateful rhetoric – the ways in which he has inspired anti-government feelings that helped fuel the Oklahoma City bombing, for example, or the ways he has given cause to those who wish to restrict civil rights for gays, blacks and women – to respond to his own hate with more hate but perhaps we should simply pray for Mr. Limbaugh. Maybe one day he’ll seek true healing and reconciliation that cannot be found in a hospital.  Maybe God's love can still save Mr. Limbaugh from being consumed so fully by hate. If so, let’s hope that occurs before he is on his death bed. 

Love your enemy, teaches Jesus. Mr. Limbaugh’s recent illness provides us with an opportunity to do just that even as we work to oppose his agenda for America.

This morning I was the guest preacher at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Vancouver, Washington.  Our Scripture readings included Wisdom 10:15-21 and John 1:1-18.  

The Rev. Brooks Berndt is the minister of the congregation.

My sermon topic was "Sustained By The Light."  You can download a podcast of the sermon here:

Download 1_3_2010 10_24 AM

(some browsers - like Firefox or Google Chrome - will allow you to simply click on the link and listen...otherwise click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

Now On ITunes

You can now subscribe to my podcasts on ITunes by clicking here. 

Photo credit: Unknown

I'll be preaching on Sunday, January 3rd at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Vancouver Washington during their 10 am service and at First United Methodist Church in downtown Portland on Sunday, January 17th during their 10:30 am service.  

I've also been invited to participate in a discussion regarding homelessness in our community during the 9 am adult education class at Ainsworth United Church of Christ in NE Portland on both Sunday, January 24th and Sunday, January 31st.

All are welcome.