June 19, 2010

Peace, Immigration and Poverty in Hard Times were the concerns members of the New York State Council of Churches Collegium brought to Washington on their 10th annual pilgrimage to Capitol Hill. As always, the event is grounded in faith – from the opening discernment session to a prayer session in the morning of visits to the ethical reflection section that begins each issue card to prayers with legislators and staff to begin each visit.

The delegation brought narratives about people attending soup kitchens, food pantries and other front line ministries as they asked for attention to funding child nutrition programs and unemployment issues. They told about farmworkers who throughout the growing season toil to put food on our tables, but are fearful of doing their own grocery shopping because leaving the farm on which they work involves the chance of deportation. And from communities whose economic foundation is built on the tools of war, from a state which trains our young in the ways of war, they brought to their elected leaders a yearning for peace.

To be sure their tales from real lives illustrated the need for specific actions that Congress could take to help, they were briefed by staff of denominational offices in DC before breaking into teams and meeting with New York Congress Members on pertinent committees dealing with these issues.

This year in particular, meetings went well. A Legislative Counsel (who is not a Christian) uses the material the Council provides as ethical grounding for his work. Support for a planned withdrawal from Afghanistan was gathered. And interest was stirred and background information supplied after the visits regarding the Complex Crisis Fund, set up to get people into places that could erupt into violence to calm the waters before this happens. And to be sure, Council visitors made sure to affirm at least one positive thing each legislator had done. This year Collegium members met with the Congressperson and/or staff from the House offices of Timothy Bishop (NY1), Gregory Meeks (NY6), Jerrold Nadler (NY8), Elliot Engel (NY17), Scott Murphy (NY20), Paul Tonko (NY21), Maurice Hinchey (NY22), Bill Owens (NY23), Daniel Maffei (NY25), Michael Arcuri (NY24), Louise Slaughter (NY28) and the two New York Senators – Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer.

If you would like to access the issue cards or other background material so you can talk to your legislator about one or more of the issues, go to http://www.nyscoc.org/briefs.html, and scroll down to Federal Issues/2010.

New York State Council of Churches