Covenant News
Covenanters Speak Out on Issues of Poverty, Hunger
WASHINGTON D.C. (June 7, 2005) - Leaders of the Evangelical Covenant Church told delegates attending a national anti-poverty and hunger conference that churches must continue to live out their moral responsibility to eliminate poverty."Poverty and hunger are moral issues to which we as believers must act and speak prophetically and faithfully in our communities and before our national leaders," said Jim Sundholm, director of Covenant World Relief and the Paul Carlson Partnership.
Sundholm delivered the opening remarks Saturday at the "One Table, Many
Voices" conference being held at American University. The four-day
conference attracted 700 delegates from across the country, including 43
from the Covenant. Sundholm also is a board member of Bread for the
World, which organized the conference in partnership with Call to Renewal.
"Coming together to champion before the United States Congress and the administration the priority of caring for the hungry and the poor is not only an action of this conference, but also for us as a church," Sundholm said.
Jim Wallis, president of Call to Renewal, told the gathering that Christians must become "faith-based activists." He added that Christians need to respond to "a new altar call" to make poverty a thing of the past. President Glenn Palmberg, who also is a board member of Call to Renewal, spoke during Sunday's worship service. North Park University senior Tim King spoke during the Emerging Leaders dinner Saturday night.
Attendees from the Covenant included members of the Covenant World Relief board: Louise Wilson, Elliott Johnson, Jon Peterson, Steve Quilin, chair Mark Nilson and Curt Peterson, executive minister of the Department of World Mission.
As part of Hunger Awareness Day today (Tuesday), delegates will lobby Congressional members from their home districts to encourage their support of the Hunger-Free Communities Act and to protect the funding and entitlement status of the federal food stamp program.
On May 25, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Gordon Smith (R-OR), and Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced the Hunger-Free Communities Act of 2005 in the U.S. Senate. The following day, Representatives Tom Osborne (R-NE) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House. The act will establish the commitment of the administration and Congress to cutting hunger in the United States in half by 2010 and eliminating it by 2015.
To accomplish its goals, the legislation calls on Congress to ensure adequate funding of national nutrition programs, maintain the entitlements of food stamps and school meals, as well as establish grant programs for community-based organizations that work together to end hunger.
Bread for the World is a nationwide Christian citizen's movement seeking justice for the world's hungry. Call to Renewal is a national network of Christian churches, faith-based organizations and individuals working to overcome poverty in America.
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