Covenant News - Palmberg Joins in Effort to Influence G-8 Leaders

Covenant News

Palmberg Joins in Effort to Influence G-8 Leaders

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 27, 2005) - Evangelical Covenant Church President Glenn R. Palmberg is among a group of 35 religious leaders gathering in London this week for the Religious Leaders Forum as part of a historic interfaith effort to apply pressure on G-8 world leaders to address global poverty in meaningful ways and to hold them morally accountable.

The leaders began their transatlantic journey at noon (CDT) today with a press conference in Washington with a White House meeting planned later in the day.

"The massive reality of global hunger and poverty has revealed our own spiritual poverty and is bringing us together," says the London Forum's co-convener Jim Wallis, the executive director of Sojourners. "We believe God is active on the issue of poverty." To read more factual details about global poverty, please see Facts on Poverty.

"The year 2005 is one of decision that will affect the lives of hungry and poor people for decades to come," says David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. "Americans of all theological and political stripes have come together to call on President Bush and other world leaders to act now to overcome hunger, extreme poverty and disease. Doesn't our faith require us to make this plea for 'the least of these' among us?"

The American and British delegation includes leaders from the Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox, Pentecostal, mainline Protestant and evangelical faith traditions. More than 62 million people of faith will be represented at the first London Forum of Religious Leaders on the G-8 Summit. Today's press conference in Washington, D.C., launches three days of activities, both in Washington and London.

The three-day London Forum will include a meeting with British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, MP, to discuss the political implications of alleviating global poverty and will culminate in a forum at Lambeth Palace hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honorable Rowan Williams. A press event will follow the Forum at Lambeth Palace, where British and American leaders will meet for several hours.

Today's press conference at the National Press Club also highlights the unity of the U.S. delegation, which seeks to join its moral persuasion with that of their British counterparts. Before departing on flights this evening to London, the delegation will meet with G-8 negotiators for the Bush Administration, perhaps Ambassador Faryar Shirzad, the G-8 Sherpa.

Following are scheduled activities during the Religious Leaders London Forum:

Monday, June 27, Washington, D.C. - Press conference with U.S. Delegation, National Press Club; U.S. Delegation meets with Ambassador Shirzad at the White House; U.S. Delegation departs to London from Dulles Airport.
Tuesday, June 28, London - Reception for U.S. and British Delegations hosted by Churches Together in Britain Ireland; ecumenical worship service at St. John's Church, London (sermon by Jim Wallis).
Wednesday, June 29, London - U.S. and British delegations meet with Chancellor Gordon Brown; delegations conduct London Forum at Lambeth Palace with the Archbishop of Canterbury (press conference to follow).

More than 1.2 billion people - more than one in five on earth - currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day. The G-8 leaders recently agreed to forgive 100 percent of the $40 billion that the 18 poorest countries on earth owe to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and African Development Bank. While those attending the London Forum offer different perspectives on the paths to take in ending global poverty, they have come together in seeing that poverty is the most compelling moral issue that the G-8 leaders should address.

"The Evangelical Covenant Church is deeply committed to fighting poverty around the world because we must be," says Palmberg. "Our God demands it. Throughout the Bible, the mandate is clear: God's people must be about God's work, and God cares for the poor. This is not only a 'religious' duty, however. It is a human responsibility. We in the developed world must come together, out of our great resources, to fight poverty and its effects on many millions of people. I hope and pray that the leaders gathered for the G8 summit will join together in shared vision and shared resolve to take significant actions against poverty that will make this world healthier and more stable for us all."

In addition to Wallis, Beckmann and Palmberg, the American delegation includes Richard E. Stearns, president, World Vision United States; Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs, National Association of Evangelicals; Robert William Davis, director of the Mennonite Central Committee; Commissioner William Francis, international secretary of the Salvation Army; Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of the Reformed Church America; Mark Lancaster, director, Presbyterian Hunger Program; Bishop Peter Rogness, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Ron Sider, president and founder, Evangelicals for Social Action; Father Andrew Small, OMI policy advisor for international economic development, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Geoff Tunnicliffe, international director, World Evangelical Alliance; and Bishop Peter Weaver, presiding bishop of the United Methodist Church Council of Bishops.

Members of the British delegation include Christine Allen, Director, Catholic Institute for International Relations; HG Bishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Church; Andy Atkins, Advocacy Director; Charles Badenoch, director, World Vision; Chris Bain, director, Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD); Lt. Col Keith Burridge, territorial secretary, Salvation Army; Paul Chitnis, director, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund o/s; David W. Lacy, moderator, General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, o/s; David Coffey, Free Churches' moderator (Baptist); Anthea Cox, coordinating secretary for Public Life and Social Justice; Dr. Noel Davies, chair of Christian Aid in Wales; Canon Joel Edwards, general director, Evangelical Alliance o/s; Dr. Alison Elliot, Convener of Action of Churches Together in Scotland; Trish Heywood, Mothers' Union; Katei Kirby, director of African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance; Anne Martin, director of Commitment for Life Programme; Kevin McDonald, Archbishop of Southwark; Dr. Daleep Mukarji, director, Christian Aid; Ken Newell, moderator, Presbyterian Church in Ireland; Bishop Wilton Powell, national overseer, Church of God of Prophecy, o/s; Rt. Rev. Peter Price, former General Secretary, USPG; Hellen Wangusa, Africa coordinator, Millennium Development Goals Campaign; Michael Smitheram, director, International Micah Challenge; Archdeacon Taimalelagi, Anglican Observer at the United Nations; and the Archbishop of Glasgow.

(Editor's note: Covenant Communications features editor Bob Smietana participated in today's press conference via telephone and will have a special report published as part of this online Covenant news report tomorrow.)

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