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Hiking to Compostela for the MDGs.
There's nothing more fun than being part of a
movement ... you never know what's going to happen
next. Because you're not in control -- God is.
Take an email I got recently from the
Rev. Joan
Fleming, assoc.
Episcopal chaplain at Princeton. She and a
friend are going
to be walking
the pilgrimage
road to Compostela in spring '07 and had the
idea of asking people to partner with her to bring
in pledges per kilometer walked for ERD and the MDGs.
And she's not alone. James Thibeault of
St. John's Episcopal Church in Charleston, WV, wrote
in with an idea of a bike tour to Vermont next month
to benefit
Colors of Life -- a great program where
his congregation has partnered with a small
cooperative in Nairobi, Kenya to provide employment
for people infected with HIV -- and to raise
awareness about the MDGs.
And it goes on and on. The Rev. Devon Anderson is
developing a "lessons and carols" type liturgy to
introduce the MDGs to congregations. St. Matthias'
Church in Seaside, CA is having a festival of
bluegrass music and Southern barbecue as a
fundraiser for HIV+ people and their families in
Zambia.
I never would have thought of these things ... but I
didn't have to. Other people did. That's how the
Spirit works. That's what happens in a movement. The
next great idea could be yours!
EGR exists to resource people and make the
connections so that these ideas can emerge and
flourish. So that we're not doing this great work in
isolation but can play off each other -- and
together have fun not just watching what happens but
being a part of what happens.
Want to be a part of it? Here's all you do: Go to the EGR
websiteand click on "Join the Discussion"
on the left-hand navigation bar. That will take you
to a page where you can sign on to our EGR online
discussion group. (it's a Googlegroup, so
you'll
have to get a Google ID -- but that's free and
easy). You can get email in your box or just read
posts online. It's a place to share your ideas,
bring your challenges, team up to develop resources
and tell your stories of What One Can Do to make the
MDGs happen.
The best resource we have for this ministry is each
other. Because that's how God works -- through each
other. One by One.
| Prayer and healing for the Middle East |
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The recent extreme violence in the Middle East has
created hundreds of thousands of refugees, in
addition to the dead and wounded. The humanitarian
crisis is acute and where such a crisis exists, the
Church has no choice but to respond. Here are a few
resources:
*Episcopal Relief and Development has
established a Middle
East Crisis Fund. Give a donation and help send
food and supplies to civilians in Lebanon, Israel,
Gaza and the West Bank.
*Season
of Prayer for Peace in the Middle East is
the result of an interfaith coalition (including
Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu) formed to
encourage communities of all faiths to pray for
peace. Includes liturgies,
litanies
and prayers
you can use in your congregation.
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| Quote of the Week |
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"The Millennium Development Goals give us
a tremendous opportunity: a plan to save the
lives of the 8 million people who die every year
from poverty. I urge the people of the ELCA
to learn about and support the Millennium
Development Goals"
-ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
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What One Congregation Can Do -- MDG 7 |
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MDG 7 is about preserving the environment.
Specifically, it's about getting improved sanitation
to a billion people who don't have it and making
sure as development happens it is environmentally
sustainable.
That second part is what brings it home to us.
Because the development that has happened in this
country is clearly not environmentally sustainable.
And we're already seeing the results:
*The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has
almost doubled in the last 30 years.
*Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places
like the Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level (which
impacts our ability to accomplish MDG 6).
*The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more
than doubled over the past decade.
Unlike other MDGs, some of the biggest steps to
accomplish #7 need to be taken right here in the
U.S. And believing as we do that God has given us
this world to steward and not to consume, as
Christians our leadership is critical to making it
happen.
Here are some great resources to put you and your
congregation on the right path:
*An
Inconvenient Truth If you and your
congregation haven't seen it ... see it now. And
when it comes out on DVD, rent it and have a movie
night. The website for the film is full of great
information and resources, too. Like this one -- Ten
Things To Do.
*The Church of England has a National
Environmental Campaign. Check
out its website for information and
resources.
*The Unitarian Universalists' "Movement
for the Earth" has some great resources,
including a Global
Warming Action Kit.
*The Episcopal
Ecological Network has resources for
reflection, education and action.
*This
Ohio State University site has great
information, charts, graphs and photos on climatic
change and melting ice caps.
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