"Pastors Push Living Wage as Election Issue"

[GreenPartyVoter]

WASHINGTON - Call them the Religious Left: Church leaders are seeking to rally ''values voters'' ahead of next month's elections in a nationwide crusade to raise the minimum wage.

The Let Justice Roll campaign, a congregation of some 80 religious and community organizations including the National Council of Churches USA, said in a statement it plans to hold hundreds of rallies, workshops, religious services, and prayer breakfasts across the country to urge state and federal officials and candidates to boost working families' fortunes.

So-called Living Wage Days events this month will seek to pass minimum wage ballot measures in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, and Ohio.

"A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it," said Rev. Paul Sherry, anti-poverty program coordinator at the National Council of Churches and former president of the United Church of Christ.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1004-09.htm

[Sinti]

1. Hallelujah! This is definitely an issue all Christians, and others who

would call themselves religious, should get behind. No man who's willing to work should have to live in poverty.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Amen

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bobbolink]

3. I sincerely hope this is the beginning to a LOUD and POWERFUL

campaign against poverty!!

It's certainly time.

Next up.... how 'bout finally addressing HOMELESSNESS, pastors!!

[bobbolink]

4. How 'bout some recommends!

This is big, and is deserving of some good attention!

Pleeeez.....? :hi:

[lonestarnot]

14. AZ $6.25 is not a liveable wage! That's the boost they're asking

for in cheap ass AZ.

K & R

[EFerrari]

5. K&R

[pinto]

6. "A job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it"

Great quote.

(Rev. Paul Sherry, anti-poverty program coordinator at the National Council of Churches and former president of the United Church of Christ.)

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. kick for the evening crowd

[JerseygirlCT]

8. Wonderful news!

Heartening news!

[texpatriot2004]

9. Good. It's a social justice issue nm

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. Excellent!

[H2O Man]

11. Nominated.

This is similar to a central message of Martin Luther King Jr in his last year of life.

[RedEarth]

12. KR

[jayctravis]

13. Well, if the rightwing pastors are all campaigning...

[bobbolink]

20. ??????

THanks for your support.

[calimary]

15. Amazing how REAL "values voters" insist on avoiding the Democrats.

OURS is the party that cares about the poor, the downtrodden, the forgotten, the have nots, the sick, the elderly, the abused, the neglected, the hungry, the homeless. You won't find ANY of that as anything more than lip service in the enemy camp. All they care about is their own power and wealth, and to hell with anyone who tries to pursue different priorities.

And they wonder why there's such a lopsided majority consistently telling pollsters our country has lurched off onto the wrong track. Ya THINK??!?!?!?!!?!?!?!??!

But hey, as long as them queers can't get married. Oh yes, and let's make sure we protect those small masses of differentiating cells. They're high priority as long as they remain unborn.

:eyes:

[bobbolink]

21. I wish that it were.

The Dems have forgotten about poverty, also.

Hence, it's up to the churches.

Yes, it's upsetting to me.

Mightily.

[WCGreen]

32. They haven't forgot about it....

They are just overwelhmed by the GOP agenda...

Fighting to try and at least slow it down a little....

Most of the democrats are from districts that have pockets of poverty, some small, but a lot of them have rather large areas of blight...

It's all they can do to stop the flow of everything to the top....

[bobbolink]

36. So, how many deaths are OK, until they can "catch their breath"?

It's very interesting that they have so much energy for the gay marriage issue, but not for poverty...? I don't imagine there's many people who've died because they couldn't get married, yet we KNOW that *THOUSANDS* are dying from poverty.

Nope, I'm not buying that.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

16. The minimum wage is a HUGE wedge between evangelicals and Wall St.

This issue shatters the unholy alliance bewteen the "social issues" and "tax cut" wings of the Republican Party. The minimum wage is a real deal-breaker for true believers in "the magic of the marketplace"

Today's Washington Post reports that Republican support among white evangelicals, who were one-fourth of the 2004 electorate, is down to 57 percent, from 78 percent. These "kitchen table" Republican wedge issues can DESTROY the Republican coalition, IMO. If we can neutralize or push the DLC moneychangers out of the Democratic Party, we can run on "class warfare" and might take back the White House as well as Congress.

[bobbolink]

22. Heh... we're finding some "wedge issues" of our own, eh?

Thanks for your post!!

Next week on Moyers, his program is "Is God Green?", about the Evangelicals and the environment, and how that issue is splitting them. hehehehe... :evilgrin:

Your post is full of good news, and I hope to hear more from you on this!

Thanks! :hi:

[kineneb]

18. last sunday's sermon

at the church where I play for services- the pastor talked about the disappearing middle class.
A previous sermon was on the verses concerning the treatment of the poor, etc.

United Methodist, for those who are taking notes.

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. Glad to hear it's being addressed from the pulpit

[bobbolink]

24. the United Methodists can be counted on!

Did you know the national UM have signed on to HR676, Conyer's Universal Health Care? Yup, The MOst comprehensive health care bill out there, and the Methodists are behind it! Hurrah for them! :yourock: for the UMs!

As for a sermon on verses relating to poor folk... sigh... that would take at least *hours* if not days and weeks... :hi:

[kineneb]

30. verses

the subject of her sermon was Matthew 25:34-46, on making sure that the congregation not forget those less fortunate.

Her question to the congregation was: When have you fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, taken in a stranger, clothed the "naked", or visited someone in prison?

I was sitting over behind the keyboard thinking, "Even though I am poor, I still give away clothing, and volunteer time for others. And I don't even call myself a Christian."

Last Sunday's sermon was on Matt. 5-7. and all the "But I say to you..." passages. Somewhere in all of that she talked about the disappearing middle class...

Yup, I think it is a liberal church.

[htuttle]

23. I'm reminded of a famous quote from the late Archbishop Oscar Romero :

“When I fed the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why are they poor, they called me a communist.”

Our tax dollars paid for the bullets that killed him. I'm glad that churches in this country are finally getting around to the same issue, and hope they have more luck than he did...

[bobbolink]

25. Wonderful quote!! Thank you so very much!

I'm writing this down, as somehow it missed my collection of quotations on poverty.

Thanks! :hi:

[H2O Man]

31. Oscar Romero

When I think of Oscar Romero, I am reminded of something that Muhammad Ali said about the Dalai Lama: "I have come to understand that there are those who believe in God and those who make God a reality. The Dalai Lama is among those who manifest God in the journey of their everyday lives."

Romero channeled Jesus. That is why he was killed.

[bobbolink]

35. "That's why he was killed", indeed. "Take up your cross and follow

me" wasn't intended to be easy.

Thank you for that quote from Mohammed Ali! That is really beautiful, and much appreciated.

[bobbolink]

26. How many here, who attend church, know that your church is

participating in this?

I'm seeing my pastor this afternoon, and I've printed this out and will show it to him.

Since CO is one of the target states, he better be telling me that he is involved with this.

:evilgrin:

I hope the rest of you will be pushing this, also!

Thanks again, GreenPartyVoter! :yourock:

[GreenPartyVoter]

29. Great idea. I will send it along to my pastor as well. He is a conservativ

but it would be good for him to see what liberal pastors are doing. He is open-minded in some ways so he might consider it.

[bobbolink]

34. well, the more conservative, the more he should be adhering to

the teachings of the new testament. :)

I think it's up to us to keep pushing these issues, because it's like writing our congresscritters--you can be sure they're hearing plenty from the "other side", and if they hear enough from us, it'll have an effect. :evilgrin: Especially since the "mandate" is on our side. O8) :)

My pastor read the text you posted, and said next Sunday his sermon is going to be on Minimum Wage, and I think he mentioned something about participating in what the local pastors were doing on this. He also made a copy of it for a woman who was visiting, and wanted to take it to her pastor.

So, you see, you've pushed the message along! :applause:

[Red Right and BLUE]

27. Now that's Christ-like!

KICK! NOM!

[bobbolink]

28. thanks! You're so right!

I'm sure this is Jim Wallis-approved. :hi:

[ComerPerro]

33. Nice to see, but they better be very careful they don't get the IRS on em