Petition Drive-Thrus
Church & Society team is hosting Petition Drive-Thrus throughout the month of August on Saturdays 7:30-1:30 and Sundays 8-12 in the Dayspring Parking lot.
Arizona is emerging from an historic and painful 16+ months of pandemic. It has exposed and exacerbated great needs in our communities from school, housing, healthcare, jobs, public safety and so much more. The recent tax changes will dramatically impact each of these areas. The Arizona Constitution allows citizens to overrule the Legislature, demanding that the citizens be allowed to vote such historic changes for our budget. These petitions will refer these changes back to the people for a vote on the 2022 ballot.
Hunger & Poverty in the U.S.
Despite a growing economy and the immense wealth of the United States, many communities, families and individuals continue to struggle with poverty and hunger.
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.
-Jesus
The persistence of poverty and hunger in the shadow of glorified riches lies in stark contrast to a faithful vision of our common life together.
While churches respond to immediate needs by providing food, clothing and shelter, we are called also to challenge the systems and practices that have led to economic inequality, poverty and hunger. In relationship with people impacted by our broken economic system, we can together give life to a new vision – one that embraces God’s economy of abundance and ensures that all God’s children have the opportunity to thrive.
-General Board of Church & Society
What can you do?
- Share your knowledge and connections.
- Engage and listen.
- Learn about the issues and be a voice in the election here.
- Attend VIP Civic Academies addressing key issues in September via Zoom.
- Join the non-partisan VIP Voter Engagement Team to share information and encourage voting here.
- Learn about our partner schools and opportunities for support through Dayspring. (see below)
This short video can remind us of our calling:
The Poor People’s Campaign
Regardless of our political affiliation, all of us can acknowledge the challenges that millions of poor and low-wealth people confront each day—challenges which severely limit their prospects to flourish and in many cases to even survive. While politicians of both parties express concerns for the problems faced by middle class families, we hear very little about the issues confronting more than 140 million poor and low-wealth Americans.
Better politics and politicians aren’t sufficient for addressing the hardships that so many American families confront. As Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a half century ago, our nation must undergo a “radical revolution of values.”
A new “moral fusion” movement, the “Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival” has responded with a renewed call for a values revolution. The Campaign has issued this invitation:
If you believe it’s time to rise, join us!
We rise to demand that the 140 million poor and low-income people in our nation — from every race, creed, color, sexuality and place — are no longer ignored, dismissed or pushed to the margins of our political and social agenda.
We rise not as left or right, Democrat or Republican, but as a moral fusion movement to build power, build moral activism, build voter participation…
We rise to change the moral narrative and demand an end to the interlocking injustices of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy/militarism and the distorted moral narrative of religious nationalism.
We rise to challenge the lie of scarcity in the midst of abundance.
We rise to lift the voices and faces of poor and low-income Americans and their moral allies with a new vision of love, justice, and truth for America that says poverty can be abolished and change can come.
If you’re interested in a revolution of values, you can learn more at PoorPeoplesCampaign.org
Small Steps Toward Sustainability
