The ONE Campaign has been engaging faith communities, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, this fall through an initiative called ONE Sabbath. ONE Sabbath provides participants and congregations with tools to speak out and take action within their own faith traditions. Whether it’s in a small study group, a letter to a politician, a sermon, a gift to charity, a community event or a conversation with a neighbor, ONE Sabbath participants help raise awareness and inspire healing and hope for those who need it most. ONE is providing key materials on our website for ONE Sabbath.

The Lower Susquehanna Synod in Pennsylvania is joining a global effort to take action for people living in extreme poverty around the world and struggling against epidemic disease. The Synod, the fourth largest in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has joined the ONE Campaign by signing a proclamation to become a “ONE Synod” this past November 2008. Future plans include Bishop Penrose Hoover’s commitment to integrate ONE into the Lower Susquehanna Synod’s Global Initiative.

By joining the ONE Campaign, The Lower Susquehanna Synod will help raise awareness about people living in extreme poverty and about the proven solutions that can help save lives and transform the world’s most impoverished communities. Congregations and people of faith can help lead the effort against needless poverty and disease by raising awareness, speaking out and taking action on these vital issues. By becoming a ONE Synod, the Lower Susquehanna Synod is uniting with millions of Americans who are taking action to help address these global challenges.

-Brian Sweeney

Today, leaders and activists from across the Muslim, Christian, Jewish and Hindu faiths joined ONE for a phone call announcing some news on ONE Sabbath, which is ONE’s multi-faith effort to engage congregations on global poverty and disease issues.

You can listen to the call here.

I listened in on the call, which included several very impressive leaders: Imam Johari Abdul-Malik (Director of Outreach at the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center), Rabbi David Saperstein (Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism), Ishani Chowdhury (Director of Public Policy for the Hindu American Foundation), and David Kinnaman (Christian author and president of the research firm the Barna Group). Each talked about the importance that responding to poverty plays in the teachings and basic philosophies of all major faiths, and that this common link between religions to care for the world’s poor provides ripe opportunity to speak out and work together.

Each leader had some thoughtful insights on why America’s faith community will play a key role in responding to global poverty in the months and years ahead, and how ONE Sabbath can help. You can listen to some excerpts here: Ishani Chowdhury, David Saperstein, Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, David Kinnaman.

While all the speakers and their respective organizations are already very active on these issues, each said that there is a widespread yearning across the country shared by congregations and individual believers alike to do more on international health issues. On the call, pollster David Kinnaman put some empirical evidence behind this belief. (more…)

After a week of meetings in Rome last week, Mark Brinkmoeller could have packed up and headed back home to DC. Instead, ONE’s Senior Director of US NGO Partnerships and Faith Relations spent a 24-hour travel day crossing the heartland to Seattle. We set a full schedule of events for him here, including meetings with faith groups, partner organizations, and even a concert. Still he never complained and the jetlag never showed. That is grace!

This year, International UN Day fell on Friday, October 24, and Mark was our keynote speaker. We wanted to hear how to engage the next administration, the next congress, and each other in order to lift the profile of the Millennium Development Goals. These are increasingly trying economic times and we feel far behind the curve. Mark embarked on a theme of hope. His interaction with the audience pointed the way. Measurements of progress are encouraging, and they open the doors to greater involvement. US funding has had a massive impact across Africa including TB/Malaria funding, antiretroviral treatment for AIDS, bed nets, and putting children in school. Through the grassroots activism of organizations that have made this a priority, millions of lives are saved and federal aid dollars over the course of this administration have morphed from Millions of dollars to Billions of dollars.

Saturday’s meetings included a relation-building coffee with leaders in the Seattle Islamic community. Mark’s knowledge and experience with Islamic organizations were extremely helpful. A new Islamic Faith-In-Action forum here in Seattle this winter will likely include the ONE Islamic Faith/ONE Sadaqa materials, and we shared the ONE multi-faith videos with them to use as well.

That night, the folk group “Real Folk” put on a benefit concert for ONE and RESULTS. Mark’s message of hope again resounded loud-and-clear encouraging us in our efforts to keep up the good fight in the north county. It’s gratifying to know that we are being heard and making a difference.

These events were also opportunities for the communities to take a photo with the traveling Jubilee USA Drop the Debt banner and sign up to ask the next administration to cancel the odious debts of highly-indebted poor countries.

Up here in Seattle, the group “Puget Sound Millennium Goals Project” couldn’t appreciate Mark’s support and encouragement more. Thank you Mark for an amazing week here, for promoting the great work of ONE and ONE Faith in the pacific northwest, and for helping Washington DC and this “other” Washington, um, “stay close!”

-Sammi Fredenburg

“Imagine: there are 300,000 houses of worship. Imagine if they all got involved in ONE Sabbath, if 300,000 houses of worship with 140 million members all pool their attention, their resources to really make a difference in poverty. What an impact that can have!”- Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Your congregation, your faith community, your place of worship can make a huge difference in the mission to end extreme global poverty and eliminate global diseases. Of course, you know this already. That’s why you are reading this post.

You also know that the coming months are a crucial time to make a difference. We’ll be electing a president and new members of Congress. After the election, priorities and policies will be set from among all the campaign commitments that have been made. ONE Sabbath helps your congregation engage effectively in the coming months by providing resources for worship services, youth groups, religious ed classes and small group discussions.

The ONE Sabbath effort includes Jewish and Christian congregations and encompasses ONE Sadaqa in the Muslim community and ONE Seva in the Hindu community. Congregations across the U.S. have been creative in incorporating ONE Sabbath into their services and events. We invite you to add your creativity to the cause.

The ONE Sabbath page links it all together. You can sign up, watch the latest faith videos, get the materials, and tell others. Please join in.

-Mark Brinkmoeller

Ed Streitelmeier opened the sermon at Zoar Lutheran Church’s “ONE Sunday” with “Bambelela,” a South African term for encouragement. Throughout the month of February, the congregation held two Bible Studies and devoted a sermon to educating their congregation about extreme poverty, its reality, and Christianity’s role in fighting extreme poverty.

The Bible Studies included a Hunger-Awareness Sunday for first grade and pre-school children. The children were given cheerios, crackers and donuts to represent the different amounts of food given at different economic levels, from the most minimal to the overstuffed and over-glazed. Using treats may have been the best way of grabbing their attention, and it assured every little attendee was involved in the event.

For the older students (those probably less impressed with dry cheerios and donuts) the studies included a run through of the bind that holds Christianity to the duty of social justice by adding a biblical application to each MDG:

8. Create a Global Partnership for Development
Biblical Application: “If you lend money to my people, to the poor around you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. If you take your neighbor’s cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; for it may be your neighbor’s only clothing to use as cover; in what else should that person sleep? And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.” Exodus 22:25-27.

Adults were able to contribute to the “Noisy Bucket” and throw loose change, bills and checks. Those attending generated almost $3500 in donations for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal!

- Betsy Avila

The weekend of November 23 – 25 was the first ever ONE Sabbath weekend, in the pilot of year of what we hope will become a major expression of the impact of people and communities of faith in the fight against extreme poverty and global disease.

ONE members across the country downloaded materials from our faith resource page ONE.org/faith and organized services and group activities in their houses of worship. A recap of Bluff Road African Methodist Episcopal Church’s ONE Sabbath in Columbia, South Carolina is below.

On Sunday, November 25, I attended services at Bluff Road AME Church in Columbia, the home church of ONE Vote ’08 SC ambassador Leon Love. Pastor Ellis White led a brief presentation about the One Campaign. He shared with his congregation of 100 plus members that during this holiday season we need to be mindful of those in other countries who are suffering from poverty and disease.  After referencing numerous bible verses and praising the One Campaign, he invited me to address the congregation.  I discussed the importance of fighting poverty and how clean water can save thousands of lives.  I stressed the need to elect a President who cares about eradicating poverty, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and pneumonia, and educating all children.  I also thanked Pastor White for representing South Carolina on our national media call to promote One Sabbath activities.

-Bianca Crawford

The Church in Ocean Park began our ONE Sabbath event with Joy Buckley, one of our resident poets, reading the Millennium Development Goals as they appear on the ONE.org website. The Millennium Development Goals set a framework for how nations can work together to end extreme poverty. Then Ron Maxson read a quote about poverty being a justice issue.

The first to speak after the readings was Bob Gordh who discussed The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs. Rev. Janet McKeithen talked about the spiritual dimensions of poverty and ONE. I rounded out the presentations talking about ONE successes and what we can all do. This included signing the ONE Declaration, participating in the LA ONE Volunteer and Advocacy Training on December 8, and the World Swim Against Malaria on April 5 (where we will take to the water in fancy dress again).

A number of people responded thoughtfully during the community sharing. We sang several songs throughout, led by Elinor Graham and Bob Gordh singing Bob Marley’s “One Love”.

-Herley Jim Bowling, Santa Monica ONE Group Leader

Ashley Judd visited Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an Ambassador with Population Services International’s Five and Alive program in late April. She wrote her experiences in a personal journal. Below is an except from one her last days on the trip.

Day Six:

One day, PSI staff who go door to door visiting people to offer education about family planning arrived at their household while Victor was out. Therese listened keenly, told her husband what she had heard, and they went to the clinic I had visited earlier to learn more. Characteristically, Victor was concerned the birth control might have some hidden, long term detrimental affect on Therese’s health: he had already seen her suffer so much. Eventually learning from medical staff it was safe, they’ve been using an injectable birth control every 3 months.

We sat in the shade of a fine tree as this sweet couple shared their success with family planning.

Read the rest of this entry, on Five & Alive’s website..

Five & Alive, a program of Population Services International (PSI), provides children and their families with the education, products, services and care needed to improve health and save lives in more than 30 countries. www.fiveandalive.org

Ashley Judd visited Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an Ambassador with Population Services International’s Five and Alive program in late April. She wrote her experiences in a personal journal. Below is an except from last day on the trip.

The weekend of November 23 – 25 was the first ever ONE Sabbath weekend, in the pilot of year of what we hope will become a major expression of the impact of people and communities of faith in the fight against extreme poverty and global disease.

ONE members across the country downloaded materials from our faith resource page ONE.org/faith and organized services and group activities in their houses of worship. A recap of St. John’s Lutheran Church’s ONE Sabbath in Belle Plaine, Minnesota is below.

On Sunday November 25th, members of the congregation were greeted by the St John’s Social Justice Team and presented with a reverse offering.

Pictured: Social Justice Team member Amy S. greets members with a reverse offering.

Half of the congregation received a baggie of rice and represented half the world’s population of earning 2 dollars or less.

The second group was presented with a baggie or rice and beans and represented 35% of the world’s population who earned just enough to get by and afford life’s basic necessities.

The next group represented all people living in wealthy nations such as the United States, regardless of income brackets. These 15% received gold chocolate coins (purchased through Global Exchange Fair Trade). Within this group, half received two coins and were representative of those who share their time and wealth with the poor.

Lastly, one person from each service received a gift certificate to a local restaurant as a representative of the world’s richest one percent.

During a brief temple talk at the onset of the service, the reverse offering was dramatized to provide a real world experience and members of the congregation were invited to stand up when their “food” group was identified. This activity was a great success and there were many positive comments after both services on having brought about awareness and contemplation on what extreme poverty is. I think this example really hit home and actually shocked many as they realized how little the majority of the world has, while we, living in a wealthy nation and regardless of income brackets are the minortiy and that we are blessed with what we have.

During each service, members also had the opportunity to join the ONE Campaign by signing their “tear off” sheet on their bulletin insert and add it to the offering plate as it went around…

(more…)

The weekend of November 23 – 25 was the first ever ONE Sabbath weekend, in the pilot of year of what we hope will become a major expression of the impact of people and communities of faith in the fight against extreme poverty and global disease.

ONE members across the country downloaded materials from our faith resource page ONE.org/faith and organized services and group activities in their houses of worship. A recap of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky is below.

Our ONE Sunday included a litany of prayers based on the MDGs, and a sermon wrapped around the ONE Campaign – available to listen at http://www.sermons.stmatt-ky.org/071125Trimble.m4a – at all 3 services. Declaration cards and bands were available to all, and we signed up 46 folks.

We also used ONE as a jump off point to promote a “simpler Christmas”, with resources from Heifer International, and Episcopal Relief and Development, as well as stations to make cards for soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital, making ornaments for families in the inner city, and making Christmas lists of what we’re going to give this year, instead of get.

I’ve included a few pictures. Wish they were better quality, but it’s a cell phone.

Thanks again, and Peace,

Rev. Jim Trimble

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church

Louisville, KY