Make Poverty History is a global, ecumenical campaign to eradicate poverty. Many other Episcopal and Anglican churches are working and praying for an end to poverty, along with many other people of faith. Ministers of 8 countries will meet July 2 in Gleneagles, Scotland to discuss matters of global importance; they are in a position to commit to a plan to reduce or forgive the debt load on poor countries, and to access to health care and disease prevention.

Every single day, 30,000 children are dying as a result of extreme poverty. This year, 2005, we finally have the resources, knowledge and opportunity to end this shameful situation. — MakePovertyHistory.org

The Church of England is one of many faiths standing together to make poverty, and for the eradication of disease and debt that are among the root causes of poverty. The Archbishop of Canterbury recently hosted a meeting of UK and US church leaders, and the following statement was issued at the conclusion of the meeting June 29th:

The London Forum, meeting at Lambeth Palace and hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, issued a final communiqu? saying that the time for change is now:

There is no place for apathy in a world which sees 30,000 children die each day because of poverty related conditions. The bible teaches that whatever we do to the poorest we do also for Jesus. We believe God judges nations by what they do to the poorest.

The Forum was attended by delegations from UK Churches organised by Dr David Goodbourn of Churches Together and Britain and Ireland; US churches organised by The Revd Jim Wallis, leader of the peace and justice network Sojourners, representatives of African led churches and representatives from faith based mission and development agencies.

A similar statement was issued at the end of the Anglican Consultative Council meeting.

Make Poverty History (UK) is aligned with The ONE Campaign (US). Many different groups of people are working together to increase awareness of the tragedy and scandal of world poverty. People on both sides of the political fence in Britain and America are literally banding together for this cause. In token of their support for the world’s poor, white band bracelets and banners are worn and shown. Videos and films have been shown on television and as ads at movie theaters to raise awareness. And of course, a series of free concerts called Live 8 will bring the attention of the world on the cause of persuading our leaders to make poverty history.

Ministers of 8 countries will meet July 2 in Gleneagles, Scotland to discuss matters of global importance; they are in a position to commit to a plan to reduce or forgive the debt load on poor countries. We are in a position to tell them that something must be done.

If you do nothing else, watch this video. It’s a short excerpt of a documentary called “The Orphans of Nkandla.”

Then find a white band and wear it, and see what else you can do.

Sarah Dylan Breuer maintains a wonderful lectionary commentary site and weblog. She also has an article up at The Witness, a progressive Anglican publication – it’s a meditation on the readings for today:

That, Jesus showed us, is God’s perfection and true holiness, the perfection and the holiness to which we’re called. Far from being fragile, that radical hospitality and indiscriminate love is the most fundamental, powerful, and lasting force in the universe God made. When that comes into contact with anything else, anything less, it’s that holy love, and not impurity according to anyone’s scheme, that proves contagious. Lest we think that only Jesus could show that kind of powerful, contagious love, this Sunday’s gospel teaches us that all who welcome prophets and righteous people share their reward, any cup of water given to a little one brings the reward of the pure in heart, and those who welcome any of Jesus’ flawed followers will be received as herald of God’s Messiah.

St. Paul got that; for as much as some want to read his letter to the churches in Rome to find out who to shun, it teaches instead that those who belong to righteousness live under grace, not seeking to impose the law (Romans 6:14), and they receive even enemies with cool water to refresh them (Romans 12:20), as Jesus taught his followers to receive his “little ones” (Matthew 10:42). — The Witness | Sarah Dylan Breuer

We are called to offer radical hospitality, even to those we’d be inclined to shun. We’d have to come out of our comfort zone to do this (Warning: comfort zones may vary. Please check your individual owner’s manual, and welcome accordingly).

Fr. Ted’s sermon today expanded on the theme of giving welcome also. The starting point was from an column in Sojourners magazine (Sojourners is a Christian social justice organization).

June 30: “When You Need Something, Just Talk to Me”
Jeremiah 28:5-9;
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18;
Romans 6:12-23;
Matthew 10:40-42

“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Matthew 10:40).

Clarice South welcomed everyone, and God has welcomed her.

She died last October in Santa Clara, California, at the age of 90. I had known Clarice South since the 1950s, when her daughter Claire and I went together. In my boarding school years, Mrs. South and her family opened their home to me. The warmth of their lives in my young life was a sustaining, enduring presence.

Decades later when I periodically returned to Santa Clara, it was always a gift to wait expectantly at the door of 936 Fremont Street for what I knew would be Mrs. South’s warm welcome. I was never disappointed. She knew how to love.

Claire gave the eulogy at her mother’s Mass of the Resurrection last fall. She sketched simply, beautifully the portrait of a woman who to the end of her life loved and served others down to the smallest detail in their lives. God then gave her a wisdom of faithful love that she shared with the group of family and friends gathered around her hospital bedside.

Claire recalled: “Mom exhorted us, ‘Keep your faith. Stay close to each other.’ And then she said, ‘From now on, when you need something, just talk to me.'”

Like Mrs. South’s always welcoming smile at the door, I shall remember especially, through her daughter’s eulogy, those final words echoing Jesus.

Keep your faith.

Stay close to each other.

From now on, when you need something, just talk to me. — Sojourners magazine, May/June 1996 | Clarice South

The entire column is quite short, but opens doors in our minds to pictures of people who welcomed us and taught us how to welcome. Who do you see?

I see Helen Johnson, a lady from Trinity Episcopal Church, Seattle. She welcomed all and sundry to Trinity, and after the service she would gently lay her hand on the arm of the visitor and ask for assistance down the church steps and over to the parish hall. There she would introduce the visitor by name to several people, and ask if they would help set out cups of coffee and tea. Once you did that, you were hooked but good. It was my first visit to Trinity, but wouldn’t be my last.

I had been raised in the Congregational church in Salt Lake City, but I had a curiousity about the Episcopal church, and Anglicanism in general, stemming from a visit to England the summer before. Helen Johnson had a wonderful collection of hats, was somewhat hard of hearing, and felt it was her personal mission to welcome everyone. It was the quality of Helen’s welcome that solidified my intention to become a part of Trinity parish and be received into the Episcopal church. I didn’t know it at the time, of course; I was completely beguiled by her hat, and trying desperately to remember names as I handed out cups of coffee. Clever old girl, that Helen. She’s gone now… it was a sad day when I ran across her obituary online, several years after I’d moved from Seattle to Illinois. But the writer of the obituary captured the essence of Helen, who was remembered as “the hostess with the mostest” and as “De Colores Helen” for her “rainbow-like faith embracing all people.” I guess I’m lucky to be counted as someone Helen Johnson welcomed to the Episcopal Church. She would have pooh-poohed the phrase “radical welcome,” but she practiced it just the same.

And if I’m ever stumped for an idea of how to welcome someone, I’ll just ask Helen.

Drawing inspiration from their 2004 annual convention theme, the Diocese of Massachusetts convention steering committee produced and distributed a pocket-sized resource called “A Shy Person’s Guide to the Practice of Evangelism.”

“The focus on evangelism comes from our mission vision and mission strategy [which] in shorthand is ?Inviting, Forming, Sending, Serving,?” said Helen P. Netos, chief operating officer and director of Christian formation for the diocese. “We have 12 strategic goals that are primarily outwardly-focused initiatives which call for both congregational participation and coordinated diocesan-level action. We believe that congregations which participate in these initiatives will in fact grow as they join God’s mission, and we are supporting and encouraging that growth through a variety of means, like the guide, the welcome packet, special events and training [because] we wish to increase our average Sunday attendance by 50 percent by 2013.”

…

The book, in an amusing way, examines the meaning of the word ?evangelism,? gives examples of how it is present in everyday life, and presents ideas on how to practice it.

“The entire subcommittee offered suggestions and edits to help create something small and unobtrusive?as befits shy people,” said Netos. “The response has been positive and people were chuckling and laughing out loud on the floor of the convention as they perused the booklet.”

Since then, the guide, which has been printed several thousand times, has been given to congregations, with at least one sending it to everyone in the congregation who pledged.

To obtain a copy of the guide, email hnetos@diomass.org – Episcopal News Service

This might be something we should investigate. Perhaps it can be adapted to Midwestern sensibilities? For example, it’s hard to invite your neighbor into a closer relationship with God, but it’s easy to invite them into a closer relationship with your dog.