Christian Leaders Ask House to Say ‘No’ to $40 Billion in New SNAP Cuts

Christian leaders today urged members of the House of Representatives to vote “No” on a proposed bill that will further cut SNAP (the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps) by $40 billion over the next 10 years.

The leaders are from the Circle of Protection, a coalition of more than 65 heads of denominations and religious agencies, plus more than 5,000 church pastors. They have been working for more than two years to resist federal budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people.

Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, and Rev. Lisa R. Harris, national coordinator of the Justice for Children Initiative/Christian Center Relations, American Baptist Home Mission Societies, are among those quoted in the Circle of Protection release.

The proposed bill is expected to be brought to the full House for a vote this week. If passed, the bill would leave up to 4 million poor, childless adults hungry and 210,000 children without free school meals. These cuts would be on top of substantial across-the-board cuts coming on November 1 due to the expiration of the 2009 Recovery Act.

In letters to their members of Congress, the Christian leaders expressed deep moral outrage over these proposed new cuts and their effects on the nation’s most vulnerable people. Copies of their letters are available online at www.circleofprotection.us.

Although SNAP benefits are modest, an average of less than $1.50 per person per meal, SNAP is the nation’s foremost tool against hunger and hardship, particularly during recessions and periods of high unemployment. Currently, 47 million Americans benefit from SNAP, but that number is expected to be greatly reduced once the economy recovers.   SNAP is designed to expand in periods of great need and contract when the economy is better.

Many of the organizations that belong to the Circle of Protection have also mobilized their members to urge their representatives to vote “No” on this new bill.  If the proposed bill passes, it will go to conference with the Senate version in an effort to compromise on a final farm bill.

Quotes from key Christian leaders appear below.  The letters are available at www.circleofprotection.us.

Quotations from Christian Leaders:

Rev. Lisa R. Harris, Coordinator, American Baptist Home Mission Societies: “Far too many Americans rely on SNAP today, but high participation is not from a surge of laziness.  Over 30 percent of SNAP households are working households.  The real problem is the economy and the fact that too many jobs don’t pay enough for parents to be able to put food on the table and provide for their children.  11.5 million people remain unemployed, and 4.2 million people have been looking for work over 26 weeks.”

Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches USA: “Cutting SNAP and taking away vital nutrition assistance from children, seniors, low-wage workers, and persons with disabilities will not address the larger economic trends or create more jobs with adequate wages.  Instead, this type of bill will punish those struggling to get by.”

Rev. Brian Adams, Minister for Economic Justice, Disciples Center for Public Witness:
“I far too regularly have to turn away people in need of help.  We can offer a few non-perishable goods, but far from enough to sustain the many people around us, and not the perishable goods they need to have a healthy diet.  If we as a nation seek to be founded in our Judeo-Christian influences, we cannot be faithful in doing so without, though laws and government, caring for the poor in our land.  When a country’s rules do not give the poor in their land what God intends, suffering is not far behind.”

Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals:
“During the Great Recession, the number of Americans needing food aid has understandably increased.  Millions of families survived very hard times thanks in part to this assistance.  Children were protected from irreversible developmental damage.  Hunger-related health care costs were averted.  We support efforts to reduce our annual deficits and enact structural reforms to bring our revenues and expenses back into balance.  But we believe this can be done without further burdening our most vulnerable citizens, and without cutting appropriations for vital food assistance programs.”

The Most Reverend Stephen E. Blaire, Bishop of Stockton, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
“Adequate and nutritious food is a fundamental human right and a basic need that is integral to protecting the life and dignity of the human person.  How the House chooses to address our nation’s hunger and nutrition programs will have profound human and moral consequences.  This is a crucial time for our nation to place a circle of protection around programs that build a more just framework and put poor and hungry people first.”

Rev. David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World and laureate, World Food Prize:
“These proposed cuts are a clear indication that some in Congress underestimate the hunger that is present in millions of American homes. The amendment picks on the poorest people in the country.  This is morally and economically unacceptable especially as some areas continue to experience high unemployment.  Congress needs to focus on creating more jobs and not cut programs that stave off hunger for millions of people.”

Rev. Carlos Malave, Executive Director, Christian Churches Together in the USA:
“The Bible calls us to care for our neighbor and remember ‘the least of these.’ The cuts included in the bill violate this principle.  SNAP is one of the country’s most important anti-hunger programs, and this bill could leave up to six million people without vital food assistance.”

Dr. Ann Scholz, Associate Director for Social Mission, LCWR:
“It is not just a bad idea, it is morally indefensible.  Our faith calls us to respect the dignity of each and every person and to give particular care to those most in need.  The proposed cuts to SNAP violate these principles.  SNAP was the primary prevention against hunger for children and families during the recession.  Such devastating cuts are simply inexcusable.  We must make good on the promise that this country, if you are willing to work, you won’t have to see your children go to bed hungry.”

Peter Vander Meulen, Coordinator, Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice:
“We are called, as Christians, to protect the most vulnerable.  It is with this commitment in mind that we urge you to protect millions who so desperately depend on SNAP.  In the US, 11.5 million people remain unemployed, and many who are employed receive low paying wages not sufficient enough to feed their children.”

Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners:
“These immoral cuts are incongruent with the shared values of our nation. They demonstrate the triumph of political ideology and self-interest over sound public policy and concern for the general welfare. Actions like these foster cynicism and distrust of government in the everyday Americans who struggle to meet their families’ basic needs and create a better life for their children.”

The Circle of Protection is composed of more than 65 heads of denominations, relief and development agencies, and other Christian organizations. For more information, please visit www.circleofprotection.us.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

The internship is a promising result of a collaboration between Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chan, American Baptist International Ministries (IM) area director for East Asia and India and Dr. David Bronkema, international development director for Eastern University.

The graduate students were identified through a rigorous selection process. Ashley Caycedo is earning a Master of Business Administration degree in International Economic Development. Joshua Ellison is seeking a Master of Arts degree in International Development. Both are second-year students and have completed their course work.

Caycedo is based in Guwahati, Assam and will serve with the Council of Baptist Churches in North East India (CBCNEI). Ellison is based in Hanamkonda, Andhra Pradesh and will serve with the Banjara Development Trust (BDT). Their assignment includes conducting research and assessment of the programs of the two organizations, as well as being involved in the training programs.

“Ashley always wanted to go to India, experience life and help people in the country,” commented Chan. She said, “I am so excited to serve in India. Thank you for this opportunity.”

Ellison believes that this overseas service may be an opening for a long-term relationship with IM and global mission work. He says, “I am open to looking into a long-term mission service. This may be a beginning of the journey.”

IM Development Worker Debbie Mulneix and Mr. Shankar Prasad Kalaunee, Eastern University Ph. D student in Organizational Leadership, have assisted in the launch of this project. For more information, visit Chan’s journal.

American Baptist International Ministries is a Christian mission organization connecting U.S. churches and individuals to holistic ministries around the world. Organized in 1814, IM is the first Baptist mission agency formed in North America. It serves more than 1,800 short- and long-term missionaries annually, bringing U.S. and Puerto Rico churches together with partners in over 70 countries to share the good news of Jesus Christ in word and action.  IM’s partnership with the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists and the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy is made possible by church and individual contributions to the World Mission Offering.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

In the face of high unemployment rates, rising costs of living, economic recession, and the present generation’s general malaise, many parents feel obligated to offer prolonged housing and financial assistance to young adult offspring. But as time passes, how can these boomerang children be transformed into arrows loosed from the parental quiver? Based on the metaphor found in Psalm 127, “Blessed is the parent with a quiver full of children,” Boomerangs to Arrows empowers parents to prepare themselves and their adult children for the time when kids must be launched into independent, grown-up lives.

Elliott, who is the mother of two successfully launched young adult sons, offers sound advice and wisdom to deal with:

• Age-appropriate Discipline
• Extenuating Circumstances (i.e. financial issues, job loss, etc.)
• Negative Character Traits
• Attitudes of Entitlement
• Moving Out

This book is a great resource for parents and caregivers struggling with the challenge of being supportive while rearing self-sufficient and responsible young adults.

About the Author:   Sharon Norris Elliott is author of five other books, including Raising Boys to Be Like Jesus (Judson, 2009). A graduate of Biola University and a sought-after conference speaker, Sharon has a knack for sharing down-to-earth biblical wisdom in ways that tickle the funny bone and touch the heart. Check out her devotional blog (www.sanewriter.wordpress.com) and website at www.lifethatmatters.net.

To order Judson Press resources, visit www.judsonpress.com or call 800-458-3766.

Founded in 1824, Judson Press is the publishing ministry of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, American Baptist Churches USA. It is committed to producing Christ-centered leadership resources for the transformation of individuals, congregations, communities, and cultures.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies—the domestic mission arm of American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA)—ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on discipleship, community, and justice.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with more than 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

“We cannot view this possibility solely through the eyes of U.S. foreign policy or U.S. national security interests,” McMickle writes. “The Lord of the Church is not an American; Christ is sovereign Lord over all of creation. Christ has as much love for the people of the Middle East as for the people of the American Midwest.”

Thoughtfully addressing both politics and spirituality, McMickle poses six questions for American Baptists to consider as they conduct Bible study and personal devotions. Questions include the following: “What will a limited missile strike accomplish against a regime that has no regard for anything, except remaining in power at all costs?”, “If the United States strikes Syria unilaterally, are we not opening the door for other nations to act unilaterally on matters that we may believe unjustified?” and “When do we, as Christians, actually listen to Jesus as he talks about ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ and ‘living and dying by the sword?’”

ABHMS hopes churches will use Dr. McMickle’s essay at www.abhms.org as a starting point for conversations, framed within Christian values, about the crisis in Syria. At the end of the essay, tell us about your conversations: We’re waiting to hear from you.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies—the domestic mission arm of American Baptist Churches USA—ministers as the caring heart and serving hands of Jesus Christ across the United States and Puerto Rico through a multitude of initiatives that focus on discipleship, community and justice.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

Q:  What is the Mission Table?
A: The Mission Table is a gathering of people who come together to further advance God’s work among our ABC congregations in common areas of mission and ministry.

Q: Who is invited to the Mission Table?
A: The Mission Table will include persons from every region, seminary, and national agency.

Q: How many persons will take part in the Mission Table?
A: About 100 persons.

Q: That sounds about the size of the former ABC General Board.  Will this experience be similar to the General Board?
A: If it is, then we have failed.  The Mission Table experience is designed to be very different from the former General Board.  The General Board was primarily about setting policy and planning programs.  A Mission Table is about building relationships and networking.

Q: Where will the Mission Table take place?
A: The Mission Table will take place November 11-13, 2013 at the American Baptist Assembly in Green Lake, Wisconsin.

Q: What exactly happens at a Mission Table?
A: Mission Table participants will discuss topics related to mission and ministry using a process designed to advance what can be done about those topics.

Q: How will the topics be chosen?
A: The topics discussed at the Mission Table were originally discussed at the ABC Mission Summit, recently held in Overland Park, Kansas, in June of 2013. The Mission Summit topics surfaced from work done through the Transformed by the Spirit (TbyS) initiative that included a national survey as well as topics already being discussed by an existing Action Challenge Team (ACT) or Action Learning Team (ALT) in TbyS.  In short, the topics at the Mission Table represent issues that American Baptists find both critical to their future work, but also challenging.

Q: What is the overall goal of the Mission Table?
A: That every participant will commit to advocating for some course of action regarding a topic that is relevant and urgent to their respective organization.

Q: How will that work get done?
A: Through networking and continued conversation.  With today’s technology, there is nothing that prevents people with a common passion for ministry, from engaging in conversation no matter where they happen to reside.

Q: Someone at the Mission Summit said that the parking lot conversation was brought into the main hall? What did they mean by that?
A: I guess the person might have meant that the conversations that used to happen around the edges were brought into the main floor of the convention center.  I did hear one person say that the best part of the Biennial used to be the insights that surfaced from conversations in the hallway about real mission and ministry issues.  People at the Mission Summit had three opportunities to engage in mission and ministry conversation and consistently the evaluations showed that the Mission Summit Conversations were the most appreciated aspect of the overall Mission Summit.

Q: How will the small groups be selected at the Mission Table?
A: Participants will have an opportunity to engage in topics that they are passionate about, but will also be asked to offer their perspectives on topics of general interest to the whole group.

Q: What else will happen at the Mission Table?
A: In today’s ministry, building relationships is critical to ministry advancement.  Participants will spend some time working with and building relationships with persons whom they have never met as well as persons outside of their own organizations.

Q: How many topics will be discussed at the Mission Table?
A: The Mission Summit offered 32 different topics for conversation and every topic had a group of people that had decided that topic was their # 1 choice for conversation.

Q: That sounds like a lot of topics.  Do the topics fall into any broad themes?
A: Yes, the Mission Summit conversations took place in three large rooms labeled, “Our Leaders,” “Our Witness,” and “Our Future.”   These three categories will also outline the Mission Table conversations.

Q: Will the Mission Table also end up with 32 topics that are moving forward?
A: Yes and No.  Because this is a grassroots effort, we expect that every conversation that began at the Mission Summit will continue in some form as the participants go back to their own circles of friendships and connections.  But similar to the Mission Summit, the real power of the Mission Table is to create the space for meaningful dialogue around people’s passions.  By the last day of the Mission Table, topics of greatest interest to the Mission Table participants will be made available for discussion.

Q: I also heard someone say that this process was uniquely Baptist. How so?
A: Baptists have always gathered to do more together than they could separately in mission and ministry.  The Mission Table is an attempt to create the space for that to happen all over again, but in today’s context and with today’s needs and challenges.  Join us in making history all over again as American Baptists engaged in mission and ministry.

It is all a bit anticlimactic really.

In Matthew chapter 3 Jesus is baptized, and then in chapter 4 he is tested in the desert.  Chapter 4 ends with a quote from Isaiah about the bar of the oppressor being broken and captives rejoicing as at the harvest.  Isaiah says that people will no longer stumble in darkness but will walk in light, and the “chosen one of God” will accomplish all of this.  Jesus is standing in the very place Isaiah mentions, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.  It dawns on us that Jesus is going to make all this happen.  He is the chosen one of God.

We can almost hear Beethoven’s 5^th building in the background as the story rushes headlong to its climax.  We might expect a flurry of miracles, some thunder and lightening, at least cheering crowds swelling behind him as he travels.  We know this is the inauguration of grand things.

So what follows this auspicious beginning?  Jesus takes a solitary walk along the Sea of Galilee and strikes up some conversations with a few fishermen who are toiling to earn a living to feed their families.  It is a bit anticlimactic. We were expecting, perhaps, something a bit more dramatic.

There is, however, something to be learned by this rather low-key initiation of the ministry of Jesus.  He simply, as the British might say, chats up a few folks and invites them to travel with him.  It is not a grandiose beginning, but it is one that bears fruit a bit later in the story.  These guys become 4 of the original 12 apostles, one of them being Peter.  All that follows begins with a simple, personal invitation.

This coming Sunday, September 15^th, is National Back-to-Church Sunday.  People all over the nation are going to invite someone to go with them to church on that Sunday.  Are you willing to do that?  Think about your family, your friends, your coworkers, and your neighbors.  Is there someone whom you could invite to go to church with you?  You could say:  “You know, I enjoy going to my church.  It helps me as I try to live my life and make good decisions.  Would you like to go with me this Sunday?  I think you might like it.”

This is how Jesus began there by the Sea of Galilee.  There were no slick brochures, no Internet training modules, no football or movie stars spokespersons, no national film or book promotions, no funny U-tube videos of cats playing the piano, and no free gifts.  It was just one person inviting another person to journey with them to a new way of life.  Give it a try and see what happens.  Who knows what fruit that simple conversation might bear?  Let me know how it goes.

This year marks the 200^th anniversary of the Judson’s arrival in Burma, a small Southeast Asian country. The educational DVD, entitled “Embrace the Cause,” includes three videos and is available in the 2013 World Mission Offering promotional materials.

Ethnic Burmese Christians who have legally immigrated to the United States are also featured as they attend worship and get involved in U.S. Baptist congregations. The video highlights Grace Baptist Church in Kansas City, Missouri as one such church that has welcomed Christian brothers and sisters from Myanmar.

The DVD is available free to churches with the World Mission Offering materials, which were mailed in July. Churches may download the three videos from the World Mission Offering website, www.worldmissionoffering.org, or may receive a DVD that contains all three by mail by calling 1-800-4JUDSON. The Embrace the Cause videos are available in two lengths: 6:00 min. and 9:19 min.  A 1:30 min. promo is also included.

The WMO educational materials for churches featuring Baptist ministries in Myanmar come at an important milestone for IM and the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC). In a historic announcement in June 2013, the MBC General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Yam Kho Pau, extended an invitation for IM to renew its ministry in Myanmar.  This deeply moving event took place IM board of directors meeting. The leader of the MBC read a letter stating that Myanmar Baptists believe God is opening the door for IM to once again join them as co-laborers in Myanmar.

Gifts to the World Mission Offering provide IM’s largest single source of revenue undergirding its total global mission. Churches receive new WMO materials every summer to enrich worship and enhance educational experiences that build church understanding and participation in global mission. WMO enables congregations to be part of the entire work of IM’s mission.

American Baptist International Ministries is a Christian mission organization connecting U.S. churches and individuals to holistic ministries around the world. Organized in 1814, IM is the first Baptist mission agency formed in North America. It serves more than 1,800 short- and long-term missionaries annually, bringing U.S. and Puerto Rico churches together with partners in over 70 countries to share the good news of Jesus Christ in word and action.  IM’s partnership with the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists and the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy is made possible by church and individual contributions to the World Mission Offering.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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In 2013, Rev. Barbara Jim-George of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, California, was recognized at the National Women’s Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2013, for her work with girls as founder and director of the Girls’ Rite of Passage Program. The Rite of Passage Program seeks to protect teen girls from commercial sexual exploitation through spiritual growth and the building of self-confidence. Rev. Jim-George has built community coalitions and been deeply involved in raising awareness about the issue of human trafficking in the Oakland area. Darlene Pennington was also recognized, posthumously, for her ministries at the First Baptist Church of Norfolk, Nebraska, and in her community. Darlene had served in multiple leadership roles at the church and she and her husband had also served as foster parents and foster parent trainers. Darlene’s family was present at the National Women’s Conference in July as her son accepted the award on her behalf.

“There are American Baptist women who are serving as the hands and feet of Christ in extraordinary ways. Their inspiring stories and experiences can encourage others to be light-bearers for Jesus Christ. I invite you to nominate a woman or women’s ministry group for the Shine the Light Award,” said AB Women’s Ministries Executive Director Virginia Holmstrom.

The deadline for nominations for the 2014 Shine the Light Award is January 31^st, 2014. For more information, criteria, and to submit a nomination, visit the AB Women’s Ministries website at www.abwministries.org, or contact the AB Women’s Ministries office at (610) 768-22288 or info@abwministries.org.

American Baptist Women’s Ministries is a Christ-centered ministry with a commitment to encourage and empower women and girls to serve God. Additional American Baptist Women’s Ministries resources are available at www.abwministries.org.

American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with over 5,200 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.

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For more than twenty years the First Baptist Church of Pontiac, Illinois has offered a food pantry to supplement the nutritional needs of persons within our town and surrounding communities. The food pantry was the vision of one woman who had a passion for feeding the hungry in our city.

In the last two decades this ministry has grown from helping just a few families to serving more than 1,700 families representing more than 5,500 individuals in 2012. In addition to receiving canned and dry foods, recipients also receive meat and bread as well as laundry detergent and limited paper products. Since we are a farming community we are fortunate enough to occasionally add fresh eggs and vegetables to the offerings available.

While the numbers provide a tangible representation of what we do in our community, they only tell a small part of the story. The heart of this ministry is found in the volunteers who staff the food pantry. This group of people demonstrates a passion to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ through serving those in need. Each person who visits the pantry is given the opportunity to share his or her story. The elderly couple who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina; the mom whose child had brain cancer; the lonely senior adult who only wants someone to listen; each finds a compassionate ear and a generous heart. It is not unusual for work to stop as volunteers gather to pray for those whose needs extend beyond food and laundry detergent.

What started all those years ago with the vision and passion of one woman has grown into a vital ministry not only for our community but also for our church.  As we open our doors to minister to the community and feed the hungry, our tight knit group of volunteers also minister to one another. There is always a welcome smile and a warm cup of coffee waiting for anyone who wants to drop by and help out for a day, an hour or even just chat for a minute or two.  Concerns are shared and prayers offered as grocery bags are filled and at the end of the day we’ve all been fed by the food pantry. Whether we came hungry or not.

EMERGE, the 2014 National Ministers Conference meeting along side of the American Baptist Orientation to American Baptist Life for seminarians and new pastors to the denomination will help you to “emerge” to become the servant God has called you to be. Workshops, presentations and particularly, an opportunity to fellowship and interact with colleagues in ministry over important challenges facing doing ministry today will stretch your thinking, equip you with ideas, and support you in your ministry by making new friends and being in prayer with one another.

Every professional church leader needs to maintain the highest level of competency and confidence in ministry. Taking time to acquire such abilities means making our own staff development a high priority. As a senior pastor for the past 15 years, I know that I look forward to such invigorating experiences on a regular basis. As pastors and church leaders who would have just completed celebrating Christmas and welcoming the New Year, join me at EMERGE in Orlando in 2014!

Rev. Dr. Don Ng
ABCUSA Vice President, President-elect
Senior Pastor, First Chinese Baptist Church, San Francisco