Reflections on Ecumenical Advocacy Days 2008

I was one of over 700 people (109 of them Presbyterians) gathered in Washington, DC in early March for the sixth annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) Conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore new visions of security in our homes, neighborhoods, nation, and world. Having attended EAD in 2006, I felt a little bit like an “old hand”. I knew we would learn a lot about the issues; I knew the speakers would motivate and inspire us; I expected to greet old associates and make some new ones; I looked forward to the opportunity to learn and practice my skills in advocacy on Capital Hill.

And all of that was true—and there were some surprises.

When I arrived at the registration table, I learned that we had appointments with NJ Senator Robert Menendez and Representative Donald Payne but no one had been able to confirm an appointment with Senator Lautenberg. I offered to call and (after getting an idea of what to say and making two calls) was rewarded with an appointment!

At dinner time I scanned the room for other Hunger Action Enablers and found some. (Advocacy is one of the five program areas of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and HAEs can be counted on to turn out for these events.) And I was so pleased to see Clint McCoy (what a great example!) and some other folks from the Synod of the Northeast who had been at the Stony Point conference on “Doing Theology and Ethics in the Context of Globalization, Migration, and Sustainability,”

The Reverend Dr. Mark Lomax, Pastor of the First African Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, was the preacher for the opening worship. He inspired us (and proved that not all Presbyterians are frozen chosen) by connecting the story from Daniel 3 to the current political situation. (In the story King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a statue and insists that everyone bow down—which they all do except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who stand up and survive the fiery furnace.)

After workshops in the various tracks on Saturday, on Sunday we turned to the practical issues of how to advocate and broke up into our state groups to get ready for our trip to Capital Hill on Monday. The best surprise was meeting the Reverend Keith Rae, a United Methodist minister who works on Africa for the National Council of Churches. I knew him from my seminary fieldwork in East Orange. We decided to focus on issues in Africa when we went on our visits. Not only was legislation going to markup on Wednesday; but both of our Senators were on the committee where this would happen and Representative Payne chairs the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health on the Committee for Foreign Affairs.

For all of the interesting workshops, inspiring speakers, and visits to Capital Hill, there is one thing that stands out: a conversation I had with one of the men as we talked on the train going back to Newark. He remarked that there weren’t many “people like him”—lay persons who were not there because of their jobs in the church or other organizations. As soon as he said it, I realized it was true and decided to make it a priority to personally recruit folks for next year’s conference. Our pews are filled with wonderful, faithful, dedicated people. They need to be there—you need to be there.

Mark your calendar now: March 13-16, 2009.

For more inspiration, read the reflections of Elaine Newby--one of the people like my friend on the train.