We are asking a large sacrifice from you to avert the even larger human sacrifice of those already living in peril.  We cannot remain silent in the face of what is happening in Sacramento!

Join us Tuesday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to noon in Sacramento to have a huge faith rally on behalf of every single human life that is being thrown away to balance our budget!   

Every single social support in welfare, health, and even prenatal care is being ripped out of the budget to prevent having to revisit tax increases on those with resources.   We MUST be present to witness against this disgusting and utterly immoral action!

We will begin our march at the Capitol from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. followed by visits by you to YOUR legislator.  You will carry the message:  “One who oppresses the poor to increase his or her own wealth, and one who gives gifts to the rich – both come to poverty.” (Pr.22:16) Those already living on the thin edge due to the economic crisis are now being pushed into abject misery, homelessness, even loss of life.  This is not an exaggeration since even some dialysis service is being eliminated, a sure and certain death sentence for those with kidney failure.

Over this past week, Governor Schwarzenegger has insisted that California must abolish the entire CalWORKs program cutting 1.3 million people, 1 million of them children, from ALL cash assistance by which they pay rent and purchase non-food items.  He has also demanded the elimination of Healthy Families that permits parents to purchase health insurance for their children.  This will leave over 900,000 with no health, dental, or vision care.

We ask of you for June 16, 2009:

• Join us between 9:00 and 9:45 a.m.  Site for convening to be announced.
• March with us at the Capitol 10-11 am
• Then advocate for those whom you serve, who are in your congregations with hard times, for those in your towns and cities.  See your Legislators and bring them your anger and outrage, your moral voice, your compassion for those in need. (11-noon)
• Bring your own signs – no stakes or poles – and any banners from your congregation or denomination.
• Bring letters – your own, others in your congregations, from friends, families – to deliver to your legislators.
• Clergy – wear clerical garb – robes (weather depending), collars, stoles, whatever signifies that you are a person of faith.
• -Comfortable shoes, water, clothing appropriate to the weather.

We KNOW this is a late request, a “minimalist” event – but we need you.  We KNOW it’s a sacrifice to have to fly W it’s a sacrifice to have to fly up here from Southern California.  All we can offer is the sure and certain knowledge that we need you and, more important, those being harmed desperately need you.

We will provide statements for you to leave along with your letters, and we will likely have coffee and juice, but we will spare you one thing – no speeches!  We want your presence, your witness, and your words to reach your legislators.  We will not bore you to death, we promise!

Suggestions on signs and letters:

We have learned over the years that our time-honored language “balancing the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable” is too often met with sneering disdain.  Too many legislators think people in poverty are just weak and lazy.  

We need to challenge this with different language – we need to address issues such as “people whom the private sector has abandoned or will not serve” and to accent the crisis by remembering that these mothers trying to get off welfare are living already in peril; we need to remember children are our responsibility as a society as part of our human family; we need to emphasize that “shared sacrifice” has to have real meaning, not just a blip for the wealthy and decimation for the poor.

Delve into your scripture, theology, your outrage, your passion to write from the heart and from a challenge to the utter immorality of these budget proposals.  Bring stories, yes – but they have to be supported by principles of our common values, democratic as well as faith, so they are not dismissed and ignored.

Use your most powerful heart and language – we must rise above the capacity of our legislators to wave us away as mere bleeding hearts.  We are witnessing for people who have no other allies but us – we cannot let them down.

We will send more details as we work them out.  

For questions, please contact Elizabeth Sholes, Director of Public Policy, CA Council of Churches/CA Church IMPACT at sholes@calchurches.org; Rev. Margo Tenold, Santa Clara Council of Churches, revmargo@att.net, or Rev. Dr. Rick Schlosser, Executive Director, CCC/CCI at rick@calchurches.org