Mission
United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania educates and empowers United Methodists to engage legislators and other state officials on social and governmental policy issues.
Vision
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
- John Wesley – Founder of Methodist movement
Mike Slaughter to Lead Town Meeting on Advocacy During Anti-Poverty Summit III
The Rev. Mike Slaughter will bring his passion for advocacy to Anti-Poverty Summit III Oct. 7-8 at the Camp Hill United Methodist Church, Camp Hill, PA.
Slaughter, a leader in the growing missional church movement in The United Methodist Church and beyond, will be part of the summit's Town Meeting on Faith-Centered Advocacy on Monday, Oct. 8.
The two-hour session, hosted by Emmy-winning public television anchor Nel McCormack Abom, will focus on God's call toChristians to engage in the world of advocacy in communities and capitals.
Slaughter says the church "must be political for the sake of giving voice and vote to those who are denied, but we must repent of our partisanship."
Slaughter is lead pastor of Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. Under his leadership the church has grown from 90 members to more than 5,000. A prolific author, he is known as spiritual entrepreneur who is blessed with the "gift of irritation." His most recent book is Hijacked: Responding to the Partisan Church Divide. Learn more about Slaughter at wwww.mikeslaughter.com.
His life-long passion to reach the lost and set the oppressed free has made him a tireless and leading advocate for the displaced children, women and men of Darfur, Sudan, named by the U.N. as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.
For more than seven years, Ginghamsburg members have taken a leadership role in the movement for political and humanitarian change in war-torn Darfur, Sudan. They have brought attention in Washington, D.C. and at the United Nations to the plight of refugees and displaced persons.
Since initiating The Sudan Project in January 2005, Ginghamsburg has invested over $5.6 million into humanitarian relief in Darfur. The resultant agricultural project, child development program and safe water initiative are expanding to reach a quarter of a million Sudanese refugees and villagers.
In 2005 and 2006, Ginghamsburg was named as one of the top 50 churches in the U.S. by The Church Report magazine. In 2007, The Church Report listed Slaughter as one of the top 50 most influential Christians in America.
The summit is open to any person of faith seeking ideas on how to effectively and missionally engage in today's political and governmental arena. Cost of the two-day summit, including three meals, is $75.
Online Registration will open here on May 20.
For more information, contact United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania at info@umadvocacypa.org.
Tax Hikes Not Needed to Restore PA Funds for Sick, Homeless, Children
It is no secret Pennsylvania is in a budget mess. Should lawmakers and the governor fix the budget crisis on the backs of Pennsylvania's most vulnerable women,men, and children?
With the June 30 deadline approaching, legislators and the Corbett administration have begun to craft a spending plan for the fiscal year that begins on July 1.
Voices of Faith Vital
That is our message as we communicate with legislators and the governor. They need to understand that every state budget is a moral document, and that every decision they make in setting priorities for assisting those in need is a moral decision. Click here for information on contacting your legislator.
While the state Senate has adopted a budget restoring some funds to help those in need, it has not gone far enough.
It only restored half of the vital human service funds the governor cut from programs operated by Pennsylvania's 67 counties. It continued to eliminate General Assistance, a state program that provides a financial bridge and medical coverage for 68,000 persons who are most in need.
The Senate plan also leaves intact most of the cuts to public schools that have already led to the loss of 14,000 teachers and support personnel from the classrooms.
Money is available without raising taxes or creating new state debt to fund restoration of these life-sustaining programs without increasing taxes.
No one wants to raise taxes. Our lawmakers need to close corporate tax loopholes, delay more cuts in business taxes, and end a sales tax discount given to some vendors who collect the tax.
After several years of being in the doldrums, Pennsylvania's economy is finally improving. As a result, tax revenues are increasing. That unplanned money should be used to restore the proposed cuts. We're talking about restorations of cuts, not creating new programs or new bureaucracy.
One of the little-discussed affects of the budget plan is the impact on counties, municipalities, and schools. As the state makes reductions in funding, it is shifting responsibility to local governments and school boards. That forces them, in turn, to make cuts or eliminate important services. It also puts local governments in the position where they must raise taxes or eliminate important services to the needy.
Write or call or meet with your legislator. Tell them of our obligation to the needy. It is our obligation, outlined numerous times in scripture, to speak out, and just as importantly, to keep our leaders in prayer during this budget process.
Predatory Lending Proposed in PA; Speak Out Against Exploitation
"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be as a creditor, charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset." Exodus 22:25-26
For people of faith, responsible lending is a moral concern. The Bible warns against usury - the practice of charging excessive or unjust interest -
particularly if paying that interest would deprive a person of basic necessities, livelihood or home. Faith-communities frequently work with families facing foreclosure or debt brought about, in part, by predatory lending.
We have a chance to prevent one form of predatory lending - Payday Loans - from coming to Pennsylvania.
This practice has been banned for more than a century, but now the state House has fast-tracked legislation to allow payday loan companies into the Commonwealth.
These out-of-state companies make loans, usually to low-income persons, and charge exorbitant fees and annual interest rates of 300 percent or higher.
Proponents are claiming this is a consumer service, but in reality it's taking advantage of people who are often in a desperate situation.
Under HB 2191, a $300 two-week loan will carry a $46 fee, resulting in a 419 percent annual percentage rate.
Borrowers unable to pay back the loan plus interest within the short time frame feel forced to take out another, and then another loan, and quickly become trapped into a debt cycle.
Payday lending laws require that the lending operation be repaid first, which means victims fall farther and farther behind paying for other necessities such as rent, food or health care.
Payday loans have long been banned in Pennsylvania. Banks cannot charge more than 24 percent annually in interest. Payday lenders are not banks, but a special class of businesses that would be allowed allowed to make these loans.
House Bill 2191 would allow companies that are not banks to come into communities and make these short term loans. They usually operate in communities with high rates of poverty where regular loans are difficult to obtain.
While the legislation was introduced in February with bipartisan support, seven co-sponsors removed their names from the bill after learning from advocates what it would do to vulnerable persons.
Contact your House member. Let them know of the biblical mandate against usury, and the danger of allowing these predatory businesses in to the Commonwealth.
Find out more at the Stop Payday Loans website. There is also a petition in opposition to the bill that you can sign on the site.
(Thanks to Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania and the Center for Responsible Lending for information used in this article)
United Methodist Advocacy PA Leading Capitol Prayer Vigil
on Feb. 7 as Gov. Corbett Unveils 2012-2013 Budget
United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania urges United Methodists to pause in prayer on Tuesday, Feb. 7 when Gov. Tom Corbett unveils his 2012-2013 budget plan.
UMAdvocacyPA is leading an interfaith prayer vigil inside the Capitol that day. It urges folks in the Harrisburg region to attend the vigil anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. The vigil will take place in the East Wing rotunda. Our faith partners of the Interfaith Justice Coalition include the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Pennsylvania Jewish Federation, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania, and the Mennonite Central Committee. It is open to all persons of faith. You can pause for a brief prayer, or stay for a longer prayer session in the rotunda.
Our leaders need our prayers, especially in these difficult economic times. All indications are that Gov. Corbett is going to push to further cut back funding and services for our most vulnerable citizens, children, the sick, and the elderly.
It is important for Gov. Corbett and our elected leaders in Harrisburg know there are persons of faith praying for them as they consider making difficult budget decisions.
We pray for God to help them understand our obligation to assist those who are in need across Pennsylvania.
We pray they will understand that a budget is not merely an accounting process, but the result of hundreds of moral decisions. It is a moral document that reflects the Commonwealth's concern for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable persons.
Pennsylvania’s Constitution requires that a balanced budget be adopted by July 1.
Say No to Beer, Wine Sales in Gas Stations, Grocery Stores; Vote Expected Soon
We urgently need you to contact your state House member today.
House members are poised to vote on Monday, Dec. 19, on legislation that would allow gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores, delicatessens, taverns, restaurants, and hotels to sell beer, and in many cases, wine and beer, for off-premises consumption.
Click here to find out the name, email and other contact information for your legislator. Send an email and/or call her/him to oppose this unneeded, dangerous legislation.
Scripture cautions us that alcohol needs to be regarded with great caution. Paul writes in Romans 14:21 that "it is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall"
This legislation is the opposite of what Pennsylvania needs. Instead of expanding access to as many as 10,000 new outlets, we believe the Commonwealth should tighten control of the sale of alcohol.
This proposal emerged after it became clear that support was lacking in the House Liquor Control Committee to send House Majority Leader Michael Turzai's plan to radically privatize the state's liquor system to the floor for a vote. It's clear proponents hope expanded wine and beer sales will hurt the state store system and will over time spur efforts to shut it down.
In the meantime, beer and wine will be available at gas stations across Pennsylvania, in grocery stores, delicatessens, and other food outlets. Seventy years of tight control of access to alcohol will be gone.
We've seen what increased access to alcohol has done in communities across the country. In some communities, beer and wine are sold on nearly every street corner. It's easy for young people to obtain alcohol to drink, then drive, and die in an alcohol-fueled accident. Alcohol addiction becomes a bigger threat to public health. And we all know the negative consequences in families affected by alcohol addiction.
The United Methodist Church has long supported tough controls on access to alcohol. We believe this proposal, and others to expand access and loosen control, is a bad idea that needs to be defeated. The church's position is scripturally and morally sound.
Your help is urgently needed. Please contact your legislator today. Let your legislator know of your concern.
PA Bishops Oppose Privatization of Liquor Stores;
United Methodists Urged to Contact Governor, Legislators
The United Methodist Church supports tough controls on the sale of wine, liquor and beer.
That is why Pennsylvania’s three bishops, Thomas J. Bickerton, Peggy Johnson, and Jane Allen Middleton, have written to Gov. Tom Corbett and the members of the General Assembly, strongly opposing efforts to privatize Pennsylvania's state store system.
And that is why United Methodist Advocacy asking United Methodists to are asking contact the governor and members of the General Assembly. Please ask them to keep the existing system of state-owned and controlled wine and spirits stores.
Click here to send the governor a message.
And click here to find out the name, email and other contact information for your legislator. Try to meet with your legislator to tell her/him your views, and the views of the church on this issue.
Your voice counts! Please speak out. Get your church to speak out. Voices of faith are needed in Harrisburg.
For decades, Pennsylvania governors have wanted to do away with the state-owned wine and liquor stores. Dick Thornburgh, Tom Ridge, and now, Tom Corbett, want the state to get out of the business of selling alcoholic beverages. Their argument is mainly philosophic: selling wine and spirits should be a private-sector enterprise.
We believe maintaining tight control over the sale of alcoholic beverages is a good deal for Pennsylvania. It saves lives. It keeps alcohol out of the hands of persons under the age of 21.
The Social Principles of The United Methodist Church are clear on the issue: "We support the strict administration of laws regulating the sale and distribution of alcohol and controlled substances. We support regulations that protect society from users of drugs of any kind, including alcohol, where it can be shown that a clear and present social danger exists.' (Paragraph 162 2008 Book of Discipline)
Scripture supports this view. Among the references to avoiding alcohol is this exhortation from the apostle, Paul, who tells tell people of Ephesus, "do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18 NRSV)
The state store system was created after Prohibition to control access to wine and liquor. While over the years it has evolved into more modern stores and a broader selection of wine and spirits, the original controlling access to alcohol philosophy remains. Underage drinkers know better than to even try to buy booze at a state store.
We believe this system needs to continue. This is an area where the government is doing a valuable public service by tightly controlling access.
If the privatization efforts succeed, Pennsylvania would see an explosion of the number of outlets selling wine and liquor. There are about 600 right now. Under the various proposals being considered, that number to increase to up to 3,000. That could mean liquor stores on street corners all across the Commonwealth.
Let Gov. Corbett and your legislators know of your concerns. Ask them to oppose House Bill 11 and any other attempts to privatize the state store system. It's a bad deal for Pennsylvania.
Strong Regulation, Fair PA Natural Gas Tax Plan Needed
Let your legislator know that Pennsylvania needs tough regulation and fair taxation of natural gas from the state's Marcellus Shale deposits.
We believe legislation offered by Reps. Gene DiGirolamo and Thomas Murt, Republicans from Montgomery and Bucks counties, respectively, offers the fairest and best path forward.
The Pennsylvania House and Senate are expected to begin making key decisions on regulating and taxing natural gas from the shale deposits.
Click here to find your legislator's contact information. Send an email. Write a letter. Meet or phone your legislator.
Click here to electronically contact Gov. Tom Corbett. Other contact information for the governor can be found by clicking here.
Urge your legislator to support legislation that imposes a substantial, but fair tax on natural gas extracted in Pennsylvania. Urge your legislator to advocate for tough, but fair regulation and oversight of natural gas drilling and distribution.
Revenues should be used for environmental protection initiatives, to help local communities that host drilling operations, and to fund vital social services in the state budget.
We believe proposals offered by the governor through state Rep. Brian Ellis R-Butler County, fall far short of producing a fair revenue stream for Pennsylvania. Ellis's proposal (HB 1950) passed the House Finance Committee by a 15-10 party line vote. Republicans are in the majority.
Ellis's proposal was part of a 127-page bill that also strips local communities of their right to control where natural gas wells may be drilled, and privatizes the permitting process required of natural gas drillers. Permits are currently proces
sed by the state Department of Environmental Protection. We believe this is the wrong approach.
Communities deserve a strong voice in this process. It would be irresponsible to block the persons most affected by the potential negative effects of natural gas drilling from being part of the decision-making.
DiGirolamo and Murt's legislation is comprehensive and fair to the natural gas industry. It provides funds for environmental protection, local communities, and social service programs.
DiGirolamo and Murt see this measure as a compromise among the various pieces of legislation seeking to institute a tax. The tax rate they propose - 4.7 percent - is less than neighboring West Virginia's 6.1 percent and Texas' 5.4 percent.
Urge your House member to support the Murt-DiGirolamo proposal when it comes for consideration as a bill or as an amendment.
All three Pennsylvania annual conferences adopted resolutions during their annual conference sessions this year calling for strong regulation and taxation of natural ga extraction.
Pennsylvania is one of a few states that does not impose a tax on gas at the place where it comes from the ground.
United Methodists Uniting: Pennsylvania Anti-Poverty Summit II
Save This Date! Oct. 9-10, 2011 Camp Hill UMC, Camp Hill, PA
Featuring: Shane Claiborne
Bestselling Author, Prominent Christian Activist, Sought-after Speaker and Recovering Sinner. Founding partner of The Simple Way, a faith community in inner city Philadelphia that has helped to create and connect radical faith communities around the world.
Fasting for PA’s Vulnerable
Prayer Focused on Pennsylvania’s Budget
Seeking Moral Choices, Moral Decisions, A Moral State Budget
Fast for PA’s Vulnerable supports Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens during the state budget debate.
Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable – children, persons living in poverty, the elderly, and persons with disabilities – are at risk in the 2011-2012 state budget.
