United Methodist Witness – A New Beginning… And a New Name
The year 2009 was a year of new beginnings, renewal and success for the ministry of A United Methodist Witness in Pennsylvania.
In fact, now we have a new name: United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania.
Three Major Advocacy Areas
After hiring a new executive director with extensive experience in Pennsylvania government, politics, and The United Methodist Church, the board of directors agreed to focus on three main advocacy areas:
• Halting the expansion of legalized gambling.
• Supporting efforts to expand access to health care.
• Engaging in advocacy for disabled persons.
We have been involved in all three areas over the year. With gambling continuing as a major concern across the Commonwealth, we focused much of our effort on trying to stop the introduction of new forms of gambling. We have become a high-visibility opponent of expanding casinos to allow table games and a proposal to turn thousands of taverns and restaurants into mini-casinos through the approval of video poker. Our executive director, Stephen Drachler, testified before the House Gaming Oversight Committee in opposition to video poker. Our bishops have sent letters to legislators urging them to oppose expansion of gambling. We are a leader of a statewide coalition Stop Video Poker PA.
As the nation focuses on health care, and the more than 45 million Americans who are without adequate health insurance. we are part of a statewide coalition providing educational materials and conducting public events in support of health are reform.
Pennsylvania’s Budget Crisis
When Pennsylvania became embroiled in a 101-day budget crisis, our involvement expanded to working with other faith and non-profit advocacy groups across Pennsylvania to advocate for a just and moral budget. United Methodist Advocacy called for prayer vigils as the Capitol and legislators’ offices as one expression of concer.
In late August, Pennsylvania’s United Methodist bishops issued a call to action, urging United Methodists and other concerned persons to contact their legislators and Gov. Rendell, urging them to come to a fair, moral budget. More than 2,000 United Methodists responded to this call to action, sending petitions, letters, emails and making phone calls. This was one of several calls to action and pastoral statements issued by the bishops during the year as they embraced United Methodist Witness’s higher profile.
During Pennsylvania’s budget crisis, United Methodist Witness was one of the organizers of a statewide coalition of faith and non-profit groups concerned about funding for the state’s social safety net. The lack of a budget triggered reduction and cutoffs of funding for thousands of social service organizations, including United Methodist related day care centers and church-supported agencies for low-income and homeless persons.
Coalitions Focus Energy of Many
Much of our work is done in cooperation with networks of faith and non-profit groups around the state. Here is a partial list of the organizations we worked with during 2009, and in some cases the issue we worked together on:
• United Methodist Board of Church and Society
• Pennsylvania Council of Churches
• Pennsylvania Family Institute (gambling)
• Casino Free Pennsylvania (gambling)
• Casino Free Philadelphia (gambling)
• No Dice Pennsylvania (gambling)
• Heeding God’s Call (Illegal Gun Sales)
• Ceasefire Pennsylvania
• Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania
• Interfaith Coalition
• Pennsylvania Catholic Conference
• Pennsylvania Jewish Federation, Pennsylvania Interfaith Action
• Pennsylvania Coalition of Black Clergy (state budget)
• Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (state budget)
• Black Clergy of Philadelphia (state budget)
• Pennsylvania Health Access Network
• Common Cause of Pennsylvania
• Harrisburg Interdenominational Pastors Association.
We are part of a fledgling statewide coalition – Heeding God’s Call – that is working to reduce gun violence in Pennsylvania. The coalition is led by a group from Philadelphia, including several United Methodists, that succeeded in closing a notorious gun shop. Its main focus is encouraging gun shops to sign a code of conduct dealing with the sale of guns to straw purchasers – persons buying one or more guns for someone else. This practice is one of the root causes of the high rate of gun violence in Pennsylvania and the state’s reputation as an easy place to buy a handgun for criminal purposes.
As the year draws to a close, we are part of a newly formed group that is leading the effort for campaign finance reform in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s election system is badly broken. There are no limits and few restrictions on campaign finances. Million-dollar legislative races are common. A culture of “pay to play” permeates the state, corrupting governmental processes in cities, counties, and on the state level. We were asked to be part of this effort.
Education and Advocacy From a United Methodist Perspective
Our new name, United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania, accurately reflects what we do – education and advocacy. We felt it is important that our name be easily understood in today’s fast-paced communications. As insiders, the members of the board under the theological reasoning behind using the word witness to describe what we do. We believe Advocate is a better fit for communicating with persons unfamiliar to our work and our history. After all, Jesus is the Great Advocate -- our teacher, and our redeemer. And John Wesley, the forbearer of Methodism, was both an advocate and a great educator of his time.
