NEWS

Faith leaders gather to advocate for human dignity

Christine Temple, and Jonathan Shorman
News-Leader

Members of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Bahá'í congregations put aside differences Thursday night and gathered to advocate for human dignity and justice.

"I see so much diversity here," Kenneth L. Chumbley, rector of Christ Episcopal Church, said to the crowd of about 250 people from 37 congregations. "But we are united and we are one in our faith with God ... and our concern for struggling people."

Area faith and community leaders discussed topics facing Missouri legislators, like early voting, Medicaid expansion, poverty and living wages and race equality.

"We feel that this is something that faith voices need to be in conversation about," said Emily Bowen-Marler, associate minister at Brentwood Christian Church. "I'm called to care for the least of these. So many passages in the Bible talk about economic dignity."

Springfield Faith Voices is a chapter of Missouri Faith Voices, which connects over 500 state congregations that want to make a positive impact on their communities and advocates for social justice.

The night served as a catalyst event to connect the churches and start working toward solutions for problems affecting the poor.

Faith leaders want to challenge legislators to put partisanship aside and make decisions based on what would enhance the dignity of Missourians.

"Our goal for sure is to disrupt the partisan politics narrative that happens with issues like poverty," said Mark Struckhoff, executive director of Council of Churches of the Ozarks. "We want elected officials to ask themselves the question, 'Will this advance human dignity and not just do what is politically expedient?'"

Rally participants began with song, with lyrics invoking a God of justice.

"What does The Lord require of you? Justice, kindness, walk humbly with your God," one song read.

Pastor of Central Assembly of God Jeff Peterson, who hosted the event at his church in north Springfield, also welcomed rally-goers by reading from an Isaiah passage imploring God to free the oppressed.

Politics co-mingled with religion. Many participants had signs calling for Medicaid expansion.

Rabbi Rita Sherwin, of Temple Israel, said the core of Jewish teaching is to love your neighbor as yourself. "All of us are brothers and sisters ... partners with God in making a better world."

She called for Medicaid expansion and said it was an "obligation for society as a whole."

Bishop Emeritus John Leibrecht of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau echoed Sherwin's comments.

"Every person has a responsibility for society and promoting the well-being of other people, especially the poor and the vulnerable," he said.

Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon attended and received a standing ovation from the crowd. Nixon has championed Medicaid expansion for more than a year but has faced an uphill climb in the Republican-dominated General Assembly.

"We see a growing cavalcade of social mission folks pushing hard for this opportunity for working Missourians to have greater access to health care," Nixon told reporters.

At the rally, he said he was "optimistic" expansion would be achieved this year and said there had been positive movement over the past several weeks.

Temple Israel member Marla Marantz spoke on another policy issue in Missouri: early voting to accommodate Missourians who cannot make it to the polls.

"If one person's right to vote is limited, we are all diminished," she said.

Marantz called for those in attendance to help gather signatures for an early voting petition, which she said needs 1,000 signatures this week.

More than half the audience stood signaling they would help.

"Let's make sure the voiceless have a voice," she said.

Toward the end of the event, Lyle Foster, owner of Big Momma's Coffee and Espresso Bar on Commercial Street, said he realized after working with agencies that fought poverty and now as an entrepreneur, "we are simply not paying people enough."

Foster said those in the audience should be champions for a living wage.

Local architect John Oke-Thomas said it's an "abomination" in this country for a family of four to live on an annual amount that some CEOs could make in an hour.

"How do we go about sustaining a society when we have such inequality?" he asked.

Dan Friberg, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, said it is the responsibility of Christians to help those in need.

"If you look at the life of Jesus and especially his teaching on the Sermon on the Mount where he talks about care for the poor, God is present where many think he is not," he said. "He is present in the suffering of the poor."

Bowen-Marler said, "We are really wanting to address the systematic issues that led to poverty. Charity is important — but wouldn't it be better to get people out of poverty altogether?"

After the event, groups will be formed to canvass the city to gather signatures to put an early voting initiative on the November ballot. Church members will also be asked to call their legislators and push them to pass Medicaid expansion.

"Together we are louder than just one person standing on a street corner," Bowen-Marler said.

Currently, Medicaid eligibility in Missouri stands at 19 percent of the federal poverty level. If the state expands eligibility up to 138 percent of the poverty level, the federal government will fund 90 percent of the cost of expansion.

Republicans have been resistant to expanding Medicaid, citing concerns that the federal government will back out of its funding promise and expanding the program amounts an increase in government.

Sen. John Lamping, R-Creve Coeur, is one of the lead opponents of expansion in the Senate. Nixon appealed to Lamping's faith when asked how expansion can be accomplished this year when Lamping has vowed to block it.

"I think Senator Lamping is a man of deep faith and I think these moral arguments resonate," Nixon said. "As I said before, I think we're clearly making progress and I think our job is to accelerate that progress and make sure we get this done this year."