Congregations advocate on behalf of children By Fabvienen Taylor
JACKSON – At a noon press conference in the rotunda of the state Capitol, an ecumenical advocacy group announced Thursday, Jan. 24, they won’t be deterred in their quest to improve the lives of Mississippi’s children.
Like the widow banging on the door of the judge in Luke 18: 1-8, members of Congregations for Children said they will persist in their efforts to convince the state Legislature to improve education and healthcare for children.
Bishop Duncan Gray of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi said members of Congregations for Children will bang on the doors of legislators and make “pests of ourselves for a long time. We’ll wait it out.”
Methodist Bishop Hope Ward and Bishop Joseph Latino of the Jackson diocese each made statements calling on people of faith to join in supporting Congregations for Children’s 2008 legislative priorities:
— Full funding of public education through the Mississippi Adequate Education Plan (MAEP);
— Full funding of Medicaid, including the match for Community Mental Health Centers; increased accessibility and fewer restrictions on the face-to-face certification/recertification requirements for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP);
— Lowering the grocery tax;
— Increasing the cigarette tax;
— Supporting the Mississippi Youth Justice Project legislation targeting the cradle-to-prison pipeline.
Congregations for Children is an advocacy network launched in 2005 by the Episcopal, Catholic and United Methodist churches in Mississippi established to improve the lives of Mississippi’s children. whose members are called to love, celebrate and advocate for children.
Faith communities that become members of Congregations for Children make three commitments: to educate themselves about the issues that challenge Mississippi children; to celebrate Children’s Sabbath in their local communities; and advocate for legislative action on behalf of children.
The state Legislature opened Tuesday, Jan. 8, for its regular session.
“Today we are here to raise the awareness of our elected officials of the needs of the poor, needy children — the least of these — in our state,” said Bishop Latino.
“A truly child-friendly Mississippi would result from more genuine cooperation among elected officials and more creative interaction by them with business leaders, the arts, academia and the faith-based communities to reflect the needs of all Mississippi’s children,” he said.
“We owe it to our children to ensure a healthy future for them and in turn for our state,” Bishop Latino said.
“We can do better. We must do better. We are making a noise here today and we hope our elected officials will hear this noise on behalf of those who need to be heard,” he said.
Bishop Ward said over half of the children in Mississippi live in poverty. “It is our joy and our responsibility to embrace all children with everything they need,” she said.
“We are asking our Legislature to pay special attention to our children at-risk. Today we are asking our legislators to join hands with us to do things to create an environment where our children can grow, flourish and one day lead this great state,” Bishop Ward said.
