The Millennium Development Goals
What Are the Millennium Development Goals?The MDGs are an eight-pronged declaration that has at its core the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by the year 2015.
In what has become a major mission and evangelism emphasis of this General Convention, the MDG resolution (D022):
· Establishes achieving the MDGs as a stated mission priority of the Episcopal Church for the next three years;
· Urges each diocese, congregation and parishioner to give 0.7 percent toward the MDGs by July 7, 2007; i.e. by 07/07/07;
· Designates the Last Sunday after Pentecost as a special day of prayer, fasting and giving in the Episcopal Church toward global reconciliation and the Millennium Development Goals;
· Calls on every diocese to establish a global reconciliation commission to mobilize Episcopalians to work for achieving the goals of the MDGs;
· Endorses the "ONE Episcopalian" campaign that calls on the U.S. government to spend an additional 1 percent of its budget to combat global poverty; and
· Asks the budget committee of the Episcopal Church to consider a line item equal to 0.7 percent (or roughly $900,000) in the coming three-year budget for work that supports the MDGs.
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me [...] Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me." - Matthew 25:35-36, 40b
"Extreme poverty means that households cannot meet basic needs for survival. They are chronically hungry, unable to access health care, lack the amenities of safe drinking water and sanitation, cannot afford education for some or all of the children, and perhaps lack rudimentary shelter -- a roof to keep the rain out of the hut, a chimney to remove the smoke from the cook stove -- and basic articles of clothing, such as shoes." - Jeffrey D. Sachs. The End of Poverty (The Penguin Press, 2005), p. 20.
Click here for "Welcome to the MDGs" (PowerPoint presentation)
Developed by the Rev. Debra Shew and Amanda Meng for a presentation on the MDGs for the Diocese of Atlanta's Annual Council
MDG Resources , including bulletin inserts from the Episcopal News Service
While extreme global poverty is one of our greatest global challenges, there is good news...
We are at a unique point in history where we actually do possess the knowledge, skills and resources to meet the challenge and make poverty history. The only thing left for us to do is to become active participants in God's mission to mobilize that knowledge, skill and resources to eradicate extreme poverty.
We can do nothing less as our Baptisms call us into a covenant relationship with God and all of creation. This covenant establishes the moral obligation to follow Jesus' command to care for the poor and oppressed (Matthew 25:31-46).
The Commitment
The Episcopal Church at General Convention 2006 made the Millennium Development Goals a mission priority , including committing 0.7% of its budget to achieving the and asked dioceses and parishes to do the same.
Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori is making the Millennium Development Goals the centerpiece of the church's commitment to shalom. As she said in her investiture sermon:
"This church has said that our larger vision will be framed and shaped in the coming years by the vision of shalom embedded in the Millennium Development Goals - a world where the hungry are fed, the ill are healed, the young educated, women and men treated equally, and where all have access to clean water and adequate sanitation, basic health care, and the promise of development that does not endanger the rest of creation. That vision of abundant life is achievable in our own day, but only with the passionate commitment of each and every one of us. It is God's vision of homecoming for all humanity."
Read the whole sermon, here.
LEARN MORE and GET INVOLVED
We have our website linked to the website of Episcopalians for Global Reconiliation . Many of the links on this page will take you to their site for further information. We invite you to browse their site for futher information and links.
What Do We Do?
An excellent book, What Can One Person Do? Faith to Heal a Broken World , by Sabina Alkire, Edmund Newell, Ann Barham, Chloe Breyer, and Ian Douglas provides a strategy that allows each person to connect with, learn about and take action - to strive for justice and peace. The strategy includes:
Pray Hold people and situations in prayer. Learn more here: Prayers for MDGs
Study Get the basic facts about the MDGs here: MDGs 101 . Read the book.
Give Start with Episcopal Relief & Development - and there are many other organizations working to reduce hunger, starvation and disease, and bring clean water and sanitation to God's children.
Connect Spend time abroad volunteering or visiting to connect with the impoverished.
Raise Awareness Organize a concert or other public event to raise awareness and funds.
Take Action Take part in a direct action - e.g. wear a white wrist band
Advocate Join the ONE campaign - see more information around the church soon.
