Op Ed from Bonnie Anderson

This op ed by Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies after her recent advocacy visit to Capitol Hill speaks volumes to the task put before me for tomorrow. She went to advocate for women and the poor and ended up discussing the budget. I will be visiting Capitol Hill to advocate, witness, testify on behalf of the Middle East peace process as a person of faith. It will be a challenge for me but I hope to have a positive impact on the discussion and bring the issue to the forefront of my representatives' attention.

Below, please find selected excerpts from Bonnie's op ed which I found especially poignant and which I will be taking with me for my own visit to the Hill.

We have a significant moral priority as Episcopalians, as Christians, to bear witness on behalf of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized. The baptismal promise to strive for justice and peace among all people makes the choice between cutting programs for the poor and elderly or raising taxes an easy one[...]

I think that what the Episcopal Church and other faith-based organizations bring is moral courage. We reinforce the notion that it is essential to speak up with passion and commitment for all of those neighbors whom we, as followers of Jesus, promise to love as deeply as we love ourselves. [...]

I saw a lot of people with heart in those Capitol Hill offices, but they need encouragement. I met people who are bringing all that they are, and giving everything they've got, to the task at hand. They need to see the rest of us doing the same. The soul of America is at stake in this budget. The people of God need to speak up, now[...]

Right now, a big dose of God's wonder is just what Capitol Hill needs, and our prayers and voices can help deliver it.