Christian Leaders Commit to Tackling PovertyBy Adelle M. Banks
Christian leaders from the country's broadest-ever ecumenical group have issued a statement condemning the "scandal of widespread poverty" and calling for action by the public and private sectors to combat it.
"As leaders in Christian Churches Together, we believe that a renewed commitment to overcome poverty is central to the mission of the church and essential to our unity in Christ," they said in a Feb. 9 statement.
The statement was released at the conclusion of the formal launch of
Christian Churches Together, which includes five "families" of Christian faith groups (Catholics, evangelicals and Pentecostals, Orthodox, mainline Protestants and racial/ethnic churches).
Some of the 36 founding members who gathered in Pasadena, Calif., for the Feb. 6-9 meeting noted the rarity of such a broad group of Christians working together. The poverty statement calls for working with other faith groups as well as individuals and families, and the public and private sector.
"We believe substantial success in reducing domestic poverty requires an overall framework that insists that overcoming poverty requires both more personal responsibility and broader societal responsibility, both better choices by individuals and better policies and investments by government, both renewing wholesome families and strengthening economic incentives," the statement reads.
The leaders cite four objectives to address domestic poverty:
strengthening families and communities; reducing child poverty; combating racism and ensuring full-time work provides a "realistic escape from poverty and access to good health care"; and strenthening the educational system, particularly public schools.
The denominational executives pledged to continue addressing the issue at their 2008 annual gathering in Washington.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/211/story_21196_1.html Statement on PovertyAdopted by
Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A.As Christian leaders in the wealthiest society on earth, we are called by God to urge our churches and nation to strengthen and expand efforts to address the scandal of widespread poverty in the United States and around the world. The Gospel and our ethical principles place our service of the poor and vulnerable and our work for justice at the center of Christian life and witness.
Our common faith compels us. Christ our Lord teaches us that when we serve and stand with “the least of these,” we serve and stand with Him. Our Bible teaches us in hundreds of places that the God we worship has a special concern for the poor. God judges individuals and societies by how they respond to the needs of the poor. As leaders in Christian Churches Together, we believe that a renewed commitment to overcome poverty is central to the mission of the church and essential to our unity in Christ. Therefore in order to obey our God, respect the dignity of every person, and promote the common good of society, we must act. Our focus here is domestic poverty, but we reaffirm our commitment to overcome poverty all around the world.
Widespread and persistent poverty challenges us to action. The painful truth is that about thirty-seven million people in our country live below the poverty line. Tragically, 18 percent of all our children struggle in poverty. The sad reality is that millions in our nation work hard and still cannot escape poverty. We lament this ongoing poverty.
Our faith in Christ who is the truth compels us to confront the ignorance of and indifference to the scandal of widespread, persistent poverty in this rich nation. We must call this situation by its real names: moral failure, unacceptable injustice. Our faith in Christ drives us to call our churches and our society to a more urgent, united response.
We are grateful for the vast array of ways our churches are already helping millions of struggling people. We want to build on these efforts, learn from each other, and collaborate more closely. But we can, we must, do more.
We also recognize and encourage leaders in community, economic and public life who seek justice for poor people in our land. But we can, we must, do more. Our goal must be the elimination of poverty in this land.
Continued @
http://www.christianchurchestogether.org/poverty/ 
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