Chapel of the Cross, Chapel Hill, NC

I used to equate Christian responsibility with bringing a can of tuna for the Inter-Faith Council every Sunday. Loving my neighbor meant loving and serving my actual geographic neighbor: volunteering on a local Habitat house or visiting a local nursing home. Recently, however, I've become aware of the limitations of this concept of service. This is not to say that such outreach is not necessary or important. Direct service in our community is one of our parish's greatest strengths and we should continue to support and be proud of it.

But I have also begun to recognize our Christian responsibility to think bigger, not only about what we can do in our local community, but also how to become more active and involved in our national political community. To be involved in affecting public policy, by becoming better educated about the issues and by writing or visiting members of Congress, is social outreach on a large scale.

We do not have to think about approaching this task alone. The National Church provides information and structure to help us think about social issues and take political action. The General Convention discusses social concerns and publicizes its positions on these matters in a series of policy statements called Policy for Action. Policy for Action includes a wide range of issues, such as advocating for children, fighting HIV/AIDS, and expanding affordable housing.

For example, this summer members of Congress have been debating $3-billion cuts in the food stamp program and an energy bill which fails to seriously address America's dependence on foreign oil and which contains a number of provisions that would be harmful to the environment. Policy for Action expresses the views of General Convention in directly opposing both the federal cuts to food stamps and the energy bill's weak stance on protecting the environment.

In addition, the Episcopal Public Policy Network is a nationwide grassroots organization that writes to legislators in support of the Episcopal Church's position on political issues. It is funded by the Church and reflects the policies set by General Convention. Individuals who join the Network receive current Policy for Action statements and other information. They also receive email updates on legislation, reminders to write to their representatives, and links to sample emails that can be edited to fit one's personal style and sent to one's own legislators. I encourage you to go to the Episcopal Public Policy Network's website at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn.htm to join the organization. It only takes a few minutes to become part of this important side of our faith as Episcopalians.

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