November 20, 2009

CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY! The Senate is expected to vote to begin debate on a health care reform bill on the evening of Saturday, Nov. 21. This vote is only to begin the process of debate, not a vote on the bill itself. Call your senators today or tomorrow and urge them to vote YES to begin debate. Remind them how important it is to provide access to affordable, quality health care for everyone. You can use the toll-free number: 1-888-797-8717.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING: In this season of Thanksgiving, let us not forget to give thanks for the abundance of health care resources available in our country. At the same time, let us remember our call to be faithful stewards and generous heirs of the gifts we have received. To help guide our reflections of thanksgiving and hope, Faithful Reform in Health Care has offered a prayer for these days. 

Please share this prayer with your Members of Congress. Simply print 3 copies, write messages to your Senators and Representative, and send the prayer to their local offices. To find their addresses or fax numbers, visit: http://www.house.gov and http://www.senate.gov.

And then take one more step: Distribute this prayer in your community of faith in the coming days and provide the needed information for others to share in this action with you. You may want to collect the prayers and send them together with a cover letter identifying your community of faith!

Worship and advocacy resources on health care, as well as background information, are available at the Abundant Life campaign web site, washington.mcc.org/life.

The MCC U.S. Washington Office High School Essay Contest is accepting entries until Dec. 18. Encourage Anabaptist youth to participate. (washington.mcc.org/advocate/essays)

Alert prepared by Tammy Alexander, Legislative Associate for Domestic Affairs (Immigration, Environment, Health Care). Adapted from an alert by Faithful Reform in Health Care, of which the MCC Washington Office is a member. The toll-free number was made possible with support from the United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries and the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church in collaboration with Faithful Reform in Health Care.