Local clergy, youth and congregation members to lead health care call with President Obama

August 11 Prayer Rallies kick off 40 Days for Health Reform

August 18, 2009

Tens of thousands of people of faith will gather for 40 minutes of health care prayer, learning and action on Wednesday at 5pm EDT in a historic national conference call with President Barack Obama.  The call is one more element of an unprecedented grassroots faith-based movement to make quality health care affordable to all American families.   The call is co-hosted by PICO along with more than 30 national religious denominations and organizations representing millions of people of faith from the Evangelical, Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Jewish and Muslim traditions.

Local clergy and congregation members, including pastors and lay leaders from seven PICO affiliates, are participating on the call to give testimony about the life and death challenges that they and their loved ones face in getting the health care they need; describe how health care reform will benefit real families; and share examples of what people of faith are doing to make reform a reality.  A senior White House official will answer questions on pressing issues for religious voters; and all call participants will be asked to "take the pledge" to take action over the next forty days to make sure that Congress returns to Washington, DC after Labor Day ready to pass comprehensive health care reform that lives up to the nation's highest ideal. 

To RSVP for the call and get more information visit www.coverallfamilies.org/faithforhealth.   

PICO clergy and leaders speaking on the call include:

• Rev. Heyward Wiggins (Camden Churches Organized for People)
• Linda Fillipini (Communities for Civic Action-Melbourne, FL)
• Karla Carranza (Metro Organizations for People-Denver, CO)
• Rev. Cory Sparks (Congregations Organizing People for Equality-Lafayette, LA)
• Fr. Bob Amundsen (Metro Organizations for People-Denver, CO)
• Rev. Jennifer Thomas (Communities Creating Opportunity-Kansas City Missouri and Kansas)
• Rev. Charles Smith (PICO Louisiana-Baton Rouge, LA)
• Patti Milot (Congregations United for Neighborhood Action-Allentown, PA)

Through large public meetings with Members of Congress, prayer vigils and rallies in more than 45 cities reaching the offices of 100+ Senators and Representatives, five trips to Washington, DC by large groups of clergy and families during 2009, and paid radio and TV ads, PICO and our faith and consumer allies have been demonstrating the broad public support for reform.  PICO clergy and lay leaders plan to return to Washington, DC in September to continue pressing Congress to move forward with health reform, including a strong Affordability Standard that protects families from crushing health care costs.

PICO is a non-partisan organization that does not endorse or support candidates.  PICO strongly encourages people of faith to study the teachings and policy positions of their particular religious denominations and traditions.