Faith in the Public Square

A diverse group of religious leaders is calling on  President Joseph Biden and members of Congress to expand the Federal Child Tax Credit (CTC)  before the 117th Congress completes its work on December 31.  In a letter sent last month , they noted that  they support full refundability for the poorest families and monthly payments - two provisions that they say are especially important to the CTC’s impact among children.    From the letter :   The temporary expansion of the CTC that Congress approved last spring reduced child poverty and food insecurity among families with children to lower levels than ever before in our nation’s history. Evaluative studies from Columbia University and Washington University show that the families who benefited used the money for food, rent, and other basic household expenses. They also show that employment among adults in these families did not decline. How can we not build on these wonderful results?    Yet ...

City & State magazine , which describes itself as “the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy,” offers a regular feature called The Power List. In its inaugural Faith Power 100 , which is tilted heavily toward the New York City region, there are three individuals might be familiar to people in the Capital District who are involved in the connection between religion and politics. Their ranking and description are as follows:  48. Rev. Peter Cook Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches The Rev. Peter Cook, who represents 7,000 congregations across the state, has pushed Gov. Kathy Hochul to transfer incarcerated people out of Rikers and rallied with home care workers to boost their wages in the state budget. Cook rose to national prominence by using his platform to drive a wedge between gun ownership and Christianity after a gunman killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket in May. Cook argued for stricte...

The Seventh Annual Awards and Fundraising Dinner of the New York State Council of Churches will take place on Friday, December 9 at the Desmond Hotel in Albany. The list of award recipients is below. A reception will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and the dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. Information about tickets, sponsorships and program advertisements is here .  The awardees are:  EXCELLENCE IN ECUMENICAL AND INTERFAITH RELATIONS AWARD   The Right Reverend Mary D. Glasspool, Bishop Assistant, Episcopal Diocese of New York  EXCELLENCE IN CHAPLAINCY AWARDS   The Reverend Dr. Gideon Jebamani, Chaplain, Sing Sing and Taconic Correctional Facilities  The Reverend James E Steward II Lead Pastor, South Bushwick Reformed Church, Brooklyn, New York Director of Pastoral Care & Education, Mount Sinai South Nassau  EXCELLENCE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARDS   Union Organizing 32 BJ SEIU   President Kyle Bragg and Secretary/Treasurer ...

The New York State Council of Churches is working with other religious groups and housing advocates to organize a rally in Albany tomorrow (Tuesday) to promote Right to Counsel legislation, which would ensure that every tenant in New York State has the right to a lawyer when facing an eviction. According to an email from the council, “Our faith leads us to proclaim the dignity of all people and the right to shelter. We agree with Pope Francis, who said during his 2015 visit to the United States, ‘We can find no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing.’”   The Council reports that 1.2 million households are behind on rent due to the COVID-19 pandemic and more than 237,000 eviction cases pending across the state. Advocates are gathering at the staircase outside the Legislative Office Building (172 State Street) for a rally at 11:00 a.m., after which they will enter the building and go through security. Once inside, they will have a press c...