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 Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations is hosting an Election Day Prayers gathering online tonight as election polls begin to close around the nation. Anyone can tune in from 8 p.m. to midnight EST via  The Episcopal Public Policy Network Facebook page  or  The Episcopal Church Facebook page . Viewers do not need a Facebook profile to participate. From the announcement: At the top of each hour, special guests from around the church will offer 10-15 minutes of reflection and prayer. Participants are encouraged to engage in prayerful conversation in the comments. The gathering will also feature simple video feeds from parishes throughout the U.S. Scheduled guests include Presiding Bishop Michael Curry; House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris; the Rev. Charles Graves IV, missioner for Houston Canterbury; the Rev. Donna Gleaves, an Episcopal Public Policy Network ambassador; and Willis H.A. Moore, an Episcopal Election Activator. “We welcome everyone as we...

A Kristallnacht Interfaith Commemoration will be helped at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 10 at Page Hall on the University at Albany downtown campus, 135 Western Avenue.  The evening will include a presentation of The Rescuers, the inspiring documentary about non-Jewish diplomats who helped save thousands of Jews during the Holocaust.   From the flyer:  The Rescuers joins Holocaust historian Sir Martin Gilbert and Rwandan anti-genocide activist Stephanie Nyombayire with Emmy winning director Michael King. They travel to 15 countries and three continents to explore the “mystery of goodness”-- that characteristic in people who make morally correct decisions when facing genocide, despite the risk to themselves and their families. Stephanie Nyombayire, who lost 100 members of her family in the Rwandan genocide, and Sir Martin Gilbert, who, as a child, was evacuated during the Battle of Britain and lost many of his family in the Holocaust, provide a unique cou...

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 Capital Region Refugee Roundtable is a volunteer network of over 500 individuals and organizational representative in the Capital Region. Their email mailing list provides updates, resources and other information regarding the support of refugees and immigrants in the Capital Region.  Meetings are held every two months.  The Roundtable has a website that provides a great deal of information on local community resources to assist refugees, immigrants and the volunteers and organizations who support them.  The link is here .    For more information, or to sign up for the Refugee Roundtable email mailing list, email Dahlia Herring, Refugee Roundtable Co-Chair, at  dmazengia@nycap.rr.com

The New York State Labor-Religion Coalition 's Moral Fusion Leadership Awards, originally scheduled for  October 20 at First Lutheran Church in Albany, have been postponed until some time in the Spring. According to the organizers, the postponement is due to concerns about rising COVID risks in Albany county. The awards celebrate the movement-building work of the Labor-Religion Coalition and honor remarkable leaders from across the state who are making tremendous contributions to the struggle for economic, racial, and social justice in New York. And the honorees are: The Fair Pay for Home Care Campaign , which has been an amazing example of bringing people and organizations together across lines of division, centering the stories and insights of those directly impacted by the home care crisis, and lifting up a powerful moral message about how our society cares for one another.  St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church , which has powerfully engaged its members and...