Virtual March for the MDGs on July 24

On Thursday, July 24, more than 600 Anglican bishops, their spouses and other faith leaders from around the United Kingdom will march through central London on a Walk of Witness -- a symbolic moment of solidarity and coming together for the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals to reflect to the world God's desire for justice and concern for the poor.
Now every Episcopalian can "march" with them.

The Episcopal Public Policy Network and Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation are sponsoring a "Virtual March for the MDGs" to coincide with the Lambeth Conference walk. The aim is the same. Only instead of marching through the streets of London, they're urging people to march virtually by filling Congressional inboxes in Washington, D.C., with emails demanding our leaders to share our commitment to achieving the MDGs and making poverty history.

Joining up is easy -- for individuals and congregations.
1) Between now and July 24, individuals can go to episcopal.grassroots.com/virtualmarch and sign up. On July 24, they'll get an email with a link to click and take an MDG-related advocacy action (the precise action will be decided in the coming weeks. EPPN will choose the most effective action based on the status of various pieces of anti-poverty legislation before Congress). The whole process will take no more than 3 minutes each time.

2) After July 1, congregations can go to www.e4gr.org/virtualmarch.html to download a brief liturgy that can be inserted in their Sunday Eucharist on July 20 and/or July 27 as well as special service leaflets for each Sunday so they can stand in solidarity with the Lambeth Conference's commitment to the MDGs and ending extreme poverty. Bulletin inserts for that Sunday will also be available at that time.

"This is an opportunity for the American Church to show we stand with our bishops at Lambeth in two tangible, active ways," said the Rev. Mike Kinman, executive director of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation. "Through our prayer and advocacy, we will show that we speak with one voice in our commitment to seek and serve Christ in the poorest of God's children."

"Standing together with the Bishops at Lambeth we are saying with ONE voice -- now is the time -- today is the day to take one more step on the path to eradicating global poverty," said Mary Getz, grassroots coordinator for the Episcopal Office of Government Relations. "Just past the halfway point for the MDGs, it is more important than ever for us to speak with one voice to our governments' leaders."