Subject: FaithfulAmerica E-Zine, March 2005

From: "FaithfulAmerica.org" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 11:29:11 -0800

FAITHFULAMERICA E-ZINE: March 16, 2005

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In This "If I Had A Hammer" special e-zine, read how you can build a better world!
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"The Effort Continues!" Tsunami Relief Benefit Concert Announced

The rebuilding of lives and livelihoods will take at least ten years, say experts. That's why FaithfulAmerica.org and its parent organization, The National Council of Churches USA will sponsor a benefit evening concert with popular singers/songwriters Judy Collins, and Noel Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary. The concert will be held on Tuesday, April 12th at 7:00 pm at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Missouri in St. Louis, MO.

Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary said, "This is a very important national call to action and an alert to the country about the necessity of continuing our efforts to alleviate the terrible, ongoing plight of the tsunami survivors."

"The media blitz is over, but the pain of thousands of tsunami survivors goes on," added the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA. "We are working to foster Americans' long-term engagement with Asians in rebuilding their communities."

In January FaithfulAmerica's Director, Vince Isner, and The Council's Interfaith Relations Director, the Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana traveled to Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Photos from that mission will be part of the concert experience. (Their journey is chronicled on FaithfulAmerica's weblog,  http://www.faithfulamerica.blogspot.com)

Concert-goers will have an added option: an after-concert "Meet and Greet" and/or a "Dinner with the Stars," available at specific donation levels.

Tickets may be purchased online at  www.touhill.org or by contacting the ticket office at 314-516-4949; or toll free at 866-516-4949. Please call the ticket office to arrange for your ticket and participation in the after concert donor events. Ticket Office hours are Monday-Friday 10am - 6pm.

Profits from the April 12th concert will be shared among several humanitarian organizations active in post-tsunami response.

The concert is being produced by St. Louis-based Webinar Resources. For more information on the concert or to make a donation, visit  http://concert.theeffortcontinues.org.

Visit the following links online:
	 "The Effort Continues" Website (http://concert.theeffortcontinues.org/) 

Who you can contact:

	Mark Rice
	Webinar Resources
	[email-masked]
	314 830-3616

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Building An END to Genocide in Sudan

So many of you first took action on FaithfulAmerica when you learned of the genocide in Sudan - the merciless ethnic cleansing that has claimed more than 200,000 lives (with some estimates reaching 350,000!) and displaced millions more. It was and continues to be one of the world's most appalling human rights issues. As promised, we are continuing the effort to help end this senseless killing. Today we call for persons of every faith and political persuasion to join our friends at SaveDarfur.org to participate in "100 Hours of Conscience."

The 100 Hours begins this Thursday, March 17 with a nationwide minute of silence on college campuses across America, and continuing over four days with a variety of events that encourage people in houses of worship, schools, community groups, and families to learn more about the horrors in Darfur and to take action using the tools on the  SaveDarfur.org (http://www.savedarfur.org/) website.

The online toolkit contains a wealth of poignant background information, PowerPoint presentations, audio and video clips, tools for organizing events in your communitiy, and important website information for writing to the President and members of Congress. Whether you act as an individual, or a member of a family or faith community, we urge you to take time and explore this website. how you can take action to help end this horrific killing that continues to claim lives by the hour.

Visit the following links online:

	 Save Darfur 100 Hours of Conscience: http://www.savedarfur.org/go.php?q=/100Hours/10
	 Read Human Rights Watch Backgrounder on this issue:  http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/02/15/sudan10179.htm

Who you can contact:

	David Rubenstein
	Coordinator
        [email-masked]

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Building Peace Through Prayer

Saturday marks the second anniversary of the unleashing of "Shock and Awe" - the start of the Iraq War. In just two years more than 1,500 American soldiers have been killed, thousands upon thousands of Iraqi dead, including countless women and children, and no end in sight. The cost to our nation's economy and influence abroad is enormous.

FaithfulAmericans across the country will remember this event in many ways, but we are all committed to a reign of peace.

Our friends at Sojourners are organizing nationwide prayer vigils to remember the dead and to call for peace. If you want to be part of a time of prayer and remembrance on this second anniversary of the Iraq war, all you need to do is click on the URL below and type in your zip code to find a vigil in your neighborhood. When you do, you can download a vigil toolkit to help you make the most of this important experience. After checking your zip code please sign up so the event organizer can contact you with any changes or further details.

We encourage you to join with others at this special time, especially if, like so many, you value the strength and depth of experience that comes from sharing with like-minded people of compassion. You will find kindred spirits, and they will in turn be blessed by your presence.

Visit the following links online:

	 Sign up for a Prayer Vigil in your neighborhood http://www.sojo.net/action/FA_vigil

Who you can contact:

	Katherine Paarlberg/Matt Ching
	Organizer
        [email-masked]
	202-328-8842 or 1-800-714-7474

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Be Part of an Interfaith Build at the Jimmy Carter Work Project 2005

One of the joys of FaithfulAmerica being a program of the National Council of Churches is that we get to be part of some very cool projects! This year the Council is sponsoring an INTERFAITH BUILD as part of Habitat for Humanity's 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project. Here is a letter of invitation to YOU from NCC General Secretary Bob Edgar:

In the well loved words of Ecclesiastes, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," and that includes "a time to build up."

Please join me in a critically important season for building that is coming up very soon. I am leading a National Council of Churches team to Habitat for Humanity's 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project, June 19-24, which this year will work with low-income families to build decent housing in communities across the state of Michigan. You can be a valuable part of this team no matter what your skill level with a hammer or paintbrush may be.

There are only 100 places on the NCC team. Don't miss this life-changing opportunity to work with others who share your passion for ending the scandal of poverty housing. Participants in previous NCC teams have come away with new friendships, a deepened awareness of poverty issues, and a rich ecumenical spiritual experience. Habitat calls it "the theology of the hammer."

By signing up through the NCC you also will participate in a special interfaith pre-build event, June 16-18 designed especially for the NCC team and drawing on the rich multifaith resources of the region. The NCC, whose ministry has a strong interfaith relations component, works to build up peace and harmony among neighbors of different faiths. We are committed to decent housing and we also are committed to improving the social environment in which we all live.

Team members are responsible for their own transportation costs and a registration fee to cover on-site food and lodging, and they are encouraged to make a donation toward construction costs. The enclosed application form includes details on the costs. Secure your place by returning the application form with a check for $750 made out to "JCWP 2005 Registration Fees." Send the form and check to me at: The National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 880, New York, NY 10115. Note that the registration deadline for NCC team members is Friday, March 18, 2005.

Please join me and other team members in this special "time to build up"! (If you can't participate in person, please consider a contribution toward the cost of lumber, paint and nails to support the NCC team's contribution to the 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project.) I hope to hear from you soon. If you have questions, you can reach me at  [email-masked] (mailto:[email-masked])  or contact Vicki Manning in my office at 212-870-2025.

Peace,

Bob Edgar
General Secretary

Visit the following links online:

	 Michigan Habitat for Humanity (http://www.habitatmichigan.org/) 
	 The National Council of Churches (http://www.ncccusa.org/) 

Who you can contact:

	Vicki Manning
	NCC
	[email-masked]
	212-870-2025	

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